What's the deal? How to quit smoking weed

Here are some simple steps that will show you how to quit smoking weed:

Work out if you have a problem

Check out our cannabis and addiction factsheet or complete the dependency questionnaire.

Think about your behaviour

To get started on the path to quitting marijuana, work out when and why you use, what the pros and cons are of using and write down your reasons for wanting to change. From this you can put together your plan for quitting, for dealing with triggers and for avoiding tempting situations.

Act on your decision

Quitting marijuana can be easier said than done but will be worth it. To help get you through the initial stages, try some of these tips:

• Check out our Get Help page, order or download our What s the deal? A do-it-yourself guide to quitting cannabis booklet, or call our cannabis helpline on 1800 30 40 50

• Ask a friend or relative to help you to support you, keep you focused on the end goal and distract you when needed!

• Minimise your other commitments for the first few weeks so you can focus on quitting.

• Figure out the activities that you usually do before smoking the steps that lead to using cannabis, and try to avoid them. Making a list of your high risk activities and a plan for working around them may help.

• Do things you enjoy that don t usually involve using cannabis.

• Spend more time with non-smokers.

• Be ready for withdrawal. For around seven-to-ten days you might feel irritable, anxious, confused and angry. You may have sleeping problems, night sweats, diarrhoea, tremors and a loss of appetite. As bad as you might feel, remember it will likely be over in less than two weeks and is a really good sign your body is healing and recovering from the addiction. Keep yourself distracted, don’t cave into the cravings, try and stay relaxed and don’t let your mind make you think its worse than it is.

If you’d like some more info on how cannabis can affect you, check out our other Marijuana Facts, our YouTube channel, follow us on Facebook, or take part in one of our competitions (with some good cash prizes up for grabs). If you think you or a friend might have a problem with cannabis and need help, check out our Get Help page or call the helpline on 1800 30 40 50. You can also get some more in-depth answers to all your cannabis questions on our factsheets page.

*Please note that the terms marijuana , cannabis , weed and pot are used interchangeably in these fast facts, and all refer to the illegal drug, cannabis, unless otherwise specified.