Mechanism Of Cannabis Addiction
The psychoactive effect of marijuana is provided by the active biochemical compound tetrahydrocannabinol, well use THC for shortness. The before-mentioned Addiction Center claims that this ingredient is responsible for such cannabis effects as:
- euphoria
- hallucinations
- less stress and anxiety.
Although one can hardly overdose cannabis, it carries many other risks, including uncontrolled behaviour and using other illicit substances which leads to intoxication.
The mechanism of marijuana addiction is as follows:
- naturally, cannabinoid receptors work with the endogenous neurotransmitter anandamide
- THC gets into your body and targets these receptors, over-activating them and making you feel high
- the brain thinks that THC is anandamide, because it works and looks like the latter one
- with the repeated and long-term use of marijuana, the brain gets used to receiving THC instead of anandamide and stops producing it
- a person starts feeling the withdrawal symptoms each time when they do not give enough THC to their body. This is when we develop physical dependence and cannot feel normal without weed.
All in all, a person cannot quit or control the desire to obtain and use the drug.
Treatment Options For Marijuana Withdrawal
The initial period of detoxification from marijuana can be done on an inpatient or outpatient basis. One advantage of an inpatient program is that the staff at the clinic or rehab center can monitor the patient and help manage withdrawal symptoms. This can be useful for preventing relapses since many people who are not being monitored during detoxification start using marijuana again to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms.
However, because marijuana withdrawal is not dangerous, an inpatient program is not a necessity. Outpatient programs may be a better option for people who cannot take the time to participate in an inpatient detoxification and rehabilitation program. In an outpatient marijuana treatment program, the recovering addict visits a treatment clinic one or more times a week but does not reside on the premises while in treatment.
Some people choose a combination of the two, opting to undergo marijuana withdrawal treatment in an inpatient clinic and then transferring to an outpatient basis once detoxification is over.
Once marijuana withdrawal treatment is complete, further addiction treatment is recommended in order to keep from relapsing back into marijuana use. Many treatment programs use a combination of individual therapy, group therapy, and therapy sessions that teach the former user how to avoid relapses using specific behavioral techniques. Some clinics use a holistic approach, which may involve using alternative medicine or techniques.
Can You Get Addicted To Cannabis
It’s possible to get addicted to cannabis, especially people who are considered regular or heavy users.
If regular users stop taking cannabis, they may get withdrawal symptoms, such as feeling moody and irritable, feeling sick, difficulty sleeping, difficulty eating, sweating, shaking and diarrhoea.
Regularly smoking cannabis with tobacco also increases the risk of becoming addicted to nicotine and experiencing withdrawal symptoms from nicotine as well as cannabis if you cut down or give up.
Regularly using tobacco also increases the risk of tobacco-related diseases such as cancer and coronary heart disease.
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Side Effects Of Smoking Weed
People who abuse . For example, many people smoke weed. They roll dried leaves and stems from the marijuana plant into smoking papers, and they light the joint to smoke it. While they may not add tobacco to the mix, NIDA reports that people who smoke weed can face the some of the same health risks as people who smoke tobacco.
Side effects of smoking weed include:
- Chronic cough
- Frequent lung illnesses
- Increased phlegm production
Marijuana can increase heart rate, NIDA says. That side effect can persist for up to three hours after smoking weed, and it can increase the risk of a heart attack.
Marijuana can also have a deep impact on the brain. Many brain cells are equipped with cannabis receptors, which bind to the active ingredient in marijuana. NIDA reports that many of these receptors are located in the portion of the brain that deals with memory formation and the processing of information. Continued exposure to marijuana can damage this portion of the brain, although the length of the damage and the brains ability to heal after sobriety is still an area of very active research.
It is known, however, that marijuana has the ability to cause addiction. Research quoted by Stanford University suggests that about 10 percent of people who use cannabis become dependent on the substance.
Subtle Signs Of Depression You Shouldn’t Ignore
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.
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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.
Throw Away Your Smoking Paraphernalia
The age-old adage says, Out of sight is out of mind. It is really true for getting rid of addictions.
When you have all the pot and all other smoking paraphernalia near, you are tempted to use them.
The mere sight of weed and a smoking kit can flare up your craving for it. Get rid of the pots, matches, lighters, roach clips, bongs, or containers remove all of them from your vicinity .
You can burn away or flush the remaining weeds down the toilet.
It is good to remove the pictures, posters, and photos you have of smoking. Do not watch or play video games, movies, or magazines that have pictures and materials that can persuade you to smoke.
Erase the phone numbers of the marijuana dealers you have in your contact list.
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Can This Affect A Drug Test
The experiences of some members have shown that if you quit marijuana and expect to take a drug test you should not go on a crash diet at the same time. Fasting, or a crash diet, can release the THC into the bloodstream very rapidly and can give a positive reading. This has happened to several of our members, but each time only with crash diets and major weight loss, not with just eating less than usual.
Seek The Help Of A Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist can help you with pharmacological help in overcoming the addiction.
It is best to seek the help of a medical doctor trained in psychiatry or a doctor of osteopathy who knows about the right prescription medicines that help you ease off of marijuana.
The psychiatrist can also help you with motivational counseling that can make you strongly determined to achieve your goal of quitting pot smoking.
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The Truth About Marijuana
Weed is an antidepressant drug but it also has psychedelic effects when taken in higher doses. It helps to know that there are 2 classified types of marijuana that offer different effects, one is psychedelic and the other is depressant.
