I'm done with drugs and alcohol

[godwide_void]

When I first became introduced to weed the initial allure was in the air of mysticism and the sense of 'adventure' that every experience following a smoking session with friends would take on. One of the biggest joys that lent to it a desirable element was in how profoundly incredible and emotionally impacting music became while stoned. The ages of 17-19 were quite the hazy and reckless times considering that me and my close group of friends at that time all became aware that weed existed and could be obtainable quite easily. However, over time the initial profundity dissipated and plenty of negative experiences reared their heads due to weed. One instance in particular was a friend whom I'd considered a 'brother' then, who began treating weed like a junkie would treat some poisonous narcotic. He was Muslim and a good-hearted fellow, however he became compelled to steal, to get involved in situations that resulted in him and I disappearing from home for days at a time, and just general bullshit situations that caused a great drift and inflicted considerable heartache on his family, and on my end there was notice debilitation with my personal relationships (parents, significant other) although in our stoned, weed-focused states we could care less and did not stop to consider what our actions would be causing.

Eventually, and fortunately, we outgrew such reckless behavior and set our priorities straight, on my end at least, as that very friend whom had his downward spiral was forced to relocate to Egypt at his parent's demands considering all the 'bad influences' that led him to becoming that wild fellow here. Nowadays, there's a marked contrast between the manner that weed effects me now and how it used to before. The primary reasons I ceased smoking weed regularly is due to the major lack of motivation/apathy/dullness that lingers for some time after, the extreme haziness and mental fogginess that manifests, the anxiety that would swell up in me some time after I'd smoked (ESPECIALLY when I would be out in public the day or so after, I'd feel highly uncomfortable when I passed by people for no real reason), and the fact that my money was essentially being smoked away, which would detract from me being able to get things I actually needed or would be more beneficial. The first 3 reasons manifested much more noticeably and severely after frequent smoking in the span of a few days.

My current relationship with weed is more or less, it has little appeal to me now and its allure is very minuscule. I surprise some of my former smoking buddies when I tell them that I much prefer the mental clarity I attain after a week or more of sobriety than the stoning of weed! It isn't to say that I've completely quit weed, though I'm a much more infrequent and responsible indulger than I used to be, and this is an accomplishment to me as it would cause me to feel quite low reflecting on the way that weed could and did dictate my actions and focus. It isn't to say that I stopped smoking, as every now and then I don't mind enjoying a nice blunt or two to enhance the tranquility of the day, although when I do nowadays it's usually with my neighbor a few houses away. On a solo basis, I smoke when I want to (fairly rarely now), not because I NEED/HAVE to, though even when I get the urge to smoke it usually passes and I don't bother acting on it. My friend also to a degree made me feel a bit apprehensive about weed as he serves as an example on how weed can really benight someone negatively and become an addicting and life-dulling substance if its usage is left unchecked and unmoderated.

Funnily enough before I saw this thread I'd had the urge to smoke but realized there's very little point to do so. I too applaud you GreatSpirit for the realization you've come to and for sharing it, as there definitely becomes a point when certain things no longer serve a purpose and just need to be allowed to fall away. Though, in your proclamation that you can only reach your full potential as a powerful being of Light sober, I'd like to mention in passing that a combination of lengthened periods of focus and sobriety to achieve a more established connection while sober and divine communion through the responsible and infrequent usage of particular natural sacraments in ritual can allow one to realize a potential far beyond what one thought was the limit and indeed many boundaries become completely surpassed from this.