Weed Detox: Effective Ways To Cope With Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms
If you are a weed smoker who would like to quit regardless of whether you have tried to stop using cannabis already in the past what are your options? What marijuana detox methods can help you cope with weed withdrawal symptoms and assist you while you get used to a life without cannabis?
Approach : Quitting Weed Cold Turkey
You may not want to quit smoking weed on a gradual basis because:
You may need to quit immediately for many reasons .
You may be the type of person who does things all or nothing and it may work best for you to cut it out completely.
The approach of going cold turkey has a history of being associated with drug addiction. It simply means you completely cut out marijuana consumption.
It certainly has the clear advantage of a quick impact. Youll see results straight away. However, its much more complicated than it appears. You have to have a strategy to deal with the withdrawal symptoms that youll inevitably experience.
You cant simply put dont your spliff and say goodbye to weed forever without looking back. This is because even if you are mentally prepared for the challenge of giving up weed. Your body probably isnt ready.
After all, your body has developed a tolerance for marijuana. While the body stores THC for up to a month at a time, this simply wont be enough to prevent you from craving cannabis.
Although going cold turkey might be worth a try, its rarely successful on its own without a solid strategy. Its difficult to fight against your own biology.
In this part of our guide, we will talk about useful strategies for quitting cold turkey.
Cannabis Addiction Signs And Symptoms In Teenagers
- Going out every night with friends, coming home smelling of weed
- Poor grades, poor concentration and a loss of interest in school
- Lying about where they are going and what they are doing
- Denying that they use cannabis, or the extent of their use
- Buying cannabis with money they werent given
- Skipping college to get high
- Regularly coming home with red eyes
- Having regular showers or changing clothes to hide the smell of cannabis
- Becoming withdrawn or reclusive
Recommended Reading: How To Solve Video Game Addiction
Quitting Weed Cold Turkey
This is the harsh way to quit its harder, but quitting cold turkey can be achieved as long as you have the support of your friends and family, and an iron will. Here are 4 steps to quitting weed cold turkey:
Love this article so far? Download it and have it on your computer or phone at all times.
How Do You Know If Your Cannabis Use Is A Problem
The standard definition of cannabis use disorder is based on having at least two of 11 criteria, such as: taking more than was intended, spending a lot of time using it, craving it, having problems because of it, using it in high-risk situations, getting into trouble because of it, and having tolerance or withdrawal from discontinuation. As cannabis becomes legalized and more widely accepted, and as we understand that you can be tolerant and have physical or psychological withdrawal from many medicines without necessarily being addicted to them , I think this definition seems obsolete and overly inclusive. For example, if one substituted coffee for cannabis, many of the 160 million Americans who guzzle coffee on a daily basis would have caffeine use disorder, as evidenced by the heartburn and insomnia that I see every day as a primary care doctor. Many of the patients that psychiatrists label as having cannabis use disorder believe that they are fruitfully using cannabis to treat their medical conditions without problems and recoil at being labeled as having a disorder in the first place. This is perhaps a good indication that the definition doesnt fit the disease.
Recommended Reading: How To Kick Alcohol Addiction
How To Quit Smoking Marijuana
Unfortunately, quitting pot isnt always easy for many people. As mentioned, people who smoke weed regularly may develop significant cannabis dependence. Once this develops, quitting marijuana may result in several uncomfortable experiences, including cravings and turbulent moods. Trying to quit on your own is possible, but it can be challenging without the accountability, support, and guidance of professional treatment. To quit smoking marijuana, you may benefit from the supervision and care provided through a .
Treatment can help people remain safe and comfortable while quitting marijuana. The supervision and support of treatment can decrease the likelihood of a person relapsing on their drug of choice. Each persons recovery needs may be somewhat unique, and may benefit from individualized treatment plans. When someone is struggling to quit marijuana on their own, has a cannabis use disorder, or suffers from marijuana dependence, cannabis-specific treatment may be their best option.
A Doctors Opinion About Marijuana Addiction
A Doctors Opinion about Marijuana Addiction Marvin D. Seppala, MD Chief Medical Officer, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
I hope that this brief writing may provide those who are seeking help a general understanding of the disease of addiction, and some specific aspects of marijuana addiction.
Many people say that marijuana is not addicting, but this is simply not accurate. People do become addicted to marijuana, just as they do to alcohol, opioids and stimulants. Marijuana addiction differs from these other types of addictions primarily by the outward or social manifestations, but internally, the same pain and anguish exist.
Studies show that about 9% of those who use marijuana become addicted to it. The unfortunate truth is that the lack of serious, early consequences to marijuana addiction allow for a long, slow decline, often without recognition, resulting in later-stage addiction before the problem is confronted. An individual may wake up years into this chronic illness, without a reasonable understanding of how their life got so far off track. Often one has no major medical or legal problems, no sudden tragedy that drives the search for an answer. However, isolation from friends and family, loss of interest and lack of participation in those activities that used to bring joy, and the crushing weight of missed opportunities add up. If this is where you find yourself, you are reading the right book .
