“Clear Head and a Clear Path: The Benefits of Quiting Smoking”

The first step of my journey of self-improvement, I decided that I would quit smoking. I’ve been a regular marijuana smoker for years, and after some deep reflection and a conversation with a friend about making sacrifices now for future gain, I realized that right now, smoking wasn’t doing anything to help me reach the goals that I had for myself.

For the first week, I realized that I had more energy during the day and could focus more on the tasks that were in front of me. Due to the “come down” that my body experienced with smoking and the “scatter-brained” feeling I would have, I was finding it difficult to have the energy to complete the various tasks that I would have for myself during the day. When I did find the time to do these tasks, I found it hard to fully dedicate myself to the tasks ahead and found them to be time-consuming and tedious. My diet also changed after quitting. My usual tendency to smoke and then eat an outrageous amount would sometimes leave me feeling sick or sluggish, with an appetite that I just couldn’t seem to appease. Since I stopped smoking, I no longer have this habit and have been eating better foods, better portions, and have actually lost 8 pounds after the first week.

Lifestyle changes like these may have their benefits, but that does not mean that they do not come with their own set of challenges as well. For the first week, I had very distressing and vivid dreams and nightmares. After some research, I learned that some of the most common side effects of marijuana withdrawal include vivid and disturbing dreams, decreased appetite, aggression and irritability, and insomnia (amongst others). For me, the dreams and insomnia are my biggest side effects, but with some Melatonin I was able to get the sleep I need until the symptoms stopped, which in most cases lasts about 2 weeks.

For more information: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/marijuana-weed-withdrawal

In conclusion, the step to remove marijuana from my life has overall been a positive one. Sure, sometimes I still crave the act of smoking and the dreams where a concern for awhile, but the increased energy and focus seem to more than make up for those minor issues, with time the craving will go away and so will the dreams, and the life-long benefits will far outweigh my current side affects. No journey is easy, but no progress can be made until you choose to take the first step. Hopefully, this is just one step on my long journey to self-improvement.