From Bad to Worse

A person saying no to a joint

Written By Christine L.

Cannabis—at first harmless. A little flower lifted my mood, made me feel alive. My ex-husband and I partied, laughed, lived freely in the US. Later, alone, I used it spiritually, searching for God, the Goddess within me. I thought I’d found my true nature. I felt guided by spirit. Wrong.

My favourite plant revealed another side. When I smoked, my mood shifted. I did “irrsinnig” things—like undressing in public, thinking no one saw. I became paranoid, irrational. I hallucinated justifications: giving up my home without finding another, living on the streets for years, losing custody of my daughter, and still smoking despite the consequences.

In 2016, after my son was placed in foster care, I surrendered. Therapy in Germany confirmed it: cannabis-induced psychosis. I couldn’t nurse my son anymore. I was put on medication.

From that moment, I had to face the truth: I was addicted. Now, eight months clean, I accept every bit of help. I’m in a self-help group, have a sponsor from marijuana anonymous, private counselling, and an addiction therapist.

I’m proud to say: I never want to touch cannabis again.
My motto is: Clean until the end of my life.

“This piece was developed with the support of digital research tools to ensure accuracy and clarity.”

Published By A New Leaf – December 2025

More Articles

  • CALLING IT AS IT IS

    Written by, Leslie J. I can’t believe it happened to me. After brushing off all the gateway drug talks, the silent, disapproving I told you so’s echo in my head. If I had only known the gate was to addiction, period—not just cross-addiction. The first time I heard about weed was in one of those…

    CALLING IT AS IT IS
  • Psychosis

    Written by, Izzy SF coming of age amidst a cloud of purple haze i thought it fueled the revolution but it turned into a cage i dreamed blue dreams while gorilla-glued to screens where paranoia sticks like sherbert and young bright eyes lose their gleams doctors say it’s cannabis-induced psychosis i might say we’re stifling…

    Psychosis
  • ‘Once A Broken Dream’

    Written by, Ney Ney ‘On awaking a feeling of hope sometimes I remember and sometimes i don’t all the memories I made on the years of haze as my broken sleep begins to fade. The calming lavender swept under my chine the sweet smell of mother nature letting me in the forgotten spirt and dreams…

    ‘Once A Broken Dream’
  • From Magic to Misery

    Written by, Adam K. This isn’t working for me anymore. At first, every time felt like fireworks.You showed me the secrets of the universe—so many insights,creativity blooming,getting lost in thought,enhancing the senses,unearthing emotions,recalling past memories…Spending more and more time with youand less and less time with people I loved.I couldn’t live without you.But I’m not…

    From Magic to Misery
  • Replying to a Major Publications Article on Weed

    Written by, Param D. Today an article called “Review of Medical Cannabis Use Finds Little Evidence of Benefit” that was published by a major news outlet. I started to read the comments, many of which denied  that weed could be addictive or harmful. It prompted me to write a comment of my own. “I’m a…

    Replying to a Major Publications Article on Weed
  • Heard in a Meeting

    “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?” Published in A New Leaf – April 2026

    Heard in a Meeting