Marijuana Addiction
Certain people are always going to dismiss marijuana addiction and minimize it in some way. They do this by comparing it to other drugs that are more addictive and have more serious withdrawal symptoms, such as opiates and alcohol. But marijuana is definitely addictive, and anyone who is using it on a regular basis needs to take a look at their using behavior and question if they are really in control or not. The consequences of marijuana use are not always as in-your-face as with some other drugs, but they are still significant and can have a seriously negative impact on a person’s life.
The marijuana addict is essentially self medicating their feelings
People who come to depend on getting high every day are doing it for a reason. Essentially they are medicating their feelings. What feelings are they medicating? Any addict who uses every day or close to every day has become reliant on the drug in order to avoid feeling any uncomfortable feelings that they don’t want to feel. This includes anger and frustration, but also loneliness or boredom too.
It does not take much to fall into this cycle of addiction if someone is using the drug on a regular basis. That moment will occur some day when they are stressed out over random events in their life, and instinctively feel the urge to get high. Marijuana is actually a very effective drug when it comes to medicating our feelings because it regulates our mood so well. If someone is angry, grumpy, upset, or frustrated, simply getting high can bring them back to a “familiar level” with their emotional state. It is like wiping the slate clean on our internal emotions. This happens because getting high basically makes it so that our mind is jumping around more and not focusing on our current emotional state. It scatters the mind and lessens the impact of our current emotions. Now is this the same as being extremely drunk? Of course not. But when it comes to medicating our emotions, it is in the same ballpark. If an addict is really upset about something, and they smoke enough marijuana, it will eventually get them to a more neutral emotional state where they are not so out of sorts any more. Thus they are using the drug to regulate their mood.
So why is this not a good thing? Because it creates dependency. The marijuana addict comes to rely on the drug to regulate their feelings. In addition to that, it is also a fairly immature way to go through life, by not facing our feelings and dealing with them in a mature manner. This is a missed opportunity for growth, and that is why marijuana addicts stagnate in their emotional growth: because they are not processing and dealing with their feelings on a daily basis. When you get high every day you stop growing.
Addiction to marijuana occurs at an emotional level
So people who get addicted to marijuana become dependent on it at an emotional level. They do not like the idea of facing life without getting high. In most cases they will rationalize this and say that they will not be able to get high and be happy, when in fact there is something deeper going on. If they really get honest and take a good look at their life, they will see that they are using marijuana as a daily coping mechanism. It is not that they are experiencing a high level of stress every day, but just that they are using marijuana to deal with any little situation that pops up. It is an automatic response because they are hooked on it and use it daily. If they are happy they get high. If they are sad or angry they get high. They do this every day and eventually they depend on the drug in order to regulate their emotional state.
It is not a physical dependency at all. Nor is it an excuse to “have fun.” Instead, the need to get high is driven by a pattern of regulating emotions.
Marijuana addiction treatment
Treatment for marijuana addiction can vary quite a bit. There are a lot of routes you can go with this, ranging from a whole bunch of different solutions and treatments, such as:
1) Quitting on your own.
2) Going to a therapist for help in quitting.
3) Outpatient therapy.
4) Inpatient treatment at a drug rehab.
5) Long term treatment.
6) 12 step groups, meetings.
One of these options might work for one person, while another one might work for someone else. And some people will need to use more than one approach from that list in order to stay clean and sober. What is important is that you keep trying different things until you figure out what works for you. Most people are not able to quit successfully on their first attempt. Therefore it is important that you be persistent and try a new approach.
Jackie Says:
Marijuana addiction is just one of the many different drug addictions. There are many people who are effected by drug abuse, and for those, finding the proper treatment is crucial to their road to recovery. DrugAbuse.com is an informational site where one can find a lot of helpful and useful information about the different types of drug addictions, their symptoms and causes, treatment options that are available and much more. If you or someone you know is in need of help for a drug addiction, please visit http://www.drugabuse.com.
Shane Says:
I agree that a person can be just as addicted to marijuana as any other substance. Here is some additional info available on the nature of addiction: http://www.overcomingaddictionblog.com
Fawn Says:
Emotional stagnation and missing growth opportunities are to me a big deal. Alot of people fluff off how deep they cut into who we are but I can honestly say that learning from my mistakes and growing emotionally are two of the biggest gifts of not abusing any substance. Being 50 and reacting to issues like a teenager is not a good place to be.