Other experts in the healthcare industry believe in the healing properties of marijuana. They continue to reiterate that the use of marijuana in proper dosage is therapeutic and could even save lives.
Know Your Triggers For Smoking Weed
Triggers are thoughts, actions or places that make you want to smoke weed. Common triggers could be hanging out with the people you always smoke with, feeling stressed from your job or struggling to sleep. Your plan should include actions to take when you encounter these triggers. This could be not hanging out with friends who smoke, taking a walk after work to destress or meditating before bed to relax. Figure out what your triggers are and how to avoid them and you will have a good idea of how to quit smoking weed.
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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.
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.
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Reconsider Certain Relationships And Environments If Necessary
If most of your social encounters revolve around marijuana use, deciding to quit may lead you to evaluate the people, places, and things that used to take up your time, Egel explains.
You may find you need to limit your exposure to certain environments or relationships to honor your boundaries or create a healthier way of being, Egel says.
Lifestyle changes often result from the decision to stop using substances, though this can be difficult to accept. Keep in mind, however, that these changes might not have to be permanent.
After picking up some new coping techniques or getting through the withdrawal period, you might find it easier to revisit certain friendships or places.
Plus, supportive friends will respect your decision to quit and avoid encouraging you to start smoking again. If your friends respond differently, you may want to reconsider spending time with them.
Maybe you decide to go cold turkey but end up smoking again. Or youve been making great progress but after one terrible, sleepless night, decide to smoke a joint just to get some rest.
Dont get down on yourself. This happens to most people trying to quit. suggests it often takes multiple attempts to quit successfully, so take heart. Youre absolutely not alone, and you havent failed.
Breaking habits can be challenging, but resolving to try again keeps you on the right track.
Can I Smoke Pot Without Being Addicted
About one in eight American adults smoke pot, and almost half have tried it once .
The NIH reports that anywhere between 9 to 30 percent of people who use marijuana may be either physically dependent on it or have what is called a marijuana use disorder .
So yes, you can smoke pot without being addicted. A lot of people experiment with marijuanaespecially in their teens or young adult yearsand then stop as they grow up. Some people will recreationally use marijuana their whole lives without being addicted. There are regular pot users over the age of 65.
But for others, marijuana use can become problematic. Some research shows that using marijuana can set off psychosis early in people who are already at risk. People who develop an addiction may see problems in school, work, or relationships. And the habit can be expensive.
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Is Marijuana Really Addictive
Abuse of any substance, including marijuana, is when the user begins seeking the substance compulsively and continues use though there have been harmful effects to their lives, including problems with family, school, work or the legal system. Research has shown that about 9% of all marijuana users become addicted and that those who start early and who are daily users are more susceptible to marijuana addiction.
Once The Addict Begins Recovery We Suggest You Try:
- Encouraging the addict by changing your attitude and approach to the problem.
- Focusing on yourself and your own life. The newly clean addict will be doing the same. Living with an addict affects everyone involved.
- Detaching yourself from the addicts behavior. Detachment is not unkind. Detachment facilitates looking at the situations realistically and objectively, thereby making intelligent decisions possible.
- Being encouraging. There may be a significant amount of time while both you and the addict adjust to a new way of life. Try to nurture harmony and balance in this new life style.
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How Long Does Cannabis Detox Take
The duration of detox largely depends on the various factors surrounding your particular case of addiction to cannabis. These include how long youve abused the substance, how much of it youve consumed, and whether you need to be tapered off the drug or not. While this could take a week for some people, it might be longer for others.
A Tool: Smart Action Plan For Quitting Weed Gradually
There are 5 important guidelines for sticking to any goal.
They need to be:
- Realistic and
- Time-specific
When making your action plan for cutting off cannabis gradually, make sure that you consider all of these aspects.
Here is an example of a plan using the SMART guidelines:
You may fill out your own measures and ideas.
- Specific: I will stop smoking weed completely in the next 6 months.
- Measurable: I currently smoke 1 gram every day. My goal is to reduce this to 0.5 gram in the first month, in the second month cut this down to every other day, in Month 3 cut this down to 0.25 gram per day, then in Month 4 to 0.25 gram every other day, in Month 4 cut down to 0.25 gram 2 days per week and Month 5 to 0.10 gram 1 day per week. End of Month 5: no marijuana.
- Achievable: I believe it is attainable for me to reduce my weed intake on this gradual plan for the next 6 months. It would be unattainable for me to quit weed cold turkey.
- Realistic: I realize it will be difficult for me to stick to this plan because all my friends smoke weed around me. I realize I will need to either talk to my friends about not smoking around me for a period of time or I will reduce the amount of time I spend with them and I will meet them in places where it is not possible to smoke.
- Time-specific: I have set out this schedule and will stick to this plan. I will review it at the end of each month and see if it needs to be adjusted.
Home-Based Treatment Plan for Weed Addiction
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Withdrawal Symptoms When Not Using Marijuana
Quitting any substance abuse is no easy task. When you decide to stop using marijuana, this could lead to some withdrawal symptoms. Experiencing these symptoms is a sign that you are already physically dependent or addicted to weed. Some common withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, irritability, depression, weight changes, and flu-like symptoms.
If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, help is available.
Contact Lighthouse Treatment Center Today.
