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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

stoner partner - how do I handle this?

35 replies

moonster · 08/07/2009 22:57

this is really difficult to write... I have been with my partner for a long time, we met when we were teenage students so smoking hash was part of our social scene, but fast forward nearly 12 years and he is still smoking it. I HATE this, but I can't seem to get through to him that it's not right. I stopped smoking it years ago as it gave me panic attacks, but he has carried on. He has calmed down somewhat and has even made a few attempts to stop, btu it never lasts. We have a baby son now and it really bothers me that even his shild hasn;t made him stop. He smokes most nights after coming home from work (not in the house though) and some days the first thign he does is go outside for a smoke. I just don't get why he needs to be stoned all the time. I have tried being understanding, shouting, crying, ranting, eveything to no avail. He keeps promising he is about to stop but it doesn;t happen... how do I deal with this? It's slowly killing my feelings for him - I'm just so hurt that event hough he knows I hate it he continues to do it!! any ideas on what I can do to get through to him??

OP posts:
moonster · 09/07/2009 10:45

ok, I see where this is going. lets get this straight: the £20 every few weeks does NOT bother me. This is only the stuff i know about. he lies about where he is getting it from, I've caught him out several times. He tells me his friend is giving him it - yeah right.

i think I may have come across as controlling - fair enough, you're all only going on what I;ve written. I am the type of person who tries to find the positive in everything, I have even been critisied in the past for being a people pleaser. I don;t regularly nag my DP, I try to be fair with him, we have our rows, but we also have some laughs and I love him. I'm not needing confirmation of what he is doing is wrong or right - that's almost not the point. What is the point is that I have had enough after a long time of being uncomfortable with it and he knows this, yet continues to do it.

and the 20 mins disappearing gets a bit wearing when it happens 4 or 5 times a day. To say it is no worse than a drink is ridiculous. if he was having a can of lager at 10am I would be really worried!

so yes, I did come here for some advice on how to deal with this, as in new strategies to use in talking to him etc. thanks for your posts, they have helped in a way x

OP posts:
OptimistS · 09/07/2009 11:33

I used to smoke cannabis. I'd get through about £20-worth every 2 weeks, comparable to moonster's DP. I nearly always smoked it only in the evenings, after work, although it was not uncommon for me to smoke it first thing in the morning on a weekend. I smoked like this for about 5 years, alhtough I have not smoked (either cannabis or tobacco) for 3 years now, as I gave up when trying to conceive.

During that time, because I walked the dog daily, continued to hold down a job and perform well in it, and maintained relationships with friends and family, I told myself that cannabis was no big deal and didn't affect my functioning in any way. And it didn't affect my ability to to what was necessary, I will admit. However, within a few months of stopping it, I realised that my energy levels had shot through the roof. Cannabis DID rob me of the motivation to do anything other than what was necessary. I spent my evenings pleasantly relaxing after a hard day's work (i.e. getting lightly stoned), whereas today, as a non-smoker, I find I can relax just as well in a much healthier manner that actually involves having a life.

Getting stoned reduces your motivation, has a detrimental effect on your energy (as does tobacco smoking), and tends to limit your social life as many users tend to subconsciously avoid situations/people where they cannot smoke a joint and can't fully relax in a social scene where they think their habit may be disapproved of.

I agree people can get hysterical over cannabis. Getting hold of a bit of weed is in no way like trying to get hold of crack cocaine. Cannabis is usually obtained via friends of friends. In all the years I smoked it I never had to meet with a scary drug-dealer type down a dark alley somewhere. I also find that most cannabis users are usually more agreeable and way less aggressive than your drinker types. I would far rather be friends with a regular stoner than a heavy drinker, for example, and I still have some friends who take recreational drugs. However, I don't want either habit in a partner.

Cannabis is usually smoked, and taken in this way each joint is about 5x more damaging to your lungs (BBC news report). Most cannabis smokers are habitual users. I know there will be some members on here who only ever smoke it occasionally/recreationally, and others who know people who only smoke it occasionally, but they are in a minority. Most (not all, but definitely most) users are unable to 'take it or leave it' and find that it gradually becomes a regular part of their lives. I bet that if most of you think of the people you know who smoke it regularly you will see that while they may hold down jobs/marriages etc, they don't actually do that much outside of these roles - few hobbies to speak of. That's my experience, anyway. Apart from a small minority of users, cannabis prevent people from being the best person they can be IMO. I think this is where the OP is coming from. She sees that her DP is not the realising his full potential, and she is angry because it is making her feel like she and their DDs are not enough reason for him to do that - that he values his cannabis more than them. There is also the difficulty of the role model he will present when the DC are older. Cannabis should be made legal IMO as it is in a different class to something like heroin, but while it remains illegal, it is setting a bad example to a young, impressionable child who does not have the life experience or intellectual maturity to fully understand how one illegal thing can be ok but another is not ok. There is the danger of thinking "Well if that's ok, perhaps this is too?"

FWIW, moonsters, I'm afraid that while I see where you're coming from and I'm personally in agreement with you, the posters who say you cannot change your DP are right. Nothing you can say or do will change his mindset, as only he can do that. One thing you could try, if he is open to stopping but simply can't, is to get him to read the Allen Carr book about smoking. If he replace the words nicotine/tobacco with cannabis, it may help him to see cannabis in a new light and drive him to stop.

