9 years ago I was a full fledged tobacco user. A pack a day was my usually norm. I’d awake each morning with an ashtray at my bedside and the first business of the day was to smoke a cigarette or two. My clothes as well as my hair and hands smelled like obnoxious smoke. At one point I noticed I had disgusting tobacco stains on the inside of my fingers. By the sound of my wheezing, it was obvious that my lungs and life were in horrible shape. I’d chew a pack of gum and wash my hands 20 times a day in order to avoid smelling like an ashtray myself which never actually worked. I tried Nicoderm patches and gum to try and quit. I had sadly become resigned to the fact that I would be puffing on cancer sticks for the rest of my life. That was until I began growing my own cannabis and substituting it for tobacco.
I was always a heavy cannabis smoker but I never thought about cultivating it myself due to multiple factors such as time and fear of prosecution. But I finally decided to obtain my Medical Growers card and build a small garden with 4 plants. What happened next was I began spending countless hours working on my operation and studying about marijuana in my free time. I slowly found that by keeping busy I wasn’t constantly thinking about lighting up that Marlboro. Instead, I became immersed in learning about this amazing plant. Don’t get me wrong, I still had major urges for tobacco but I found that when I wanted a smoke, by using a glass blunt/chill-um to and smoking it the same way as a cigarette, it satisfied my mental cravings. For the first few weeks it was difficult but I didn’t have any of the normal withdrawal symptoms I was expecting. There was no high anxiety, having trouble sleeping or eating binges. At no point did I ever feel the need for tobacco as cannabis was able to instantly replace my urges and keep me functioning. Luckily I was able to have a job and life where I could get stoned throughout the day without fear of being judged or more importantly fired. I know that this will not work for everyone. But with stealthier options such as vape pens and edibles, you do have other ways to keep your oral fixation and tobacco addiction in check.
By finding a passionate hobby to take up my time and through utilizing the amazing powers of Cannabis, I discovered that I was able to replace any tobacco urges I had. Within a month I was knee deep learning about organic compost teas along with hydroponics and guess what, I didn’t smell like a filthy ashtray anymore. My teeth started whitening up and my wheezing began to dissipate. It was truly a life-changing miracle. Today I am 4 months away from the 10 year anniversary of my last puff from a stogie and here are the facts…Occasionally I still smoke cigarettes but only in my dreams. The smell of tobacco doesn’t make me want a puff and I don’t despise those folks that do smoke as I know how difficult quitting is. I still spend my free time in my garden and no longer feel any urges for tobacco, only the want for that delicious, 100% natural cannabis.
