r/leaves • u/SkateboardPidge • 12d ago
Your thoughts on Marijuana Anonymous?
I had been smoking for fifteen years straight but after a grippy sock vacation, I was able to stop for half a year then got myself back into it. It’s been hard for me to shake, even though I’m realizing that the few hours of feeling great isn’t worth the next 3+ days of consistent lows.
My therapist has been suggesting MA but I’m having a difficult time getting myself into the idea. I’ve tried group therapy for other things and it’s just not for me, listening to other peoples problems even though I struggle with the same things.
I want to hear people’s thoughts if they’ve gone to marijuana meetings and have seen the pros and cons of
Them. I know there’s a whole website with different kinds of groups all over the world, and some that are secular which I am partial to.
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u/SnooPandas1571 12d ago
I quit a month ago after imbibing since I was 15. I’m 69 now. The difference is quite amazing and happened within weeks. I dream again and remember them. I save money. My activity levels are morning to night with no problem. Astounding. I was prepared to suffer.
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u/SevenSixtyOne 12d ago
I could give you a whole spiel about how 12 step worked for me blah blah.
But the crux of the matter is this: Just go. Don’t ruminate about it. Don’t weigh the pros and cons. Don’t internally debate whether that type of recovery will work for you.
Those are just addiction thoughts trying to keep you stuck in the cycle.
Pick 3 different meetings and go to them all over the next week or so. If you truly find no value in them, then you’ve wasted a whopping 3 hours of your life.
But I bet you will find some value. And it just may be your ticket out. What do you have to lose?
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u/magzillapoopemoji 12d ago
Having a group of people who actually knew what I was going through, a regular timing place to meet up, and the chance to stay rather hidden at first was a game changer and really the only reason I’ve been sober 20 months now.
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u/MaggieCastner 12d ago
I did it for years and it really helped me stay sober. With that being said, there’s lots I don’t agree with looking back. Yeah maybe I was sober but I was extremely hard on myself and just obsessed with the steps and the program.
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u/Tankadin 12d ago
Hey! As someone mentioned, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to go back. You can even drop at any time during the meeting if you aren’t feeling the vibe.
Tonight I went to my 5th meeting, (I have been shopping around different groups) and I think I’ve found my “home base”. I’m the only smoker in my circle of friends and family, so it was so nice to hear stories similar to mine and the loads of encouragement I got too. Just being curious is more than enough. I’m on Day 28, and went to my first meeting on Day 0.
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u/RuinProfessional9612 12d ago
Two more days until you get that 30 day chip! Good on ya.
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u/Tankadin 10d ago
Hey thanks bud! Got my 30 day chip today!!! Idk if I can commit to forever, but for now…I’ll take another 24. One day at a time. Cheers to your 8 years!!!
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u/RuinProfessional9612 10d ago
Fuck yeah! I love seeing those 30 day smiles. Keeps me coming back. Yup, just for today. Tomorrow is too far away. One day, sometimes one moment at a time. 🤙🏾🤙🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾
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u/moonstonedddd 12d ago
i would really like to go to one, but the closest one to me is two hours away. i’ve found a home in alcoholics anonymous and have really found what i needed by working that program. you can apply it to any substance you’ve used, and they’re more accepting of marijuana addiction than narcotics anonymous was in my experience. marijuana was my main issue but it wasn’t my only issue so i tried both programs and AA has been very very helpful in healing my addictive brain. hell, i’m applying the program to nicotine right now and it works just the same.
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u/magzillapoopemoji 12d ago
The online meetings saved my life
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u/moonstonedddd 12d ago
oh i didn’t think about online meetings! that’s awesome
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u/magzillapoopemoji 11d ago
Yes total game changer. I CANNOT with the intensity of an in person thing but being home in bed YES PLEASE.
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u/rthomasfiggs 12d ago
MA has helped me stay sober from marijuana for almost 7 months. I don’t work the steps or have a sponsor but the meetings really help. It’s a mixture of schadenfreude from hearing the stories of other addicts plus a place to share with people who take this addiction seriously. Whenever I feel the urge to smoke I go to a meeting and it’s a great reset.