All the best. (sorry for the very long post)

moonster · 09/07/2009 13:05

optimists - thanks for your post. And for the suggestion of the Allen Carr book - I will try that. I think part of his addiction amy also be to the tobacco and when he stops for a few days that makes him crazy. I dread going to my parents for the weekend because he gets so grumpy.

I think you have put it very well - that he is not realising his full potential and now that the years are trundling by it's coming into sharper focus and I feel that time is running out for him to get his act together. He's a talented man, but has no motivation to use his talents.

He had not been able to apply for a few jobs that would be great opportunities for him because they do drug testing. His job he has is ok, doesn;t pay much and has no prospects. I'm not th etype of person that needs a man to provide everything for me - I have a good job that has lots of prospects and I have worked hard to get here. I just feel he could do the same and would ultimately be happier for it.

I think I do need to get a grip - I have considered much of what has been said on this thread in the last few hours. And whilst some of it has made me angry it's made me think slightly differently and that can only be a good thing. I'll need to think on some more, and have some serious talks with DP and I'm going to try to be a bit more realistic in my expectations. If i want him to stop, I'll need to let him know how I really feel and try to help him with it. We're meant to be a couple after all and I want this to work.

OP posts:
poshsinglemum · 09/07/2009 13:27

I hate what weed addiction does to people- makes them into lethargic, unmotivated, paranoid voids. In his eyes he's probably ''chilling'' and in denial!
This would bother me no end. I would suggest he gets help or you both go to councelling.
If he is unwilling to change I would seriously consider if you can relate to this man.

ridingjoker · 09/07/2009 13:31

moonster - ok, if he's smoking 4-5 joints a day. and starts at 10am , he definately has a problem. and definately costs him more than £20. he may be telling the truth in this respect and friends are giving him some, but what he says he gets is not his only supply.

at this level of smoking i'm in agreement with optimist. he wont be fullfilling his full potential.

does he drive after starting smoking at 10am and continuing throughout the day?

SueMunch · 09/07/2009 13:57

Thought I'd give you some positivity here

A good friend of mine has a DH who used to be a 'major stoner' and could not seemingly live without it.

It reached the point where he was saying he couldn't handle the day or evenings with the familiy unless he had smoked a joint.

We have been on holiday with them in the past and have seen him in action. And let me say this - he was also smoking very strong stuff such as skunk.

BUT! over the last year he has slowly reduced his smoking and now only has a few joints at the weekend. My friend says that he is a different person now.

Hang on to that idea!

MamaLazarou · 10/07/2009 09:19

I was a dreadful stoner until I gave up the fags (using the wonderful Allan Carr book mentioned upthread). I never smoked fags, just joints and the occasional roll-up (mainly when I had run out of weed).

I was pretty much stoned every night for about 5 years. Even now, my DH talks to me about events that happened in the first couple of years in our relationship, and I don't remember a thing about them.

It's hard to give up - not because it is addictive (although the tobacco in the joints certainly is), but because at first it is very difficult to relax without it. I drank quite heavily while I was trying to give up.

I thought I would still be able to smoke after giving up the fags, but I just couldn't face tobacco in any form and it made me sick.

These days, we smoke a bong or pipe together very occasionally - maybe two or three times a year - and really enjoy it. We only smoke when we've got some time off work, though, as it makes our brains too fuzzy the next day(I'm not smoking at all at the moment, as I am pregnant).

So, as an ex-stoner, I can say that giving up fags, and feeling able to still enjoy the occasional smoke was what worked for me.

I hope you manage to get through to your partner and reach a happy outcome for all concerned. Good luck! x

susia · 10/07/2009 11:15

I have to say that I am a very occasional weed user (to people who say that everyone or nearly everyone is a habitual user). By that I mean I nearly always have a £10 bag in the drawer but it will last maybe 6 months or a year.

I have a joint maybe every 2 or 3 months. Most of the time I don't want to feel fuzzy headed but occasionally when I'm with friends I feel like having a bit of fun.

I also rarely drink, maybe every 3 weeks or so I have a glass or two of wine.

I think both alcohol and weed in this level of moderation but either on a daily basis are not good.

expatinscotland · 10/07/2009 11:24

I used to grow my own bud when I lived in the US and smoke (bong only) every other night or so, more on holidays (was a climber, almost all our holidays involved camping).

Have to say, I preferred pot to drink any time and I'd rather live with a stoner than a drinker, tbh.

jarbelle · 10/07/2009 11:46

My dp has been a stoner for 14 years. I used to be but now only occasssionally indulge at parties.

I have to say I don't agree with people saying it is addictive - perhaps psychologically for a minority. I gave it up with no problem and dp gave it up for 6 months at one stage when we moved abroad. I didn't notice any change in his persoanlity.

It causes some issues in our relationship. Dp can be lazy with no 'get up and go' about him, his sex drive is non-existant and he's a bit overweight mainly caused by 'munchies'.

I have noticed he is cutting down a bit lately because he has started to do a bit round the house. However he used to be very like your dp - would get first thing in the morning and have a spliff and the day would start from there.

Could you maybe ask your dp to start leaving it until he gets home and not first thing in the morning? Then perhaps move onto when ds is in bed and then just weekends?

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