Approaching A Loved One
If your loved one is struggling with a marijuana addiction, you may have a deep feeling in your gut that something is wrong however, when you try to broach the topic they may be angry, defensive, and in denial. In the case of marijuana, changing laws and legalization may hinder your loved ones ability to see that theres any issue with their use. This makes expressing your concern and finding out just how bad the problem is extremely challenging.
If you are worried about your loved one and their marijuana addiction, the best way to approach them is with empathy and compassion, preferably at a time when they are not intoxicated. Try to avoid judgmentremember, addiction is a disease that requires treatment.
Here are some tips to keep in mind as you approach your loved one about getting help:
- Be on their side: Avoid using blaming language. Show them that you care about them and are worried about them. Help them find their own reasons for wanting to get treatment.
- Be specific: Remind them of the specific consequences they have already suffered from their addiction and how it is negatively impacting you or other loved ones.
- Ask if they are willing to get treatment: Listen to what they have to say and remain calm avoid emotional pleas. If they are not ready yet, dont push it. After a little time passes, you can try approaching them again about getting help.
What To Do If Someone You Love Is Abusing Marijuana
If someone you love is abusing marijuana, they may be in denial about the drugs potency, or their addiction. Through open communication, you may be able to help them realize they need to quit using. Here are some reasons to quit marijuana:
- Physical reasons to stop smoking pot to feel better, reduce the risk of lung cancer, and be more energetic
- Psychological reasons to stop smoking pot to reduce anxiety, get back to being happy without pot, and reduce depression
- Relationship related reasons to stop smoking pot to get out of the relationship rut that comes from smoking too much pot, find new friends, and heal from the fights or pain that marijuana has caused you and your loved ones
- Financial reasons to stop smoking pot to free up the money spent on marijuana, so you have more money to spend, put into savings, or use to pay bills
- Legal reasons to stop smoking pot to stay out of trouble with the law
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Making The Decision And Managing Cravings
Making the decision to stop using can be a challenge. People smoke marijuana for different reasons: habit, social pressures, and/or psychological or physical dependence. Quitting is a very personal experience and the same methods dont work for everyone. Maybe you have quit before and have slipped back. This program is designed to support your choice to quit. The following are some issues to consider as you make your decision. From here, the program will continue with support and suggestions to assist you through the next 30 days. As you begin you will click on the day to the Left.
- Evaluate the risks and benefits of continued marijuana use. Are you ready to sacrifice immediate gratification for more long-term benefits and goals?
- Overcome stubbornness. You need to be willing to admit that marijuana use is causing problems for you or you will keep yourself stuck.
- Get rid of any paraphernalia for smoking marijuana that you currently possess.
- Make a commitment to quitting. Make your decision public with people who will support and respect you and your confidentiality.
- Drop any identity that you maintained for yourself as a marijuana user. The more you value yourself, the less likely you are to make excuses for using marijuana.
- Avoid the people, places, and playthings that might trigger your use. If you find yourself in a risky environment, be prepared to respond assertively, dont make excuses and be willing to leave immediately if necessary.
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What Are The Risk Factors For Cannabis Use Disorder
About 10% of people who begin smoking cannabis will become addicted, and 30% of current users meet the criteria for addiction.
People in mid-to-late adolescence are most likely to begin using cannabis. Some genetic studies suggest that developing cannabis addiction is hereditary. A Yale Medicine-led study identified several gene variants that increase risk of cannabis dependence. However, more research is needed in order to confirm the findings and understand how these genetic factors might contribute to marijuana dependence.
*my Commitment To Stop Using
I hereby commit to, and accept responsibility for achieving the goals that I have initialed below. These goals are designed to prepare me to stop getting high. In addition, they show my motivation, confidence, and commitment to the quitting process. I understand that a slip can occur and I must not use it as an excuse to return to use.
MY QUIT DATE IS: _________________________________
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Getting Help For Withdrawal
During the withdrawal process, you can always ask help to manage these symptoms.
Some of them are related to concurrent diseases which are the reasons for marijuana use in the first place, like addressing your anxiety or depression problems.
Recovery from this addiction will give you the opportunity to address your issues with a therapist in a progressive way, rather than masking them with weed.
It is always important to note that, you may struggle to fulfill your professional and personal responsibilities during the first two weeks of the withdrawal process.
So, it is important to be aware of this when quitting cannabis.
Web Links To Treatment Manuals
A Community Reinforcement Plus Vouchers Approach: Treating Cocaine Addiction www.nida.nih.gov/TXManuals/CRA/CRA6.html.
Adolescent Treatment Manuals From the Cannabis Youth Treatment Study :
The Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Cannabis Users: 5 Sessions,Volume 1. NCADI number BKD384.
The Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Supplement: 7 Sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Cannabis Users,Volume 2.