Patrick Says:
@ Fawn – amen to that. A lot of people who have been using drugs and alcohol their whole life are just like that in early recovery – reacting like a teenager when there is drama. But of course we can all learn and grow….pretty quickly too, especially in recovery.
Anonymous Says:
you should either get high 24 7 or quit.
Patrick Says:
I would tend to agree with anonymous there, I mean that is definitely the mindset of a drug addict. Either do the drugs right or don’t do them at all. That is how most of us are in addiction, we are taking things to the extreme. We lived to excess. At least I did.
The question is: how can we challenge ourselves to do the same thing in a positive way in recovery? That is how you find your passion.
Dan Says:
I can agree that marijuana is a habitual drug, but not an addictive one. I personally smoked for 15 years, and have just recently stoppped, it’s just not something I feel like doing anymore… I’m kinda burned out, pardon the punn. I never felt like I had to have it everyday tho, I smoked after work usually, mostly to help me sleep. Cannabis Sativa has more uses then anything out there, we could use it to jumpstart the economy back up, but b/c it remains illegal this won’t happen. I think people should do a little more research on how this plant could help us, rather then worrying about the few ways it hurts us. There have notbeen any reported deaths attributed to someone smoking pot. whereas, alcohol has thousands, and it is legal. There are people I’ll admit who do abuse it, But they don’t go out and hurt someone to get a joint. It’s really not as bad as people think it is.
Patrick Says:
Hi Dan
I agree this is tricky territory. You say it is habitual, I say it can be addictive.
It sounds to me like you are not a drug addict. You were probably not really addicted to marijuana in the same way that I was. I used it to self medicate. I used it to escape reality. I used it to avoid having to feel my feelings.
You are right that it is FAR safer than alcohol. But for me it is just as dangerous, because it will always lead me back to other drugs. It will consume me. It will turn my addiction back on. Full tilt. It will kill me in the end.
It doesn’t sound like it has that same hold on you. If so, that is great. For you, it is not so bad.
For a drug addict like me, it is a ticket back to insanity and death. It will destroy me. Seriously.
bo Says:
im 23 years old and have been choofing for 9 years i dont feel it has taken over my life but do agree about the whole dealing with things issue idont feel i can handle problems to well some times i just fly off the handle,im an every day smoker but can only stop when i no i have to,i think it might be that i have to keep busy or something its caused alot of heartache for my partner because of me not handling issues to well id love to never smoke again but i love to get high and cant sleep without it my bones ache and lose all apetite any help would be apreciated
Patrick Says:
Bo, I would just quit cold turkey. That is your only option really, other than weening yourself down.
If you go to rehab, they will just quit you cold turkey as well. They don’t do anything special for marijuana detox. In fact, they do nothing at all for it. Not sure what to tell you really.
Just tough it out I guess….should be a quick and mild detox anyway (compared to other drugs).
Trish Says:
Pot causes all kinds of other damage that alot of people don’t mention here. For instance, conning and hiding money from spouses to get more, hiding amount used, letting your kids be exposed to this “harmless” drug. (Contradiction in terms) I was a chronic user for over half of my life and can clearly see the difference since dumping it out of my life. I have heard lots of people complain about the withdrawal from pot, yet it is still denied. I just got tired of the way the more potent pot gave me paranoia. It wan’t fun anymore. I didn’t like it. I was poly adddicted so it really was the least of my problems. I am yet another example of how pot led to hard drugs at a young age. I still can’t beleive that people minimize the damage.
Col Says:
Ive just started a relationship with a woman that has a young child age of 4.She smokes marijuana every night she says it helps her deal with her mothers death now my father died after her mother and we was just as close i find that excuse wearing thin a bit now i smoked marijuana for 8 years when i was younger i stopped on my own weaned down on it then quit it was making me paranoid and very lazy.My girlfriend seemed ok off it at first but recently she has been stressing out on her own child and also very moody and hot and cold with me and im starting to find it hard.Ive explained its upsetting me and all i get is you know my lifes upside down at this moment in time thats why i am like that and i know why she’s like that its because shes addicted to marijuana and when shes not smoking it every little thing irritates her untill shes had a joint and when shes had a joint shes slummed on the couch says nothing and sits there watchin her f***ing tv programmes ive had enough already im way to good for that crap been there and done it and i just know she aints going to stop and i aint even going to say quit marijuana or im gone naa balls to it.
Patrick Says:
@ Col – right on there, sounds like you know the signs when you see them, because you yourself have been there. I am the same way. Takes one to know one.
Gotta decide how you are going to live today. Sounds to me like you have made a good choice.