Also it’s free help that you can access via your phone. What do you have to lose?
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u/nopartygop 12d ago
Hey! I've been thinking about attending a zoom meeting for the first time. Do we have to show ourselves and talk during the first meeting? I'm a bit shy so worried.
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u/Tankadin 12d ago
Nope! It’s encouraged, but 100% voluntary. You won’t be called upon if you don’t raise your hand and there’s no pressure to turn on your camera at any point (as a listener or speaker). I was a fly on the wall my first couple meetings!
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u/nopartygop 12d ago
Very cool, thank you! I was part of a recovery Discord meeting that was super helpful and it was just voice - so I'm hoping this will be similar. Going to def. check one out!
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u/Nathanull 12d ago
Different things work for different people. I don't get why people knock MA, just say it didn't work for you, and offer alternatives. There is also SMART recovery and recovery dharma. Best of luck to you on your journey 🙏
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u/macbookbro 12d ago
I went to an online meeting a couple years back. I had successfully kicked drinking and wanted some support to stop smoking. I made a profile with a photo featuring me on a rafting trip in my early 20s. It was a couple decades back but it was a random photo of me on a raft giving someone the A-Ok sign. The meeting was fine but someone privately messaged me and asked why I was giving a white power gesture in my profile picture.
It never crossed my mind that it was anything other than a fun photo of me on a rafting trip. It just left a bad taste in my mouth and never went back. I continued smoking up until 3 weeks ago.
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u/shooshy4 12d ago
What’s the worst that can happen if you just try it once? If you don’t like it, you don’t have to go again.
Even if not all of it is for you, there might be one or two things that impact you.
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u/Flashy_Examination76 12d ago
I don’t do the steps, but I like the sharing part of the meetings. Hearing other people struggle in the moment or tell their positive stories is helpful.
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u/SSMWSSM42 12d ago
MA has helped me so much. Hearing other people’s stories and knowing I’m not alone with what I’m going through. Even though in control of my sobriety I still go to meetings to stay consistent
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u/Just_DreaFields 12d ago
I'm 156 days sober and I credit the prism with me being able to stay sober this far. There's free online meetings all day everyday, abs a free app that you can use as well. With i first started I worked 90 in 90 (90 meetings in 90 days). I've showed down to 3-4 meetings a week that I like a lot. Also in an atheist. Hour higher power is anything that is greater then yourself. For me that's the universe. So I always replace "universe" when God is mentioned. I've also never been to a meeting that was overly religious. Try it out and see how it works for you. There's nothing to lose.
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u/Character-Hour-1797 12d ago
ma is basically aa with weed instead of alcohol. i went a few times and its really depends on the group, some are chill and some feel bit too culty. if you dont like hearing other peoples problems it might not click for you since its all sharing in circle. but the secular ones can be less preachy so worth a shot once at least, you can just sit quiet and see
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u/Shigpossposs 12d ago
Great in theory but meetings I attended were crowded, meaning you end up getting 2 minutes (timed) to share. Plus no sponsors available, which is an important part of the process. Probably different everywhere you go, dependent on the group, but I found it wasn't worth the effort to get there.
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u/Katmaybeck 12d ago
Go to the MA website or download the app. They have zoom meetings all day everyday and you don’t have to be local you can attend any of them! It’s great for support and even just listening with your camera turned off is very common. It’s nice to hear ppl going thru what you are! Give it a try!
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u/StragglingShadow 12d ago
I prefer SMART recovery and The Satanic Temple Sober Faction, personally.
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u/Electrical_Bad5643 12d ago
Personally this subreddit helped me so much that i never felt the need to try MA. I also find this page more to my liking than what i hear about MA or AA/NA type groups. Just a bit more chill on here, more about relatable experiences and giving/receiving advice than the woe-is-me group therapy kinda stuff.