Family Support Network for Adolescent Cannabis Users,Volume 3.
The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach for Adolescent Cannabis Users,Volume4.
Multidimensional Family Therapy for Adolescent Cannabis Users,Volume 5. ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/Product Details.aspx?ProductID=15868.
Multisystemic Therapy for Adolescents www.mstservices.com.
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Treatment Goals: Abstinence Or Moderation
Because marijuana is perceived as less harmful than cocaine or heroin, some people suggest that use reduction, instead of abstinence, may be an acceptable clinical goal. Indeed, many individuals who enter treatment are ambivalent about giving up marijuana completely.
The only published study that systematically assessed the goals of adults enrolling in marijuana treatment reported that 71 percent sought abstinence, 28 percent wanted to moderate their use to 3 days or less per week, and 1 percent wished only to incur fewer adverse consequences from their smoking . Patient goals were measured again at the end of treatment and repeatedly during a 12-month followup period. Ultimately, the portion desiring to be abstinent declined to 49 percent, while those wishing only for fewer negative effects increased to 26 percent. Most notably, patient goals predicted outcomes: 40 to 65 percent of those aiming for abstinence or moderation had achieved their desired outcome at the following assessment. The second most frequent outcome among those with abstinence goals was moderation, while the second most frequent outcome among those with moderation goals was continued problematic use. In summary, abstinence goals predicted better outcomes. That said, because the focus of treatment in this study was abstinence, those with moderation goals were not necessarily provided with treatment that best matched their goals.
How To Beat Addiction
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An at-home detox can be done on your own or under the care of a medical professional on an outpatient basis. The downside of detoxing completely on your own is that you lack medical support for withdrawal symptoms. If you detox at home under the care of a doctor, however, you can reach out to report withdrawal symptoms that can then be treated. Since you are at home, though, symptoms may not be treated as quickly as they would if you were in a medically supervised facility.
If you do choose to detox on your own, please be aware of the risks and limits of what you can do at home. Ensure that you have a loved one who can monitor you for any adverse symptoms, and consult with a doctor before tackling any major medical milestones.
The History Of Marijuana Use
Most varieties of marijuana plants are commonly known as hemp although the name also refers commonly to the fiber derived from the cannabis plant. Historically, hemp fiber has been very useful and can be found in rope, paper, canvas, and some fabrics. Today, hemp fiber can also be used to create bioplastics, jewelry, and even biofuel.
Hemp was so useful historically that the English crown even mandated its production in the American colonies and George Washington grew it on his farm at Mount Vernon. However, modern cannabis plants have a higher level of THC .
The use of medical cannabis began in America in the 1850s when products with marijuana extracts were produced and sold to treat issues such as chronic pain, glaucoma, and muscle spasm. Soon after, pharmaceutical regulations were introduced in many states.
Any product that contained a habit-forming substance was labeled and became heavily regulated. Products containing habit-forming substances such as cannabis were often labeled as poisons and, in most cases, were available only with a physicians prescription.
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Cannabis Addiction Signs And Symptoms
Also commonly referred to as ‘marijuana’, ‘grass’ and ‘weed’, cannabis is a mixture of dried leaves, flowers and stems from the cannabis sativa plant and is the most commonly misused illegal substance in the UK. Cannabis is typically smoked, either in a cigarette form or via a pipe, while the drug may also be misused by brewing it in tea or cooking it in certain foods.
Cannabis affects your central nervous system to produce sensations including relaxation, mild euphoria, increased appetite and difficulties perceiving space and time. Many people mistakenly believe that cannabis is a safe or harmless substance, although if you misuse cannabis you expose yourself to both immediate harm and long-term damage, including the development of an addiction.
If you become addicted to cannabis, you will feel compelled to continue to misuse this substance, often in increasingly greater amounts, to the detriment to both your physical and mental health.
How Long Is Rehab For Marijuana Addcition
Inpatient marijuana rehab centers generally offer the ability to customize program lengths to accommodate individual needs and insurance coverage.
Residential programs are typically available for one, two or three months. It is important to understand that addiction is a chronic disease and people may relapse. However, according to National Institute on Drug Abuse, the overwhelming belief is that 90-day residential treatment programs offer the greatest promise of long-term success.
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Seek Professional To Learn How To Stop Smoking Weed Forever
If you cant manage to stop or quit weed on your own naturally, your best and fail-proof option is to seek professional help:
- A doctor or psychiatrist will be able to prescribe you medications that can help you to stop taking marijuana. Although this doesnt help for the long term.
- A therapist or group counselling sessions can help you find support by talking through your issues and meeting like-minded people. This helps in small portions but still requires you to constantly bring yourself to commit.
