Marijuana addiction is real. Those struggling often face skepticism.
Marijuana addiction is real. Those struggling often face skepticism.
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Marijuana addiction is real. Those struggling often face skepticism.
109 comments
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Not too surprising. A good rule of thumb is, anything that gives you joy, happiness, or helps with pain & sadness, can be addictive. It can definitely be used as crutch vs. dealing with the underlying issues (such as anxiety).
However, there's a difference between that kind of addiction and chemical addiction which I don't see mentioned in the article. It seems to focus on the crutch aspect, not things like physical ailments from withdrawals and that sort of thing. It's hard to tell.
Generally, moderation should be the key and if you are using it to avoid things that maybe therapy would help with - that's not ideal.
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For some opioids withdrawal can be life threatening. There's a distinct contrast between chemical and psychological dependence.
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exactly
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Absolutely right! It can be a pretty great crutch, used sporadically, but constant use signals something else to work on. And depending on the issue, constant use can just make it slightly more comfortable to stay in that crappy state. (Ask me how I know, lol)
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People can get addicted to literally - as in really - everything.
Stop selling soda, people get addicted. Stop selling McDonald's, people get addicted, etc
People need to learn self control. Period.
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I've always looked at 'marijuana addiction' as more of a symptom of bigger problems such as depression. if you're not depressed quitting weed should be no problem. If they weren't going to self medicate with weed they'd likely do it with something much worse anyway so we should stop blaming weed for people's problems.
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It's definitely self medicating and as long as it doesn't disrupt your life and goals, have at it. I started consuming again recently due to depression and it has helped me immensely.
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100%. Weed kept me alive when no legal drugs worked. The second something else worked, I dropped my consumption significantly without a problem. After 15 years of daily use.
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The only thing that TLC has taught me is that people can get addicted to anything.
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I don't know how I feel about this. I regularly smoke/use edibles, and I get that it can easily become habitual. You get home afterwork, smoke a bowl, and get on with your life.
But not once have I ever felt that I NEED to smoke. I've been using for over 4 years now. I grow my own. I make my own oils and edibles. I've never felt that it's something that I need to do. For example, I can very easily stop for a few weeks and suffer literally zero withdrawal from it. So, I don't really understand what's so "addicting" about it.
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You can be addicted to the feeling of mellow and high that marijuana gives you, that’s psychological addiction. It’s the same as how you can become addicted to eating oreos. You can stop eating oreos or smoking weed and physically be fine, no withdrawals. But psychologically, you may feel the need to go back to it.
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If you can be "psychologically addicted" to anything, then why label marijuana specifically as "addicting"? We don't label wintergreen mints as psychologically addicting, even though some people will routinely crush a bag of them in one sitting. It seems that we're misattributing the human, habit-forming parts of ourselves (or possibly our need for pleasure) as a negative-characteristic of marijuana, and I don't think that's being genuine to the problems.
Articles like this only further the demonization of marijuana and give cause to ban it.
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the same that leads to the harder to beat parts of nicotine addiction: A mixture of having a habit and using it as a coping mechanism. If putting the green glasses on becomes how you deal with negativity in your life, cutting the stuff loose will be incredibly hard. If you always dealt with shit that went on by making yourself chemically happy, how are you supposed to know how to deal with shit that goes on without that? This is the main issue with most mind-altering things, be it nicotine, caffeine, or even fitness exercises. The other part is that an addiction is often just a habit that has gotten too far. This can make an addiction out of literally anything.
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By your argument then, it's not the weed thats addicting. It's a human, habit-forming mechanism. You said it yourself, that you "can make an addiction out of literally anything."
So, I'm still at the same impasse. Why blame weed for what is clearly a human issue? It seems to me that we need to figure out better coping mechanisms, and how to break bad habits. Articles like this will only demonize cannabis, especially in a time when things are about to change for the better.
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Nicotine addiction isn't the same. That's physiological. Same with alcohol. It's literally changing your body chemistry and that creates the addiction. This is emotional/psychological addiction. It's like video games or sex. You can become addicted to it, but it's the exception, not the rule.
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So, where's the science in this article? I just read a bunch of fear mongering and feels. ...and a whole lot of stories and sources from red states.
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Why would you post such a bland panorama piece on a science channel? There was nothing scientific in that drivel.
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Are you suggesting that the scientific method involves more than an anecdote about Courtney's feelings?
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Having smoked cannabis for over two decades, I can certainly tell you there were times where I smoked a lot tougher then I do these days.