Don’t Miss: How To Help Someone With Weed Addiction
Cannabis Addiction Treatment At Priory
At Priory, we provide comprehensive care for drug dependence and co-occurring disorders at various locations across the UK. If you or someone that you care about is suffering as a result of cannabis addiction, we hope that you will consider us when selecting a treatment centre to help you to start your recovery journey. Treatment for cannabis addiction can take place as part of our 28-day Addiction Treatment Programme, with the length and type of treatment that you receive, dependent on your unique condition and the severity of your addiction.
Can Dissociation Lead To Depression
Begin a program of meditation right now, today. Currently this is being called “mindfulness” but really, it is good old-fashioned meditation, an activity thats been used to help people with mind problems for almost 5000 years. It is not hard to learn, try it today. Simply sit down somewhere and for three or four minutes, partly shut your eyes and try to pay attention to your breath, breathing in and breathing out. You don’t have to breathe particularly deeply, just breathe your normal way. You can count each breath with each exhalation. Or you can say silently, to yourself “I’s breathing in, I’m breathing out.” If three minutes is too long, do it for two minutes.
Start taking walks every day, the longer the better. Any physical activity or exercise you even half enjoy will help you. And exercise has been demonstrated to help rewire your brain more efficiently. Like anti-depressants, it kicks your brain into gear so that it begins making more BDNF.
Educate yourself about addiction disease. There are many books out there about it, many of which are written by recovering addicts just like you. Read their stories, learn about this disease that is as they say in AA “cunning, baffling and powerful.” It is but it can go into complete remission and stay there by the simple method of not using any mind-altering, recreational drugs.
Don’t Miss: How Do Meth Addicts Act
Getting High Becomes Priority
How you spend your time is indicative of your possible dependence on the drug. If you spend a lot of your time getting high or waiting for the time when youll smoke another joint or looking for your drug of choice, that is a clear and obvious sign that you are addicted to it.
When your drug use becomes your priority and it begins to eat up a big chunk of your time, its vital to seek help and start marijuana addiction treatment.
You may also notice youve stopped doing the activities you once enjoyed. This may include recreational outings, playing sports or spending time with your loved ones. Instead, you spend your time with people who are also using marijuana so that you can get high together and feel that youre having a good time.
Work or school can also become affected. Since using marijuana has become your priority, you no longer give importance to other things in your life such as your job or attending your classes. This can have very serious consequences down the line such as failing your courses or getting fired from your job.
Tips To Help Beat Marijuana Addiction
If you find that you are relying heavily on marijuana and have developed an addiction, know that there are ways you can beat it. If you are thinking about the ways you can beat marijuana addiction, let Sunflower Wellness Retreat offer these tips and guidelines to help you through your addiction. Recovery is possible.
Here are ten tips that will help you keep that commitment to yourself and help you beat your marijuana addiction:
Don’t Miss: Why Do You Get Addicted To Nicotine
You Use Marijuana To Deal With Problems
Think about the way youre using marijuana. Have you been using it to deal with your problems? When you have bad grades or problems with your boss or even relationship issues, do you feel your only option is to try and get high? If this is the case then youre getting deeper into your marijuana use and addiction.
Another way you can identify that youre addicted to marijuana is if you depend on it to feel relaxed. If you take weed before starting work or doing anything creative or other tasks, then its a clear sign that you have developed a heavy dependence on it and you are already addicted to the substance.
How To Get Over Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms
This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 28,621 times.Learn more…
Don’t Miss: How To Deal With Husband Addiction
Figure Out Why You Want To Quit Marijuana
The idea of being free from marijuana addiction sounds great to many people. However, without a reason to break free, achieving every other step on how to quit marijuana becomes harder than it should be.
Before starting any program, treatment or medication, ensure you are clear on what actually is motivating you to go ahead with the process. In the long run, that reason will help spur you to add more days to the count instead of backsliding.
Although every patient has unique reasons to stop using marijuana, here are the common ones. Marijuana addiction is:
- Causing problems with your relationships
- Affecting your concentration, memory and mood
- Becoming your way of dealing with stress
- Becoming spontaneous, almost like you have no control over when you should use it
- Reducing your happiness and causing anhedonia
Signs Of Marijuana Addiction
Before you begin your journey toward recovery, it is first important that you acknowledge that there is a problem with your drug use. It can be difficult to assess yourself if you have an addiction.
Chances are that youll be in denial that theres already a problem. To help you, here are some of the signs of marijuana addiction.
