Marijuana / Question
Published: March 29, 2006
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I'm 17 and I quit smoking pot and cigarettes about 3months ago and my friends smoke and so do their parents and I find it really hard to not ask for a cig but sometimes when I'm really stressed out I do. It’s been 3months since I quit smoking pot and now lately I've been craving, it is there any advice you can give me Thanx, wanna stay sober.
Signed: Staying Sober
Dear Staying Sober,
TeenHealthFX commends you decision to stop smoking marijuana and cigarettes! One of the difficult aspects of discontinuing any excessive alcohol or drug use – as you may be finding out – is that people often find that most of their friends are people interested in continuing their own drug and alcohol use, and that these friends are not usually interested in stopping using themselves, or in supporting someone else who is trying to stay sober. That said, if you are truly feeling committed to staying sober it may be necessary for you to distance yourself from the people in your life who are currently using – particularly in the early stage of staying clean when you are more susceptible to relapsing.
In addition to befriending people who do not use drugs, it is also a good idea for you to meet with a therapist or join some sort of support group. Staying sober is a hard thing to do on your own, and most people find that they need some kind of support or assistance in the process.
If you live in northern
Signed: TeenHealthFX
The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is the highest of any industrialized democracy, nearly twice that of Great Britain and 10 times that of Japan. 
