How to Quit Smoking Pot – Cold Turkey Or Not?

The question whether to go cold turkey or to gradually wean yourself off marijuana as an often asked one when discovering how to quit smoking pot. Some see it as the only method worth doing and others think that this is too harsh and will add so much more stress to an already problematic addiction to be not worth the struggle. This article will look at the pros and cons of each method.

Quitting Smoking Pot Gradually

Opponents of the cold turkey method primarily believe that ending such an ingrained habit so suddenly can erode willpower very fast and the stresses of not being able to have any of the substance they think they need will lead them to crack and take it up again. Gradual decline seems a lot easier to deal with as weaning your body off marijuana over time can make this seem like less of a chore and a way to function more normally as you quit smoking weed.

However, this method involves a lot more planning than quitting straight up as you need to follow an exact plan on how much you will cut down on over the next weeks. You would need to make sure you never smoked more than a certain amount per day and make sure that amount is steadily reduced over time until you are at a stage you can stop smoking all together. This has its problems in that when you are smoking pot how much you smoke can easily get out of hand leading to a breaking of the contract you made with yourself and once high it becomes harder to judge these things. Many also believe that this method does not truly allow people to quit as they are avoiding the final outcome and also not being entirely honest with themselves about their NEED to quit.

Pros: Less Stress
Cons: More strict planning, ease of breaking goals, possible lack of true commitment

Quitting Smoking Pot Cold Turkey

Cold turkey supporters believe that if you have a date to stop smoking and you plan for that date to be done with marijuana you stand the best chance of quitting because you are being honest about wanting to stop and must muster the courage and motivation to actually do it. With only one goal to achieve it is actually easier to manage also.

The downside is of course that an immediate stop to smoking weed may be very difficult and very stressful for some and if you break under the pressure it may be easier to just give up as many feel a sense of failure which is not as great if you are gradually coming off pot.

Pros: Honest, Builds commitment and motivation, easier to plan for
cons: Stressful

How to Quit Smoking Pot – Cold Turkey Or Not? by Michael Porteous