The best motivation to stop smoking weed, or quit any kind of addiction is personal motivation. An individual might change their habits for a short period of time with external motivating factors, such as pressure from loved ones or probation officers, but they will usually relapse. With personal motivation, the likelihood of the individual quitting weed and staying quit, is much higher.
How to get Motivated?
SMART Recovery® is an alternative to the traditional 12 Step Programs. SMART stands for Self Management and Recovery Training, and teaches self help techniques based on psychological principles. It is a well recognized program. The following 4 tools from SMART can motivate the individual to stop smoking weed via self empowerment.
- The Transtheoretical Model (TTM)
TTM is the dominant model of health behavior change among psychologists. The individual goes through ‘stages of change’ as they attempt to quit smoking weed. The stages of change include, in order:
- Precontemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance
Chances are that the individual will fluctuate between the stages once in a while, however, when the individual has made a strong commitment to becoming drug free, it is easier for them to maintain abstinence.
- Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)
The individual completes a cost benefit analysis, which means that they compare the gains and losses of smoking weed. The CBA is a simple exercise to help evaluate what the individual gains and what they lose when they stop using weed.
The CBA comprises of the following:
- Take a sheet of paper and divide it into 4 quadrants.
- Write ‘Smoking Weed’ at the top of the page
- In the top left quadrant write ‘Advantages – benefits and rewards’
- In the top right quadrant write ‘Disadvantages – costs and risks’
- Above the two bottom quadrants write ‘Quit Smoking Weed’
- In the bottom left quadrant write ‘Advantages – benefits and rewards’
- In the bottom right quadrant write ‘Disadvantages – costs and risks’
Then it is simply a matter of filling in the squares with advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of smoking weed might include things like stress relief and entertainment, while disadvantages of the same could be medical conditions and relationship problems. Each item must be labeled ‘Short Term’ or ‘Long Term’ and compared. The individual will likely find that the benefits of smoking weed are short term, while its costs are long term. Carrying the list all the time and reviewing it when the urge to smoke weed arises is key in reminding oneself that the long term costs outweigh the short term benefits.
- Hierarchy of Values
Here the individual lists the 5 most important things in their life, in order of significance. These vary from person to person, and usually include things like family, health, finances, happiness, job, relationships, etc. Most of the time, smoking weed will not make the top 5. However, the individual is likely to find that smoking weed has an impact on all their top 5, and learning this will enable the individual to start making behavioral changes.
- Planning and Visualizing Change
Finally, the individual completes a ‘Change Plan Worksheet’, where they map out the changes they want to make as they start their journey of quitting weed. Listing out what changes to make, why they want to make them and who can help will go a long way towards putting an actual plan of change in place.
It is absolutely possible for an individual to stop smoking weed. The trick is to want to do it for personal reasons and to stay motivated. SMART Recovery can definitely help with that.
Do you need support to quit smoking weed? Call The Villa to get the answers to your questions and concerns and to start your journey to recovery.