Should You Quit Marijuana and Alcohol? How to Evaluate Your Situation

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” 
― Wayne W. Dyer¹

Ever wonder if it’s all worth it?

Getting drunk and high can be a lot of fun, but sometimes you have to consider if your habits might not take more than they give - and if you don’t take stock every now and again, it’s way too easy to get stuck on autopilot until choices become habits and habits become destructive.

So if you like to drink – drink up! If you want to smoke weed – go on and get high then! It’s your life to enjoy and you should enjoy it as you see fit.

But before you do, take a moment to think about what you’re doing. Do you still choose your behaviors or are they now so ingrained that you act without thinking – stumbling into unconscious intoxication?

Don’t get stuck in a destructive rut. Choose a conscious life; examine your choices and if necessary, make the changes necessary to get you back to the life you want to lead.

Here’s a quick exercise to get you started…

Examine your habits across 7 domains...

Choose a behavior or habit to examine and then consider how your habit affects your life across the following 7 major domains of existence.

If possible, write down at least a couple of the most significant pros and cons below each domain (for illustration purposes we’ll consider how someone with a heavy marijuana habit might respond.

Physical Health

Pros:

• I am better off smoking than doing harder drugs. I’d probably drink a lot more if I didn’t smoke weed

Cons:

• Getting high reduces my motivation to get active, so I am out of shape and overweight
  
• I have a nagging little cough from smoking every day

Finances

Pros:

• None

Cons

• A half ounce a week eats up a large chunk of my disposable income
• Not saving as much money as I want to

Career/Education

Pros

• None

Cons

• Marijuana interferes with my short term memory and general sharpness. Makes it harder to excel at work.

Social/Recreational

Pros

• I enjoy many aspects of getting high with my friends. It’s a lot of fun, my friends are great, movies and music are far more enjoyable high, it gives me something to look forward to every day after work

Cons

• Feeling a bit stuck and bored because I won’t consider recreational activities that I can't do high
  
• Don’t see much of friends that don’t smoke anymore

Close Relationships

Pros

• Some of my closest friends smoke

Cons

• My wife does not approve
• It removes me from the same head-space as my children

Mental Health

Pros

• Gives me an outlet for stress

Cons

• Makes me feel a bit paranoid
• Feel irritable and depressed when I can’t get high (like at work sometimes)

Sexual Health

Pros

• Can increase desire sometimes

Cons

• Sometimes lack the motivation to actually get something going
• Not as connected with wife when high
  

... So How Did You Do?

If, after completing this exercise, you feel good about how your habits and behaviors affect your life - then congratulations and keep up the good work…

If this exercise has raised questions or concerns then consider what changes you could make to better your situation.

Remember:

• You don’t have to change everything all at once – lots of baby steps are a lot easier than one giant leap
• Just because you’re unsatisfied with your life and habits doesn’t necessarily mean you need to quit entirely – you can also consider moderation and harm reduction
• If you decide you want to stop using or drinking, and moderation doesn’t work for you (a lot of people have trouble with this) you might find talking to a counselor or joining a support group really helpful

Have the courage to live the life you want.

Since we started with a quote, lets end with one too…

"No one ever finds life worth living – one has to make it worth living."
― Winston Churchill³