- Your final option is inpatient rehab. Its a 24 hour treatment for you where youre surrounded by doctors and therapists working round the clock to help you put this behind you. You will no longer look to find answers on how to stop smoking weed because you will be living it. We at Canadian Centre for Addictions specialize in these types of treatment programs.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with weed addiction, get in touch with us. Our team of addiction experts have over a 100 years of combined experience.
If you want to know the methods for dealing with weed specifically, we are a rehab that can provide you with the help and support you need and take you through this process.
Take a look at one of our own clients who experienced the depths of addiction all because he started with weed:
For more information of marijuana addiction, please visit our Understanding Addiction resources.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy For Pot Addiction
This form of therapy is derived from the principles of motivational psychology.
During your treatment for marijuana addiction, you will undergo four individual treatment sessions for Motivational Enhancement Therapy.
Before your initial two therapy sessions, an assessment will be conducted with the assistance of a myriad of instruments.
After the initial assessment, the pattern of your therapy will traverse along the lines of:
- Therapy sessions 1 & 2: During these sessions, you will be motivated to develop future plans after you receive structured feedback from your therapist.
- Therapy sessions 3 & 4: For you, managing change might not seem like an easy task to perform. But, with Motivational Enhancement Therapy, you will reinforce your progress, reimburse your motivation, and achieve an objective to foster change.
Towards the end of the therapy sessions, you will observe a newfound motivational change within yourself.
In other words, Motivational Enhancement Therapy for cannabis dependence will encourage you to find that chunk of motivation for change lodged deep within you.
Note: Motivational Enhancement Therapy provides intrinsic rewards. Opposite to that, Contingency Management allows behavioral change through extrinsic rewards.
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Main Steps To Combat Cannabis Addiction
There are two main strategies for how to give up cannabis and combat addiction abruptly and step-by-step. The first one only seems easier, but for both you need to know some secrets to do it successfully:
- throw out or pass on your gear if you want to quit immediately
- or make a schedule how youd like to taper on gradually
- be ready to deal with triggers stop seeing the same people or watching the same TV shows, find a hobby, avoid stress, try melatonin or some relaxing practices to cope with insomnia, etc.
- talk to close friends and family about your problem
- change your routine, and substitute smoking marijuana with other activities, like reading, surfing the internet, walking, meditating, etc. Stay busy
- set special boundaries and rules when socializing with people who use weed. For example, leave when someone asks you to smoke with them or go outside when they smoke
- if you need help coping with the withdrawal symptoms, seek professional help. You can choose some kind of therapy, special rehab center for cannabis addiction, or even hypnosis.
None of these methods can be a 100% guarantee from slip ups. Remember, it can happen to everyone and it is not the reason to give up.
How Cannabis Works On Addiction
The endocannabinoid system exists in all vertebrates and helps regulate crucial functions such as sleep, pain, and appetite. The body produces its own cannabinoids, which modulate and activate its various functions, but as its name suggests, the endocannabinoid system can also be modulated and activated by cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Because the entire system was only discovered in the past 30 years, scientists still have much to learn about the myriad ways cannabis affects the human body.
The endocannabinoid system is intimately involved, and plays a crucial role in the neurobiological process that underlies drug addiction. Endocannabinoids and their receptors are expressed in the main areas of the brain that participate in initiation and maintenance of drug consumption, as well as in the development of compulsion and loss of control surrounding addiction.
In addition, the endocannabinoid system interacts with opioidergic systems, which are related to addiction and reward. The receptors for both systems are found in many of the same areas of the brain, and are frequently activated at the same time. Research on this interaction has uncovered a bidirectional relationship between receptors in these systems when it comes to the rewarding properties of drugs.
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Some Interesting Weed Addiction Statistics
In the addiction field we are noticing more frequently that young adults are struggling more often with the question of how to quit smoking weed than in the past.
Lets look at the statistics.
According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, weed has been a growing problem for many individuals in Canada. These numbers are likely higher as many may feel uncomfortable giving an honest report on substance use.
2,3 Million People use Marijuana in Canada.
1/4 Million Number of People Who Use It Daily Are Aged 12 17.
Annual Number of Arrests for All Offences Concerning Illegal Drugs: 90,000
Overdose From Marijuana Use
A person can experience an overdose when he or she uses too much of the drug and the effects of it can be life-threatening. While there are no reports of adults or teens who had fatal consequences because of marijuana use alone, too much consumption of marijuana is known to cause uncomfortable and intense side effects.
People who used marijuana that have high THC have reported that they experienced paranoia and anxiety. Others had hallucinations, delusions, and other psychotic reactions.
Psychotic reactions can happen whether marijuana is smoked or eaten. But emergency medical staff have been seeing more and more cases of patients being admitted because of eating too much food containing marijuana.
Usually, young people dont know much about the marijuana edibles and how long it takes before the effects kick in. In doing so, they eat more to get that high. Consequently, they experience intense reactions because theyve taken too much of the drug.
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