Former weed addict shares what changed when he stopped smoking

Warning: This article contains discussion of drug addiction which some readers may find distressing.

Smoking weed can have a lot of impacts on a person’s health, both physically and mentally.

But what’s the moment that makes it clear you should call it quits?

Maybe it’s an instance of scromiting, unable to focus, or just can’t afford it anymore.

For YouTuber Dorian Develops, his addiction led him to taking an extended break from the green stuff, and from there, it was easy to see a clear change.

Describing himself as addicted to smoking weed as a teenager, the now-adult, revealed that he had to give himself six months without it to clear his head...which then turned into two years.

“I felt like I would have to read the same thing over and over because I couldn’t process it,” he said.

Dorian Develops smoked weed for years (Getty Stock Images)

What he meant was that the drug was clouding his mind, sort of like a fog or mist that stopped him being able to want to do things.

“It’s so much easier to be motivated to go to the gym when you don’t wake up and smoke. [You] have more energy and you just have more mental clarity and focus.

"It’s a lot easier for you to want to set goals and be ambitious and do bigger things when you’re not in that weed brain fog state all the time. Being able to be organised and be productive is something that has improved so much in the last six months, especially in the last three.”

Dorian reckoned his mental health took a significant leap after he'd spent some time off cannabis, as he said he'd been 'noticing that my anxiety and depression was definitely elevated by smoking weed every day'.

Some people say they take the drug to soothe themselves and calm their minds of such feelings, but Dorian found it 'wasn't reduced' when he was smoking and noticed he was 'much better' after stopping.

He also felt a physical benefit as he wasn't smoking any longer and his respiratory system thanked him for it as he felt like quitting had started to 'repair a lot of that damage'.

He said he couldn't 'process' the weed (Getty Stock Images)

He said: "Now I don’t feel as winded anymore, I feel like I have way more endurance in my lungs, I feel like I can breathe easier, I don’t wheeze anymore."

While cannabis is considered one of the safer drugs available, research into its effects indicated that use from a young age can drop a person's IQ by an average of 1.3 points.

Other research found that brain fog, shorter attention spans and a less adept ability to recall things were also linked to cannabis use.

Nonetheless, cannabis products are seeing an increase in use for medical purposes and other countries have looked into legalisation of the drug as a possible policy, with the US changing its classification to aid in the scientific research of the drug.

Dorian has since been sober for some time, and in an updated video posted just three months ago, he admitted he's 'actually right now two and a half years sober'.

Saying 'the longer you go, the better it gets', Dorian urged people to 'get help' for their addictions if they want to get clean, and to 'do what you got to do to to make it happen', even it it means 'going to meetings' or making videos, like him.

If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24/7, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week.