Healing from marijuana addiction
J. N.-F. (45), Berlin (Germany)
At 20 I became acquainted with marijuana through a friend in a band I played in. During the first years I usually consumed the drug as tea, later smoking it pure, that is, without mixing it with tobacco in a pipe or rolled into joints. I was studying philosophy at the time, felt like an outsider and was looking for a place in society and meaning in life. The drugs seemed to help me in this search. I felt inspired and experienced that there was more than only the material. However the dependence soon won out and I took the drug for hedonistic reasons. I tried to stop because I realized that every "high" was followed by a "low" and because I couldn’t control the addiction. The amount I took varied but was never as much as with other "pot smokers". Three or four grams would last for one or two weeks.
The consumption increased, the performance declined
From the time I was 28 until I was 38 I worked in a therapeutic facility and during this time consumed only sporadically every few months, carried along by the group. When I left the facility at 38 my addiction got stronger again. I had phases of smoking almost every day, but then there were often interruptions. I was only smoking grass. But my consumption continually increased so that at the time before the Bruno Gröning Circle of Friends I was using up to eight grams a month.
As mentioned before I often tried to stop but didn’t have the willpower that would have been necessary. After smoking my sensory impressions got more intense and I felt more alive. Actually I always felt good when high on pot. However I was getting more and more depressed over how dependent I was on the drug. After the high there was always a low which I had to offset with coffee or more consumption. My memory got worse and my lungs and overall physical condition suffered, which I noticed, for example, when doing sports as I had poor performance and stamina. I had more trouble breathing and sometimes had pain in my chest. When high on marijuana you lose the central thread and glide from one idea to the next without making any connection. In retrospect my life was as if sinking under a layer of fog. It was a continual battle with myself, in which my reason and good intentions kept losing out to the addiction.
At home my wife reacted with irritation when I was turned on and my performance at work began to suffer. In my role as software developer I lacked concentration and in my role as an executive I lacked the necessary sobriety to keep track of things during negotiations. A homeopathic treatment from a healing practitioner provided no improvement for me.
The first contact
I first saw a documentary on television on the activity of Bruno Gröning and was very impressed. Then my first personal contact with the Circle of Friends took place at a large Physician’s Information Lecture of the Medical Scientific-Group on October 10, 1999 in the Berlin-Steglitz Clinic. I immediately felt attracted by the lectures and the energy. I attended the Community Hours a few times and made an effort to absorb the Heilstrom daily. I had the intense desire to be freed from the drug addiction.
No yearning anymore
After absorption of the Heilstrom one morning in early July 2000 I suddenly knew with total clarity how the dependence on marijuana was destroying me. Since then I have no longer felt a yearning for marijuana and have never again taken any more. My wife is especially happy about it. Instead of being "turned on" I now have joy in life. I have good concentration again and can meet all the demands of my job. I am very grateful for this healing and the new freedom and energy I have been given in my life.
Psychologist's commentary:
Mr. N.-F. used Marijuana (cannabis) for about 20 years. At the age of 38 his usage increased and he displayed a classic case of drug dependence from which he could not recover. This had a physical effect as well as problems in his daily life in his marriage and at work (for example diminished performance and concentration ability).
About 9 months after his introduction into the teaching of Bruno Gröning he came to recognize the disruptive effects of drug dependency. Remarkably he has since then experienced no craving for the drug. Furthermore, there was also no transfer of the previous drug dependency to other substances or other symptoms.
This healing is therefore to be regarded as far-reaching and enduring and I ascribe it to the working of the Heilstrom. This healing is clearly beyond the effects to be expected from a normal psychotherapeutic or medical treatment.
Dr. J.W., Psychologist
