Well I can offer you some advice, I've been there. I was a total pot head for about 7 years, smoked it morning noon & night, the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem & wanting to change, which you are recognising & it is the first step to making improvements. I wasn't just sitting around on my arse smoking weed all day if that's what people think, I was by no means a jobless bum, I had a job that paid well & I guess I was a functioning addict. In the midst of my addiction I refused to believe that I had a problem, that it was my life & my business & that I enjoyed smoking it. Slowly it dawned upon me that my life now revolved around weed, my day was ruined if I ran out. I was with my now ex - partner during that time & he was the same as me, smoked every day & went to work & had good job etc. Luckily for me the relationship ended, I cut all ties with him packed a suitcase & went to live far away with my sister for a while, my family were aware of my addiction & the moment I admitted I had a problem they were very supportive, that being said I sent my parents to hell & back with my behaviour & the worrying I caused them.
Smoking weed IS addictive, it makes you emotionless, it turns you into a recluse & cuts you off from the outside world( because let's face it, all you want to do is go home & smoke - I've been there ) Once you realise you have a problem, that's the first step to getting clean.
It's been about 8 years since that day I decided enough was enough, my BF at the time wasn't going to change / stop, infact he blamed me for his habit FFS - it was like a lightbulb that had been out for 7 years just came on.... I can just remember thinking ' I FUCKING NEED OUT OF THIS SITUATION & LIFESTYLE ' I left behind furniture, clothes, he owed me a couple of thousand pounds, luckily I was living in his place at the time so it was just a clean get up & go.
I never returned to even try to collect my stuff/ money that he owed me, he was a nasty piece of work, very manipulative,he wouldn't gave given me any of my stuff without a huge fight & I just did not have the emotional energy to deal with him, plus just returning there could have prompted sitting down to chat, him rolling up a joint like the old days & me sinking back into the sinkhole that I was trying to leave behind. I was unhappy with him for years, the relationship was extremely toxic but because we were both pot heads 24/7 all emotions got buried away & not dealt with.
From what I can remember I was a nervous wreck for about a year after quitting, after bursting my bubble of being in smokey smokey land for so long....being out in the real world meeting new people & going new places was actually pretty scary....but I dealt with it, I left behind all friends that I knew wouldn't respect my decisions & friends that would hinder my recovery.
Do not take this lightly, carrying on smoking pot WILL ruin your life, years will pass by & they will all be a blur.
When I think of those days now, I'm so pleased that I did it, so many people bury their head in the sand & think 'I'll deal with it soon' THAT SOON can easily be smoked away & another couple of years pass like they already have done.
I was the biggest pot head believe me, I honestly thought that I would be smoking it forever as I honestly could not function without it.....if I came that far so can you !
I've been at friends houses since, been to parties where a joint was being passed around & im now one of those people that can take it or leave it, I have smoked with friends I reckon a handful of times in the last few years & that's how it should be, it's not enjoyable when it's done daily.
You & your brother need to support each other, but this isn't going to work unless you are both serious about stopping. I cut ties with ALL PEOPLE that were pot heads because I knew I would not quit if I carried on hanging out with them, I'm by no means suggesting that you cut ties with each other if one fails but I do hope that you do both want to stop because I can see this causing a rift if not - recovering addicts just cannot be around other addicts.
I do wish you & your brother the best of luck, it takes time to feel better & time for the cold turkey to wear off, and I sincerely hope that you can be supportive of each other.
And where weed is concerned ... I'll stop tomorrow doesn't actually mean tomorrow, those tomorrow's can fade into years, don't waste another decade of your life to this habit.
Anything you want to ask me please feel free.