Chanel Jones is the author of Diary of a Vixen and Million Dollar Love Affair. She is a former marijuana user and stopped by to share her story with us on overcoming her addiction.
DP: What age were you when you first started smoking
marijuana?
Chanel: I was 14 years old when I started
DP: Tell us about your first time getting high
Chanel: I was with one of my friends. I was 14 years old. She already smoked so she knew where to get it from. We went to a friend’s house who was in high school and they all were smoking. I wanted to give it a try and I did. I had no idea what I was doing but I did it anyways. I also saw my parents and uncles smoke so I
thought it was OK
DP: After smoking weed your first time, did you feel a sense of shame or guilt? Explain.
Chanel: I didn’t feel any shame or guilt. I felt high and silly and really hungry.
DP: Did you pay for the weed your first time? If so, how much did you pay?
Chanel: I didn’t pay for it my first time but after that day my friends and I were spending 5 to 10 dollars on weed almost every day. I was only in the 8th grade!
DP: After getting high the first time, how long did you wait before trying it again?
Chanel: After my first time I didn’t even wait a day; it became an everyday thing
DP: What was your 2nd experience like?
Chanel: My second experience was pretty much the same but there is nothing like your first high. At that age, weed just makes you hungry and sleepy.
DP: How many years did you smoke weed?
Chanel: I smoked weed for 13 years. I stopped while I was pregnant. I had to. I would never do anything to hurt my child
DP: Did you ever see your weed smoking as something that was illegal?
Chanel: I really didn’t see it as illegal even though it was
DP: Have you ever been arrested or detained for drug use and/or possession? If so, tell us about what happened.
Chanel: I’ve never been arrested for any drugs and I’ve never been to jail for anything
DP: How often did you get high?
Chanel: I would get high every day at least, 3 times a day and about 2 to 5 blunts per session
DP: Did any of your friends/family know about your habit? Explain.
Chanel: Yes everybody knew about my habit because everyone around me smoked weed. My mom, my dad, my friends… pretty much everybody where I’m from. That was the thing to do to pass time. Every day, we all would come together with our money and get high. Even the ones who didn’t have money found
a way to piece up on at least one bag of weed
DP: Was there anyone that you kept from knowing about your habit while you were using
marijuana? Did you keep it a secret from anyone? Why?
Chanel: My grandmother. She is a Christian, but she knew. You can tell when somebody is
high off marijuana by the way they smell, the way they act, and their eyes are red. So there was no hiding it from her, even though I tried.
DP: What’s the craziest thing you ever did to support your habit and addiction?
Chanel: To be honest, I’ve never did anything crazy to support my habit. I’ve always had a job or some kind
of hustle. My father actually would give it to me so most of the time, that wasn’t a problem for me
DP: Was peer pressure a factor in your drug use? Explain.
Chanel: I wouldn’t say peer pressure was a factor for me because I wanted to do it. But I will say in my younger days, as a teen, I’ve peer pressured a few other people to try it.
DP: At what point did you say, “Enough is enough?”
Chanel: When I became depressed, I started to have stomach problems during my depression and
the only thing that took the pain away was weed. But then it stopped working because I became too immune. When my doctors told me I was a chronic marijuana user and that it could be a cause of my depression and stomach pains, I started to re-think things. I felt like I had so much more to live for than smoking
weed
DP: Did you ever relapse? Tell us about it.
Chanel: During my depression, I relapsed every other day. Even though I said I was done, when the stomach pains came around, I found a reason to smoke. If I was sad I would smoke. If I cried, I’d smoke. If I was partying, I’d smoke. I would smoke for any reason…even for my depression
DP: When you did relapse, did you ever blame anyone?
Chanel: I didn’t blame anyone but myself. When I hit a blunt, it was my decision and something I wanted to do
DP: How long have you been clean?
Chanel: I’ve been clean for over a year now. I’m happy and proud and have no plans on really looking
back
DP: Do you ever think about getting high? How do you get past the thought?
Chanel: I really don’t think about it anymore. I don’t have a reason to. I can actually sit around people who smoke and don’t get the urge. It’s just not my thing anymore
DP: Any addiction is hard to overcome. Many people who are addicted to drugs never overcome the
addiction. How exactly did you do it? Did you have any help?
