Everyone goes through the process in different ways, don’t be deterred if you feel your journey seems to be taking longer than it should. The most crucial step marijuana addiction towards achieving your goals is maintaining consistency. The downside, however, is that you are more likely to relapse when detoxing yourself. This is because there’s a lack of supervision and accountability from a person of authority.
- Although many people believe that using marijuana isn’t a big deal, it can significantly impact your life.
- Make sure you are eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of rest.
- With their expertise, a treatment provider can determine the best course of action to help you stop your marijuana use.
Quitting Marijuana
This risk is much higher for those who begin using the substance during adolescence. When smoking weed causes problems in your life, it’s a red flag that your marijuana use is out of control. Seeing a therapist is helpful as well, especially one with addiction treatment training or credentials. They typically help people change unwanted behaviors using strategies like HALT to help you use healthy coping mechanisms for stressors that impede recovery. Cannabis may provide temporary relief, but it doesn’t treat the underlying condition.
Is Marijuana Addiction Treatment Necessary, and How Long Does Marijuana Addiction Treatment Take?
But using too much weed can lead to uncomfortable side effects, including psychosis. The risk for negative side effects and overdose is more significant when people use marijuana products with high THC levels, according to NIDA. Cannabinoids in weed can raise resting heart rate, dilate the blood vessels and make the heart pump blood harder. Research shows that people with existing cardiovascular problems like heart disease who are also under stress, develop chest pain more quickly after smoking marijuana.
Is Marijuana Addictive?
Instead, healthcare providers diagnose it if you have three or more withdrawal symptoms within one week of decreased marijuana use. Addiction is more likely to happen if someone starts smoking marijuana as a teenager. NIDA concluded that people who start using marijuana before the age of 18 are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder. And the CDC estimated that approximately one in six people who smoke marijuana that begin using the drug before the age of 18 would become addicted. It can be hard when you’re living with marijuana abuse or watching someone you care about deal with it.
How Long Does Marijuana Withdrawal Last?
Marijuana Anonymous is one such support group based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. When someone you love is abusing marijuana or addicted to it, there are often signs and symptoms to look for. Knowing what these are can help you approach your loved one in a caring way.
Addiction Treatment Programs
- When you are quitting marijuana, you may find that getting regular exercise can be helpful for various reasons.
- Misconceptions about the addictive nature of marijuana shouldn’t stop the people who need treatment from receiving it.
- By Jaime R. Herndon, MS, MPHHerndon is a freelance health/medical writer with a graduate certificate in science writing from Johns Hopkins University.
- While there is no cure for addiction, finding a facility that offers a full continuum of rehab care has been proven to work for countless people.
- About 30% of people who use marijuana may have some level of marijuana use disorder.
Another piece of research suggests that drugs categorized as fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitors may also help through their impact on endocannabinoid signaling. In this case, subjects taking a FAAH inhibitor had reduced cannabis withdrawal symptoms when compared to those who took a placebo. It’s not unusual for people coming off cannabis to become aware of the negative consequences of their drug use or the emotional states it was masking. For example, some people who cease marijuana use after several years feel that they’ve wasted a considerable part of their life. Start by talking to your doctor or mental health professional about your treatment options. Symptoms of withdrawal can be unpleasant and can derail your efforts to stop smoking weed.
Patient Care Network
Individuals, 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. With advances in technology, online counseling, telehealth and teletherapy services are becoming more common and effective forms of mental health treatment. Addiction treatments were once restricted to in-person meetings, but they can now happen anytime and anywhere with a reliable internet connection. The Recovery Village offers teletherapy treatment for those who are struggling with substance use and mental health issues.
Then, you can try again with a slight adjustment to your plan that takes into consideration what you learned. Cravings for marijuana can often be severe and difficult to resist. For example, if you caught a whiff of marijuana or saw people using, remove yourself from that environment. You can also find a supportive community through group programs like Marijuana Anonymous. Members use a structured, 12-step process for quitting and meet regularly to encourage one another.
Perhaps it’s because marijuana, like any substance, affects people differently. For some, smoking weed might indeed lead to moments of introspection, relaxation or even laziness—but that’s a far cry from saying that marijuana inherently makes everyone lazy or unmotivated. The truth is more multifaceted than what the clichés put forward; it all depends on individual circumstances, habits and mental states.