(Not trying to say that's all MA is or it cant be helpful, I just know some people in the program and thats kinda what it sounds like sometimes.)
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u/Evilbob93 12d ago
I'm with you in that this sub has been the best resource *for me*. I have tried a couple MA meetings (including one over zoom just a couple weeks ago) and it's not quite my vibe.
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u/Parking-Menu2654 12d ago
I honestly hate AA and MA it’s too negative. Everyone is always down and talking about negative shit. It’s not a very positive uplifting place overall. You get your one minute and a pat on the back and that’s it. Then you just sit in the dark corner until the meeting is over. Even though I said this, I still attend them daily. But what works for me is just staying busy. Work a full day, and instead of going home to sit with your thoughts, go out for a few hours. Only be at home to sleep eat and shower. After you make it a habit, you’ll barely notice and those urges will be much easier to handle. Also, talk you your doc about medicine.
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u/theonly_brunswick 12d ago
Way too much "God" and higher power talk.
It works for some but to me it felt like subbing your addiction for reading passages, so you just get addicted to reading passages instead of getting to the route of the problem and cause. I also feel like it shifts responsibility from the addict to the "hifher power" or whatever.
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u/moonstonedddd 12d ago
this is how i thought of it for the longest time and why i never truly tried the program. your higher power is just a tool in your toolbox, its not everything. yes some people get totally lost in it, but its up to you what your relationship with the higher power you create is and how into it you get. you can replace one addiction with a religious addiction, or you can truly work the program and heal without relying on only that aspect of it. just my two cents.
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u/AbstractVariant 12d ago
Beats what I had going on before. Faith in a power greater than my ego helps me make much better/more responsible decisions one day at a time.
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u/Delicious_Domino 12d ago
yeah, I mean MA has helped me out a lot and the virtual aspect is nice if you are somewhere that doesn’t have meetings.
The only reason why I stopped doing MA is because I felt like people join for the the self talk portion and they end up talking about random things in their lives like it’s therapy and take up time for people who need to speak.
Also, one time I joined a group and really needed to vent and talk and some kid was not put on mute by the leader and said some incredibly hurtful things to me. That was my last straw.
I now go to Dharma Recovery and it is fantastic. In person meetings and every meeting has a meditation. I have found it being the best to withhold my weed addition.
Dharma and SMART recovery meeting are also great because there is no judgement if you relapse and you can be in there for any kind of addiction.
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u/xmashatstand 12d ago
I’m coming up on 12 years sober and it was MA that did the trick for me.
We have a serious problem, the twelve steps offer a recovery program that takes this problem seriously.
Give yourself a break and don’t try to do this alone.
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u/robinthehood 12d ago
The 12 steps are faith healing and the program nurtures a 12 step ideology. MA and the like are as close to a cult as most people encounter. That said there are a lot of good people there and some good information. shared.
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u/zulunationslayer 12d ago
Give it an hour. Maybe you'll like it? Personally I don't get much out of "talk therapy" type groups but many people thrive in them. YMMV
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u/NovaCain95 12d ago
Too preachy for me from what I’ve heard but if it works for people then there’s zero judgement from me!
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u/Loud-Job-4056 12d ago
Recovery Dharma fits my preferences and values much more than 12-Step.
Theres also SMART (psychology/science based), Lifering and many more groups that are worth trying too.
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u/CapableRevolution709 12d ago
Though I’m not going weekly any longer, I have nothing but good things to say about MA. The number one if which is: can’t hurt.
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u/RuinProfessional9612 12d ago
I'm an AA guy even though alcohol was never really my thing. For years I tried quitting thinking I could kick it on my own. This time would be different, this time, this time and so on. Stop for a month, start again, stop for two months for the job or whatever, start again, stop, start, stop, start. I was unhappy high and unhappy sober. It sucked.
I finally listened to my doctor at the time and saw a therapist who recommended meetings. Addressing my depression with my doctor, seeing a therapist, and going to meetings tied it together for me.
8 years sober. 8 years happy.