How to help my boyfriend through giving up weed?

[Anonymous]

He's only given up since yesterday and tried a few times recently - not through pressure from me. I used to smoke it but gave it up 7 years ago due to priorities. I had to save money to get a place to stay after getting swindled by a letting agents and losing everything. So I did what I needed to do and I'm glad I did. It was hard because I was a heavy smoker but it was either smoke or eat and save for a better life.
I met my boyfriend and didn't realise how much he spends on it. He's gone into savings after leaving his job and has been unemployed the last few months. We don't live together but spend most of our time together. He can smoke 20 a day easily. So he started getting chest pains and anxiety about money but he always caves and goes back to it because he says what is the point? He's depressed without it, he uses it to calm his ADD, everything is boring without it, he's got no appetite and can't sleep properly and this is after 24 hours. It's a really defeatest attitude and it's more that it affects everything. I've been supportive in all the times he's spoke about quitting or tried. Told him to do it gradually smoking maybe one in the morning, one in the afternoon and one at night but he didn't stick to it. Then goes cold turkey and gets agitated. I'm not sure what I can do. I know you can only give up something if you really want to so I've never pressured him to do it. It's just getting a bit boring if I'm honest because i am trying. I give him massages to help relax, a shoulder to lean on and talk about it, trying to suggest things we can do to take his mind off of it. What else can I try? I feel like I'm struggling to keep him entertained

[Decemberbaby86]

I was addicted to weed as well. Smoked it every night. My husband and I fought about it a lot. He tried to tell me I was addicted but I didn't want to hear it and it caused problems in our marriage. He's okay with occasionally. I finally realized I was addicted to it but I didn't stop until I had a stroke a year ago. Yes, weed caused me to have a stroke. It's rare but it happens. Weed is a vasoconstrictor and it caused the vessels in my brain to constrict enough to cause a bleed. I lost mobility in my left leg and the doctor didn't know if or when I would gain back full mobility. I was lucky. Today, I can walk but I can't move my toes properly. I only smoke occasionally now after having to take medication for 6 months. It's normal to have trouble sleeping at first, I take melatonin to help with that. He will also get back his appetite after some time. When you finally get off weed, you wake up easier and are much more clear minded and you realize just how much weed effects you negatively and he won't want to go back to smoking everyday. Bc of me being addicted to weed, it caused major problems in my marriage which I greatly regret, it caused me to gain a lot of weight bc of the munchies, it had a negative effect on my progress in my day to day life. I have A. D. D as well and I recently got back on my A. D. D meds which greatly helps. He should look into talking to his doctor about getting on meds if his A. D. D is that bad. I'm also not as sharp as I used to be bc weed kills brain cells and you can't get them back. When I had my stroke, I gave away my weed stash. I find that for me, it helps not having it around. Today, I can be around someone smoking weed and keep myself from smoking it too. If he just hangs in there until he gets to this point, which won't take long, he won't regret stopping. I wish I stopped sooner. Good luck.

[idkwhatsreal]

What else does he like? Like what does he do besides smoke? Getting into another one of his hobbies so you can do it together could help. like have him teach it to you people get a lot or gratification from helping other people. A lot more than doing things for themselves. So that could help with being depressed which is a reason he’s smoking I’m sure. Other wise maybe positive reinforcement like if he makes it a week …you will …. (___). Start small and gradually get bigger for A Month then 3 months then 6 then a year . Or let him spend all his money and let him quit that way. Can’t buy shit with no money. And usually that will easily get you through the initial craving phase. And it gets a lot easier to no do it after that. . How this helps bye 👋

[In_Trance]

all you can do is be there when he asks. You have nothing to offer in this perspective. Unless you're a trained professional, in which case, you wouldn't have asked this

[Sam_The_Savage]

You give him shoulder to lean...
Don't give him. Make him scared if he won't stop smoking you will leave him.

If he loves you than he will try honestly.

[WhatTheHeckkkk]

There’s not much you can do. You can suggest doing things like taking walks, going hiking, etc to focus on other things while withdrawing..
He needs to be focused on quitting and gradually getting off it. Otherwise, it won’t work. Cold turkey isn’t easy.

[Anonymous]

marijuana is way more addictive than people realised , so this could turn out to be more of a battle than you'd expect , cold turkey might be unrealistic might have to reduce it gradually