Chanel: Only help I needed was God. I prayed on it the whole time. I was in the hospital on my back not knowing what was wrong with me when all I had to do was get my health in order. It wasn’t easy the first couple of weeks. My appetite disappeared and I was irritable. I fought through those little things and I’m
well now.
DP: How much money do you think you save on average per day, per week, per year since
you gave up your habit?
Chanel: I would spend at least 10 to 40 dollars a day on weed. So, I think I save about 50 dollars every day by
not smoking.
DP: Instead of getting high on weed, what is your anti-drug?
Chanel: My anti-drug is life, my daughter and family. I spend all my time writing on my books. I don’t need weed for ideas anymore; they come natural to me as they should.
DP: What are some of the changes you have noticed since you stopped smoking weed?
Chanel: Better breathing. I’m more energetic and happy. I see life for what it really is now. Everything is clear to me. I now want to get out and do things other than sit around smoking weed thinking about what I could be doing. Now, I get up and do what I want to do. My health is under control and I feel like everything is
going to be okay. I look at everything on the bright side.
DP: Do you think it is possible to get addicted to smoking weed? Is the drug really
that powerful?
Chanel: At first I didn’t think so. I just looked at it as a nasty habit like smoking cigarettes. But it
did become addictive to me and powerful because it was my weapon. For anything that was going on in my life or when times got rough, I’d smoke weed to take the pain away
DP: Many people say that Marijuana is a gateway drug. Do you agree? Why/why not?
Chanel: I don’t think it was a gateway drug for me because I’ve never did any other drugs…just weed.
DP: Out of every 10 people, if you had to take a wild guess, how many would you say are weed
smokers?
Chanel: I’d say all 10 were weed smokers now I’m on the outside looking in. So many teenagers are smoking
weed and starting off like I did and so many adults are doing it as well. I don’t judge any adult for what they do because I’ve been there. But as an adult who’s been there done that, I wish I could tell them to stop. I wish
I had somebody tell me not to do drugs. I think I would have done better in school and got more involved in the sports I liked to play. So when I see teenagers thinking it’s cool, I want to stop them
DP: What are 3 things you think people who smoke weed need to know or hear?
Chanel: Weed doesn’t solve the problem. It may take it away for that quick few minutes but when that high is gone, you’re back where you started. And all you’re going to want to do is get high again.
DP: What age were you when you first started smoking
marijuana?
Chanel: I was 14 years old when I started
DP: Tell us about your first time getting high
Chanel: I was with one of my friends. I was 14 years old. She already smoked so she knew where to get it from. We went to a friend’s house who was in high school and they all were smoking. I wanted to give it a try and I did. I had no idea what I was doing but I did it anyways. I also saw my parents and uncles smoke so I
thought it was OK
DP: After smoking weed your first time, did you feel a sense of shame or guilt? Explain.
Chanel: I didn’t feel any shame or guilt. I felt high and silly and really hungry.
DP: Did you pay for the weed your first time? If so, how much did you pay?
Chanel: I didn’t pay for it my first time but after that day my friends and I were spending 5 to 10 dollars on weed almost every day. I was only in the 8th grade!
DP: After getting high the first time, how long did you wait before trying it again?
Chanel: After my first time I didn’t even wait a day; it became an everyday thing
DP: What was your 2nd experience like?
Chanel: My second experience was pretty much the same but there is nothing like your first high. At that age, weed just makes you hungry and sleepy.
DP: How many years did you smoke weed?
Chanel: I smoked weed for 13 years. I stopped while I was pregnant. I had to. I would never do anything to hurt my child
DP: Did you ever see your weed smoking as something that was illegal?
Chanel: I really didn’t see it as illegal even though it was
DP: Have you ever been arrested or detained for drug use and/or possession? If so, tell us about what happened.
Chanel: I’ve never been arrested for any drugs and I’ve never been to jail for anything
DP: How often did you get high?
Chanel: I would get high every day at least, 3 times a day and about 2 to 5 blunts per session
DP: Did any of your friends/family know about your habit? Explain.
Chanel: Yes everybody knew about my habit because everyone around me smoked weed. My mom, my dad, my friends… pretty much everybody where I’m from. That was the thing to do to pass time. Every day, we all would come together with our money and get high. Even the ones who didn’t have money found
a way to piece up on at least one bag of weed
DP: Was there anyone that you kept from knowing about your habit while you were using
marijuana? Did you keep it a secret from anyone? Why?
