Personal Stories

Recent Articles

  • What I Didn’t Do

    Written by, Julie A. Weed once felt like a soft landing — a cushion for my racing mind, a bridge out of loneliness. But over time, the cushion smothered me. Nights blurred into smoke, mornings into fog. I thought I was escaping, but really I was erasing myself. My wife held me through it, even…

    What I Didn’t Do
  • Tradition Two and Humility

    Written by, Anonymous “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority, a loving God whose expression may come through in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.” -Tradition Two As a recovering marijuana addict, I am constantly reminded of how many “control issues” still lurk around the…

    Tradition Two and Humility
  • LGBTQIA+ and Being in Recovery

    Written by, Connor B. My first boyfriend was the one who introduced me to marijuana. I was 18 and he was significantly older. He took advantage of my naïve puppy love in many ways: pressuring me to give him a car loan, living in my dorm room for months, etc. But it was developing the…

    LGBTQIA+ and Being in Recovery
  • Turning 40

    Written By, River B. My birthday is in the fall, often landing on or shortly after the autumn equinox. This year in celebrating with a weekend at my parent’s cottage on the shores of Lake Huron with four of my closest friends, who have all agreed to a sober weekend in support of my new…

    Turning 40
  • Choosing Life

    Written By, Mirabelle H. I smoked for the first time when I was 16. I didn’t feel anything physically, but emotionally, I felt guilt—like I was stepping over a line I wasn’t ready to cross. I told myself it would be different when I was older, when it was “okay.” So I made a deal…

    Choosing Life
  • Making It To Dry Land

    Written By, Lee N. A way to stay afloat. That’s what marijuana was for me. My therapist (cringing at myself for being a living, breathing queer, Jewish stereotype by starting a sentence this way but…if the shoe fits) recently shared with me a parable in which someone had compared their addiction to a life raft.…

    Making It To Dry Land
  • My Stepping Stones: A Personal Journey Through the Twelve Steps of Marijuana Anonymous

    Written By Brian B. When I first walked into the rooms of Marijuana Anonymous, I was searching for a new way of life. Recovery felt overwhelming but also full of possibility. At my very first meeting, called Grown as Men, newcomers were given a simple gift: a virtual white stone. That small image of a…

    My Stepping Stones: A Personal Journey Through the Twelve Steps of Marijuana Anonymous
  • From Bad to Worse

    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…

    From Bad to Worse
  • Goodbye Weed

    Written By Gwynedd T. Hello there old friend, It’s been about a month since we last spoke. I’ve been thinking about you lately. I remember the first time we met. You scalded my throat and burned me from within, coating my mind and heart with a false sense of security. You made me feel like…

    Goodbye Weed
  • Personal Story

    Written By Jess A. I started smoking pot my freshman year of high school. I was an off and on smoker for 40 years. When I was on, I was on. As time progressed and weed got stronger, quitting became more challenging and my ability to live a normal life got harder and harder. I…

    Personal Story