Recommended Reading: How Do You Know If You Have An Addiction
What Are The Long Term Effects Of Cannabis Use
There are many long terms effects. People have breathing difficulties. They may have bronchitis. They experience lower life satisfaction. Their thinking, their memory and their learning are impaired. There are changes in how the brain builds a connection between different functions. People who were heavy smokers while they were teenagers and who experience an ongoing marijuana use disorder tend to have 8 IQ point loss between the age of 13 and 38. What research shows that actually, the mental ability didnât fully return even after they quit marijuana as an adult?
Some people experience hallucinations, paranoia. People with schizophrenia have a worsening of the symptoms.
There are mixed findings about whether the long-term use of cannabis brings depression and anxiety. At the same time, we know it does bring relationship problems. And marijuana use in adolescence has been found linked to an increased risk of an aggressive form of testicular cancer. There are also the recurrent bouts of severe nausea, vomiting and dehydration that people experience.
Tolerance Buildup And Withdrawal Symptoms
If you notice that youre needing higher doses of marijuana just so you can get high, then that means that youre building up a tolerance. When you attempt to stop using marijuana and you experience withdrawal symptoms, this can also mean that you are already addicted to this substance. Some withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, irritability, and loss of appetite.
You May Like: How To Convince An Addict To Go To Rehab
The Effects Of Smoking Cannabis
In the first months of your marijuana consumption, smoking might have helped you calm down or uplift your mood.
Considering the positive side effects in the beginning, cannabis dependence may be inevitable when used frequently.
You may experience short term effects of joy or calmness. But you may also experience the following during or after smoking:
- Altered sense of time
If you recognize any of the side-effects mentioned in your own experience or loved ones, its important to take action to quit smoking marijuana now.
Every user of marijuana has a different experience of consumption and dependency.
Equally, there are many different reasons why people decide to quit marijuana. Whether its the financial cost, relationship problems or health worries, there are always ways to quit the habit.
The following tactics and methods of how to quit smoking weed can be approached as single solutions or combined as a strategy for kicking the cannabis habit.
You should ASK YOURSELF:
Can you notice how this substance harms your life?
If your answer is yes, lets continue.
Overcoming Marijuana Addiction Withdrawal Symptoms
Call to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.Who Answers?
Reading Time: 3minutes
Many people believe that marijuana is a benign drug that is not addictive. However, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is very addictive and can range from mild irritants such as a decrease in appetite, to more severe problems such as aggression and anxiety.
Recommended Reading: How To Help Someone With Addiction Problems
Are You Addicted To Cannabis
While some people are still of the opinion that cannabis is not an addictive drug, those who are affected by this illness know differently. If you are worried that you may have a cannabis addiction, you need to examine your habit carefully. Your behaviour towards cannabis will be a good indicator of whether you should be worried or not.
For example, if you find that you are regularly smoking cannabis and that you are constantly thinking about it when you are not using, then you may already have a problem. If smoking cannabis has become the most important thing in your life and you are smoking more of it in order to achieve the desired effects, then you could have developed a tolerance to it.
Addiction is classed as any pattern of behaviour that has adverse consequences for the individual. Therefore, if cannabis is causing problems in your life, it has become problematic and is something you need to address. Cannabis addicts tend to put the drug above everything else in their lives. They will neglect responsibilities and relationships in favour of using the drug and will be unable to quit or cut down even if they wanted to.
It is important to remember that, as with most addictions, a cannabis addiction is not something that occurs overnight. It is a progressive illness, and it will not go away by itself. If you have become dependent on cannabis, you need to get help to overcome it.
Addiction Treatment For Marijuana Abuse
Sometimes, quitting marijuana is difficult to do alone. If you cant seem to quit weed cold turkey, you may want to seek professional help to cease marijuana use. American Addiction Centers offers multiple forms of treatment to help those abusing marijuana that helps patients gain the skills to cope with craving and avoid their triggers. Therapy also helps improve on other skills, such as problem-solving and lifestyle management.
Addiction treatment providers may use several behavioral treatments to help those struggling with marijuana use, such as:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of behavioral therapy that focuses on treating a variety of mental health issues under the assumption that many problematic behaviors are borne from unhealthy thought patterns. With CBT, one can identify their negative thought patterns, learn healthier ways to cope with their emotions, and observe their negative thought patterns.9
- Contingency management. Contingency management is a form of treatment that utilizes incentive and reward to reinforce healthy changes in an individual. When treated through a contingency management method, providers may give patients tangible rewards that reinforce their positive behaviors .
- Motivational enhancement therapy. Motivational enhancement therapy strives to resolve any ambivalence toward treatment and prompt an internally-motivated desire to change in people suffering from substance abuse issues.10
Don’t Miss: How Long Does It Take To Get Addicted To Morphine