Chanel: My grandmother. She is a Christian, but she knew. You can tell when somebody is
high off marijuana by the way they smell, the way they act, and their eyes are red. So there was no hiding it from her, even though I tried.
DP: What’s the craziest thing you ever did to support your habit and addiction?
Chanel: To be honest, I’ve never did anything crazy to support my habit. I’ve always had a job or some kind
of hustle. My father actually would give it to me so most of the time, that wasn’t a problem for me
DP: Was peer pressure a factor in your drug use? Explain.
Chanel: I wouldn’t say peer pressure was a factor for me because I wanted to do it. But I will say in my younger days, as a teen, I’ve peer pressured a few other people to try it.
DP: At what point did you say, “Enough is enough?”
Chanel: When I became depressed, I started to have stomach problems during my depression and
the only thing that took the pain away was weed. But then it stopped working because I became too immune. When my doctors told me I was a chronic marijuana user and that it could be a cause of my depression and stomach pains, I started to re-think things. I felt like I had so much more to live for than smoking
weed
DP: Did you ever relapse? Tell us about it.
Chanel: During my depression, I relapsed every other day. Even though I said I was done, when the stomach pains came around, I found a reason to smoke. If I was sad I would smoke. If I cried, I’d smoke. If I was partying, I’d smoke. I would smoke for any reason…even for my depression
DP: When you did relapse, did you ever blame anyone?
Chanel: I didn’t blame anyone but myself. When I hit a blunt, it was my decision and something I wanted to do
DP: How long have you been clean?
Chanel: I’ve been clean for over a year now. I’m happy and proud and have no plans on really looking
back
DP: Do you ever think about getting high? How do you get past the thought?
Chanel: I really don’t think about it anymore. I don’t have a reason to. I can actually sit around people who smoke and don’t get the urge. It’s just not my thing anymore
DP: Any addiction is hard to overcome. Many people who are addicted to drugs never overcome the
addiction. How exactly did you do it? Did you have any help?
Chanel: Only help I needed was God. I prayed on it the whole time. I was in the hospital on my back not knowing what was wrong with me when all I had to do was get my health in order. It wasn’t easy the first couple of weeks. My appetite disappeared and I was irritable. I fought through those little things and I’m
well now.
DP: How much money do you think you save on average per day, per week, per year since
you gave up your habit?
Chanel: I would spend at least 10 to 40 dollars a day on weed. So, I think I save about 50 dollars every day by
not smoking.
DP: Instead of getting high on weed, what is your anti-drug?
Chanel: My anti-drug is life, my daughter and family. I spend all my time writing on my books. I don’t need weed for ideas anymore; they come natural to me as they should.
DP: What are some of the changes you have noticed since you stopped smoking weed?
Chanel: Better breathing. I’m more energetic and happy. I see life for what it really is now. Everything is clear to me. I now want to get out and do things other than sit around smoking weed thinking about what I could be doing. Now, I get up and do what I want to do. My health is under control and I feel like everything is
going to be okay. I look at everything on the bright side.
DP: Do you think it is possible to get addicted to smoking weed? Is the drug really
that powerful?
Chanel: At first I didn’t think so. I just looked at it as a nasty habit like smoking cigarettes. But it
did become addictive to me and powerful because it was my weapon. For anything that was going on in my life or when times got rough, I’d smoke weed to take the pain away
DP: Many people say that Marijuana is a gateway drug. Do you agree? Why/why not?
Chanel: I don’t think it was a gateway drug for me because I’ve never did any other drugs…just weed.
DP: Out of every 10 people, if you had to take a wild guess, how many would you say are weed
smokers?
Chanel: I’d say all 10 were weed smokers now I’m on the outside looking in. So many teenagers are smoking
weed and starting off like I did and so many adults are doing it as well. I don’t judge any adult for what they do because I’ve been there. But as an adult who’s been there done that, I wish I could tell them to stop. I wish
I had somebody tell me not to do drugs. I think I would have done better in school and got more involved in the sports I liked to play. So when I see teenagers thinking it’s cool, I want to stop them
DP: What are 3 things you think people who smoke weed need to know or hear?
Chanel: Weed doesn’t solve the problem. It may take it away for that quick few minutes but when that high is gone, you’re back where you started. And all you’re going to want to do is get high again.
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