This is a question I am asked on an almost daily basis and one that causes people endless battling within their minds. So, how are you meant to quit smoking pot when all of your friends are pot smokers?

Being different from others is not a natural feeling for us to experience. We prefer to stay within our comfort zone and we like to make similar decisions as our closest of friends are making. Peer pressure is a major part in this and often the outcome is that you will be swayed by your friend’s way of thinking instead of following your own intuitive gut feelings.

The best advice I can offer you is to start stretching your friend boundaries and begin to associate with some non-smokers. This is essential for you to succeed when quitting smoking weed, as you will already have a source of new people to spend time with. If you didn’t have any non-smoking friends to spend time with whilst quitting, you will find it increasingly difficult to get out of your old habits.

Once you’ve got some non-smoking friends by your side, you can then make the move and actually take the steps to quit.

The problem with having lots of smoking friends in the first place is that it is very easy to talk yourself out of wanting to give up. They all smoke and chances are, they do not have the same drive or passion to give up smoking weed. However, you do!

You need to make a gradual change of friends from one group to another. You become like your friends, so if you want to be a non-smoker, then spend more time around non-smokers.

I don’t recommend you take a “high-almighty” approach and tell your current smoking friends that they are no longer good for you and that because you don’t want to smoke weed anymore that you can never see them again. If anything, this will work against you and you could end up with no friends at all! Be gradual and gentle with the whole situation and just realise that your interests are gradually changing.

As a reformed smoker, I still speak to and meet up with old smoking friends who still have their habits. The difference now is that I spend most of my time with non-smokers and only a very small percentage of my time around smokers.

Here are a few practical strategies you can use to avoid spending too much time with your smoking friends:

• Instead of making excuses about why you can’t spend time with them, make actual plans to do things with non-smokers at the same time you would normally be invited to spend time with your smoking friends. When they ask you what you’re up to, you can tell them with confidence that you’re doing a different activity.
• Leave your smoking friends earlier than you normally would, so that you can begin your transition into spending more time with non-smoking friends.
• Suggest to your smoking friends some different activities that they may or may not be interested in doing. This will show them that your interests are starting to differ from theirs and will make the transition much easier.

Remember, nothing will ever change for you unless you take action and make those changes a reality. Do what you’ve got to do and follow your gut instincts with every decision you need to make! Your friends are doing things that are right for them, but that does not mean that it is something that is right for you.