Experience Reports

Five years of daily use have thrown me more and more into depressive moods. No friends anymore for normal things and initial physical problems – the will to quit completely was there. But it is hard to do it alone and from classical therapies I had only heard negative information. After searching for a while I finally came across CANDIS, and quite surprisingly, it really helped: Not only talks and questionnaires, but also practical support to handle withdrawal. Now I am abstinent and I want to stay this way. One gets to know oneself better and especially the reasons for developing dependence. I could observe on myself how I got better day by day and today I am totally on top of things concerning me and my life!
Many thanks again to the CANDIS team!

Peter T.

Well, mainly the personal talks, which compared to other „projects“ keep up motivation and eventually make it more difficult to deceive oneself and thus rather take a step back instead of forward. The journey is the reward! It is easier than expected and it pays to achieve this goal, after, in my case, such a long time.
The useful tips mediated during the talks to achieve this goal, help immensely to cope with the challenges and problems, even if some advices might not seem to be new and most of us have heard or read them before, but they still help to reconsider own behaviour and change it.
I am definitely very thankful to the CANDIS team and can only say: it works!

Tom

The CANDIS project has generally shown me, that I have a problem with cannabis use. Even if I did not initially plan to quit completely, I still decided during therapy to do so. The therapy has made quitting for me much easier and has prepared my will for withdrawal. Therefore it was easier than expected!

Paul

I am now able to express my feelings and thoughts much better to my friends, e. g. if I want to reject cannabis offers, to relax easier without cannabis, to try new activities and recreation offers, give practical examples to remain abstinent, to better progress with my job and my family, to better handle my own personality.

Kerstin

I am happy to live without drugs. When I look back I have really made a big step. I am now more positive with my life. I feel mentally stronger and have more self-awareness. I plan my daily routine and my leisure time contentedly and with pleasure. If I plan something I immediately tackle it and don’t think much. I try to spend my time meaningfully and not waste it. My thoughts are positive. I don’t give negative thought patterns any chance.
For me all doors are open and I can do anything. I stick to my goals and pursue them actively. Failures do not get on me that much anymore; I try to learn from them. Still I have some minor adaptive difficulties concerning my fellows. Through therapy I have gained more mental strength. Yet, I am aware that I still have to work on many issues. I don’t consider it as essential, but it would make my life easier.

Sometimes I don’t know at all how to respond when others share their fate with me, positive or negative. Therapy has opened up my eyes. A new world opens up for me. I see it completely different and many things are much clearer to me now. I am now more interested to experience new things, to plan something with others and to talk to them. I can now enjoy the love to my girlfriend much more and perceive it as more intensely. My thoughts do not play tricks on me anymore. They don’t confuse me that much anymore. I can better appraise and control them.

Andreas

The feedback of the therapist and the invitation to love myself for my progress, have especially done me good. The training of how to solve problems effectively was also very helpful. I thus learned on a concrete problem with the daily routine of my studies, how I could compile solutions with special “tricks and ruses”, such as scrutinise certain thoughts, and implement them in my daily routine. I would appreciate it if you could also mediate everyday social competence in addition to the offered contents.

Jörg

One small critique came to my mind: The project could be adjusted more individually to persons, who have already quit and are looking for support (as in my case) and persons, who want to change their cannabis use, but were not yet successful.

Martin

I want to start by thanking the CANDIS team and especially my therapist, that I was given the possibility to attend this project. I have not used cannabis for over 2 months and my life has changed drastically. I am now much more efficient, more concentrated and more motivated than during the time with my cannabis use. I have started my planned independent activity within four weeks, which I previously put off for many months. I was ready to already quit my cannabis use after 4 weeks (5th session) with the intensive and structured procedure of the project and I could solidify and continue this goal in the further sessions.

Now, after over two months, I have absolutely no craving for cannabis and the negative consequences of consumption became clearer little by little. Activities which I believed only to be able to handle with cannabis use, I now manage much easier and I can work much more concentrated now. The open-minded and empathetic approach of the therapist was especially helpful. Never did I hear any reminding or moral words from the therapist. Rather this warning came from oneself through these talks and by understanding the problematic of dependence and its consequences. I consider the CANDIS programme as a very effective tool to overcome cannabis dependence and I hope that it will be pursued, as I believe, that there is a strong need for such therapies.

Again, thanks for the possibility to attend and the supervision and support on my way!

Sebastian

Hello from Island,

Yes, I was („am“) dependent. I have used cannabis over 16 years daily. The side-effects were: I slept a lot, was apathetic and did not deal with my kids until I attended therapy here in Island in March last year, an outpatient therapy once per week.

I also attended the NA’s, but without any success, until I have learned and accepted and it finally sunk in and what shall I say, now I am drug-free since about six months. What still bothers me is the fact, that through cannabis use I caught a permanent depression, which I treat with anti-depressants. Of course, the time during which I smoked, was also a funny time which I like to recall, but my life without cannabis is wonderful! I initially had to learn to enjoy without cannabis, which was quite difficult at first, but now I am over the worst and the daily graving for cannabis is over. I can only wish for everyone not to give up and quit cannabis use, since it is not normal to get “rat-arsed” with drugs to avoid reality. If you wish you can include my report in your experiences’ section.

Many smoke-free regards from Island!
Sven