Marijuana Addiction Treatment

Marijuana addiction treatment can consist of a couple different things.  First of all let's take a look at the addiction itself.  Some people argue that Marijuana is not really addictive at all, and this can create confusion.  Let me clear up the record a bit here and explain.

Most drugs, such as alcohol or opiates, produce significant and even dangerous withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking them suddenly. This does not happen with Marijuana. Anyone can simply stop using Marijuana cold turkey and they will not suffer any ill effects from it. With other drugs this is not the case, so the perception is that Marijuana is a "softer" drug in this respect.

In addition to this, Marijuana has no intoxication ceiling. What does this mean? It means that you can just keep consuming the drug in almost infinite quantities without suffering an overdose. This is definitely not true with other drugs, including alcohol, because those substances will generally produce overdose or even death if you consume relatively small amounts. In other words, you only have to drink about 4 times more than what it takes to make you drunk in order to overdose on alcohol. With Marijuana, this ratio is so high that cannot realistically ever be reached in the real world.

So these characteristics of Marijuana create a unique perception of the drug among people. They do not think it is addictive because the drug is not very physically addictive. But of course, Marijuana is addictive, because it can be very psychologically addictive. What happens is that a person who uses Marijuana every day starts to rely on it over time to medicate their feelings and emotions. Without it, they become frustrated and angry and irritable. If this sounds like you or someone you know then you may be a good candidate for marijuana addiction treatment.

Another way that people become addicted to Marijuana is through the lifestyle itself and the social aspect of using the drug. In other words, if someone is young and has many friends who also smoke Marijuana, it will be very difficult for that person to break away from the lifestyle of smoking with their peers. It has become the central focus of their life.

So even though the drug is not highly physically addictive, there is still huge potential for real addiction to occur. Therefore there is still a strong need for treatment.

Because there is really no physical withdrawal, there is no need for a physical detox unless a person has been using other drugs or alcohol with Marijuana. So the question remains is marijuana additive?

But the fact that smoking Marijuana every day becomes a lifestyle should illustrate what kind of change is needed for recovery, and also what kind of treatment can best be of help. What is needed is a complete shift in personality away from self medicating every day, but also the addict needs to create a new life for themselves with real meaning in it. These goals are best accomplished in a long term treatment setting, though that is not a necessary step for everyone.

In other words, the best treatment for marijuana addiction is for the addict to actively pursue a new life for themselves. The younger the person is, the more this will require long term treatment, in order to isolate them from the lifestyle and social aspects of their addiction. It can be really tough to change when you are younger and your whole life revolves around getting high with a select group of friends. There is no easy way to break away from these social connections and the only thing that will really do it for a young person is if they have truly surrendered to the fact that they are addicted and have made a firm decision to change their life. Even then the idea of leaving all their friends and no longer having fun by getting high can be a bit overwhelming and dismal for a younger person to consider. Of course, new friends are made in recovery and any recovering addict eventually finds new ways to have fun, but no addict would ever believe that if you suggested it to them at first. They have to experience it for themselves and see that there really is a good life to live in recovery, if they are willing to give it a chance.

As such, short term residential treatment or a quick stay in detox will probably not do much for the marijuana addict. What is going to be more helpful are full lifestyle changes, regardless of what age someone is at. They are going to have to break those old ties and find new things to do in order to relax and have fun. They are also going to have to find a new way to communicate their feelings with other people, instead of just shielding them by getting stoned all the time. This might take time and effort for people to learn how to do these things. For me, it took going to long term treatment. For other people, it might only take daily 12 step meetings or even counseling or therapy. Or perhaps some people can change their life using Yoga or exercise. But the fact is that big change is going to need to occur in order to overcome marijuana addiction, and simply sitting at home on the couch, wishing things were different is not going to cut it. It takes action.