Chapter 7 - What am I giving up?

Absolutely nothing! Marijuana is difficult to quit solely because of the fear we're being deprived of a genuine pleasure or crutch. The fear that certain pleasant situations will never quite feel the same again without being high. The fear that you'll be left unable to properly cope with stressful situations in your personal and professional life. The fear that you need marijuana to eat, sleep, socialize, create, have sex, or simply get through the day.

In reality, all these fears reflect the subtle but powerful brainwashing around marijuana. The brainwashing that insists marijuana is essential to fully enjoy life and cope with its stresses. The brainwashing that claims marijuana fills some void within us and makes activities more interesting and tolerable.

The truth is precisely the opposite: Marijuana doesn't fill any real void - it actually creates an artificial void! Our bodies and minds are amazing creations, thousands of times more sophisticated than any technology humans have produced. Whether you believe in evolution, intelligent design, or a combination, our bodies have built-in warning systems and self-preservation mechanisms that compel us away from poisons and unhealthy substances.

If our creator had actually intended for us to regularly consume a psychoactive plant substance without consequences, we would have been equipped with brains wired completely differently. Our brains would not register marijuana as a super-normal stimulus, bombarding our reward system in ways food or sex never could. We would suffer no withdrawal or cravings from abstaining. But this is clearly not the case.

So once you fully purge both the physical addiction and the years of conditioning from marijuana out of your body and mind, you'll find you no longer want or need to smoke anymore. There will be no sense of sacrifice, no mourning the loss of a loyal companion. There are zero genuine benefits to be given up by quitting marijuana, only massive gains to be had!

Some of the key gains you can look forward to when finally free from marijuana addiction:

• The return of natural confidence and courage

• Complete freedom from lifelong slavery to a plant

• No more awful brain fog, grogginess, and burnout

Take notice of the marijuana addict who makes tortured excuses to sneak off alone for a crafty puff or hit. They aren't doing this for enjoyment. They're doing it out of desperation to temporarily relieve the anxieties and unease of withdrawal. Marijuana isn't an aid, it's a trap - non-smokers' minds don't constantly obsess over smoking.

There is no real sacrifice or deprivation in quitting marijuana. Only increasing positives the longer you remain free:

• Improved mental clarity and energy levels

• Restoration of motivation, drive, and zest for life

• More time, money and brainpower for meaningful pursuits

• Greater self-respect and confidence

• Overall health improves dramatically

Now imagine you had a terrible sore that kept returning on some part of your body. You discover a free ointment that makes the sore vanish instantly, but it keeps coming back worse over time. You become dependent on this ointment, needing it constantly with you. Then you learn the ointment actually causes the sore - stopping is the only permanent cure.

Would you keep slathering this ointment on dozens of times a day? Of course not - you'd be elated at the prospect of quitting it and being rid of the sore permanently.

This is precisely the marijuana trap. The anxiety and unease of withdrawal is the "sore", not the lung damage, financial cost, memory issues or lost time. Non-smokers don't have that background craving and mental discomfort of needing a fix. It's caused by early marijuana use, and strengthened with each subsequent hit. The only reason it's difficult to quit is the fear users cling to - fear created by the drug itself. Complete freedom is gained by finally ending that fear.

Some lifetime marijuana smokers still justify using despite the obvious nightmare it causes in their health and lives. Make no mistake - it's only the addiction speaking, not your true self. Freedom from marijuana is infinitely preferable to a life of slavery. Unlike most other drugs, daily users of marijuana can still be high achievers. This is another thing that makes it seem harmless. You will not die from smoking marijuana. People can smoke their entire lifetimes. But this is also one of its biggest downsides. Its lack of deadly symptoms make it a trap you can live in for your entire life.