Marijuana Addiction

Marijuana has been around for a long time, its use as a smoking plant recorded as far back as 5,000 BC in China, the Middle East, and the Americas. We’re talking about a dry, shredded mix of flowers, stems, and leaves from the Cannabis Sativa plant, which grows naturally all over the world. Marijuana has been the focus of much debate and media attention recently in the US after the people of Washington and Colorado voted to legalize its public cultivation and recreational consumption, ending a 43 year ban on the plant in accordance with federal legislation on controlled substances. Despite being a Schedule 1 controlled substance in the United States, cannabis has demonstrated medical properties when applied properly and more than half of the states now allow licensed medicinal consumption.

Prolonged and habitual use of marijuana can develop into a dependency known to cause depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, and disassociation.

While the plant lacks the dramatic physical side effects found in alcohol or hard narcotics, that doesn’t mean marijuana can’t be abused. Prolonged and habitual use of marijuana can develop into a dependency known to cause depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, and disassociation. 

Mary Jane isn’t even in the same category as the more destructive drugs like heroin, meth, or cocaine. She’s a subtle experience that can create a calm, euphoric state and inspire more associative thought patterns. But this is exactly why frequent smokers get stuck there in that zone and don’t want to leave. Hitting a joint at a party or indulging on a camping trip are different than a daily habit of cannabis-fueled mood alteration that passes for your normal waking state.

There’s more to life than smoking weed.

The biggest signs of a problem with cannabis consumption are a depressed lack of motivation, angry or anxious behavior, paranoia, and a withdrawal from social interactions. If marijuana has become the central focus of your life and the primary means by which you form social relationships or interact with friends, it has become too prominent in your life and constitutes a substance abuse problem. If you lay around all day and smoke weed, it’s time to take a step back and cut ties with Mary for a while. Now and then you need to get your head straight. If you find yourself reaching for a bowl just to calm your nerves or relax, or if you find yourself getting agitated or cranky when you don’t smoke, it’s time for a break.

Like any substance you inhale or ingest into your body, cannabis affects your internal chemistry and brain function. The only way to truly remove its effects from your life is to let it detox from your blood. Usually about a month of abstinence is enough to clear all traces of THC from the bloodstream. Most people report feeling refreshed, more alert, and rejuvenated after just a month of not smoking. The effects of a marijuana addiction are subtle and easy to pass off as nothing. But if you literally can’t make it through a 30 day detox, you have a problem.

No drug or hobby is worth sacrificing your goals and friendships.

Today many marijuana rehabilitation facilities are available and offer programs specifically designed to break an abusive relationship with cannabis. 

The only way to truly remove its effects from your life is to let it detox from your blood.

The process is not painful in the way that an alcohol or heroin detox is painful and sickening. Marijuana dependency recovery is more a battle with self control and willpower than the chemical itself. Since marijuana addiction is psychological, the real struggle is remaining convinced that you are in fact healthier and better off when you aren’t in a cloud of smoke every day. Allow your friends and family to support your efforts to stay straight and sober. Learn to rely on your own moods and thoughts, unaided or overstimulated by the buzz of the marijuana state.

We call it “getting high” because the effects are smoking marijuana lift a person up with a euphoric feeling and often inspire deep contemplation. It’s easy to get lost in the clouds. Floating away all the time breaks ties and connections with the people in your life and your place in the world. Coming back down to earth is important.

Once you’ve made it through a successful detox and have arrived at a clearer perspective, it’s important to remember that staying sober is an ongoing fight. You will need to organize your life in a way that will encourage and promote sobriety, rather than default back to the same friends and the same environments that landed you in rehab in the first place. As marijuana continues to gain legalization across the USA, it will be more accepted and more of a temptation.

As with any substance, legal or otherwise, a healthy balance and moderation are important.

The best part of quitting is the extra energy and clarity you feel, an energy that often leads to more ambition and motivation for life and the things that you enjoy. As you put your daily habits in order, consider finding alternatives to stimulate the euphoric and blissful state that marijuana used to provide.

Some of these habbits include:

• Recreational sports or exercise programs that get your blood pumping and heart racing.
• Yoga and meditation practices that involve breath practice and a deep, still mind.
• Avoid triggers by engaging in new hobbies with new groups of people.
• Structuring a sober lifestyle often means spending less time around those who smoke weed regularly.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction or dependency on marijuana, find a recovery facility that can help with a professional treatment and recovery process.