Does a use diary help with self-control?

A use diary helps you observe your cannabis use, because you write down times, situations and feelings and do not have to estimate them from memory. Whether it helps with self-control depends on how honestly you note things and whether you review the entries regularly. This article explains the method, gives instructions and shows where it reaches its limits.

What a use diary achieves

A use diary is a simple method of self-observation. You write down when, where, with whom and why you use, and how you feel before and after. The benefit lies in the recorded data. Habits quickly become unremarkable because they belong to routine. Anyone who notes them sees them again, and that is precisely the purpose of the method.

The diary mainly answers the question of how your use shows up in everyday life. It does not answer why it arose. For that, conversations are needed, for example with a counselling service.

What you should note

Note the same details for every use, so that entries can be compared later:

• Date and time
• Occasion or situation, for example after work, an argument, boredom or exam stress
• Amount in grams or number of joints
• Mood before and after use
• Consequences of the day, for example for school, training, sleep or appointments

The last point is the most important. drugcom points out that for the question of dependence, the amount counts for less than the negative consequences the use already has.

How to start

1. Decide how long you will observe, for example two weeks.
2. Note every use on the same day, while the details are still clear.
3. Review the diary at the end of the week: which situations appear particularly often?
4. Choose one situation that you want to change first, for example use after work.

Example entry

An entry can look like this. What matters most is that you fill in every column each time.

Date	Situation	Amount	Mood	Consequences
Tuesday, 20:15	After studying, exam stress	1 joint	tense, tired afterwards	study plan not finished
Friday, 22:30	Meeting friends	2 joints	calm, later irritable	less sleep

What the diary reveals about you

After one to two weeks, patterns usually emerge. Use is linked to certain triggers, for example stress or meetings with others. Such connections help you recognise triggers. The article on habits in cannabis use explains how to classify these patterns.

Also watch for loss of control. If you have the impression that you no longer have your use under control, or if you reach for it again despite your own resolutions, that is a warning sign. If use continues despite repeated problems with other people, look more closely.

Where the diary reaches its limits

The method has three limits you should know about:

• Honesty: you can embellish entries, especially if you fear consequences. The diary is only as accurate as the notes.
• Causes: a diary shows patterns but does not explain them. Why you use at a particular moment is clarified in conversation.
• Counselling: the diary does not replace counselling or a medical assessment. It is a tool for talking with specialists.

This article does not say how well the method works for individual people. Whether it helps you shows most clearly in whether you regularly look at the entries and derive steps from them.

What you can do next

Once patterns become visible, set yourself a small goal, for example one day a week without cannabis. Observe what happens on that day and note it in the diary. If you show the diary to a counselling service, it makes the start of the first conversation easier. For questions, the Sucht & Drogen Hotline can be reached on 01806 313031 (daily from 8:00 to 24:00, charged). More ways to find help are in the article on finding an addiction counselling service near you.

A self-assessment with fixed questions is offered by the article on questions for self-assessment. All prevention topics are listed under Prevention and youth protection.