Back when I was at my peak usage, I tried to quit by going cold turkey. I went through periods where I would wake up in cold sweats. While I didn't have gnawing urges like an alcoholic, I definitely had some physical withdrawal symptoms that weren't super pleasant.
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I feel like the pendulum of how safe or dangerous weed is has spun back in the opposite direction. At the end of the day weed is a drug. There's worse things out there's but it's not harmless. I know potheads who look at it like it's another green leafy vegetable that also cures cancer.
Edit: I just realized this is the science community. This article is not science. It's news or maybe an editorial. There's plenty of legit studies to post if we want to have this discussion.
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I mean, l-theanine is a drug. Caffeine is a drug. So tea and coffee are drugs. Would you approach them with the same caution you do marijuana? Alcohol is a drug.
At the end of the day, the threshold of "is a drug" is fairly low and meaningless on its own.
This article isn't even that persuasive to make it sound like marijuana is bad.
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At least with caffeine I would approach it with caution similar to marijuana. Dosages above 300 mg/day are shown to have negative health effects. In general it is fine. Marijuana is also generally safe, but can have negative effects if you take too much or use too often.
People rarely refer to theanine as a drug. It's more of a dietary supplement (food). It's an amino acid.
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It's not harmless, but neither are the vast majority of the products you can buy off the shelf.
Microwaving plastic is terrible. Half the stuff you can buy from home Depot has to have a California reproductive health/cancer warning on it. We actively pump chemicals into the air, water, our bodies, etc. with very little thought to the downstream consequences.
What makes pot special? Alcohol, by nearly every measure, is worse, but we all recognize that banning it doesn't actually help anything, and criminalizing things based on a maybe health impact is insane.
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Like most people pointed out, you can get addicted to anything. But people need to understand that there are drugs that are more chemically addictive and cause larger issues like meth and nicotine and people labeling marijuana with those other drugs is dumb and ignorant.
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I was definitely addicted to marijuana when I was younger. I came home from work one night to find my roommates had smoked the last of it and I literally physically attacked them and then cried myself to sleep.
I have a personality built for addiction though.
I spent a decade as a heroin addict and I would have killed to cry myself to sleep when I was without. There was no sleep, just ungodly pain.
I’m currently taking a third of my normal suboxone dose right now because I lost several and someone picked them up (don’t blame them). I’m handling it well. I have to deal with this until the 17th. So far 3 days in and I’m just coasting. All this time worrying about tapering off and then this happens and I’m thinking maybe it won’t be so bad. I have to do it like this or go some time without, which is scary af. When I tried to taper I’d experience topical withdrawal symptoms. Constant yawning, chill bumps, fatigue. I swear I think it was all in my head because I could choooooose not to do it.
The addict in me keeps trying to talk me into making it a problem for future me, but I’m not doing that.
As a matter of fact, I’m thinking of sticking with it if it’s not worse by the end. After that I’ll either taper off or go to the shot.
Fuck it. I’m done worrying about it. I’m done being afraid that if I lose my medicine I’m a cripple and the system won’t help me. I’ll have to break the law to be ok. Fuck that.
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Thanks for sharing bud. I too am in recovery and I wish you well. Everything gonna be alright.
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Fk bro sorry to hear that. Not saying weed isn't addictive, just that it shouldn't be compared to harder drugs that form a chemical dependency much faster than weed. I've struggled with addiction in the past. I've found that working out when you get those urges can help. Good luck going forward bro
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Agree. Marijuana creates mostly psychological dependance. I was also addicted but when I decided to stop I had practically no physical side-effects, although I did "crave" it in my mind for a week or two.
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Apparently not porn. There's a thread above discussing how porn addiction is apparently not real.
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Well I was sure as shit addicted to it as a teenager. I’m almost certain I did nerve damage to my penis as a youngster.
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I quit smoking for a bit over a year at one point, and it was difficult. It definitely took the development of new coping skills and it was hard not to reach for something in those moments when I wanted to sort of fill the gap not smoking left behind. It was also super disorienting.
But probably the hardest part was deciding to quit and finding support for it that wasn't full on anti-weed. I did find a substance abuse recovery discord that helped in a non-judgemental way, but most of the people encouraging me to stick with quitting were pretty black and white about it.
It didn't make me feel sick the way quitting tobacco did, though, or leave me with that strained feeling of chemical dependence.
Eventually I started smoking again, deciding I liked the positive effects more than I didn't like the occasional negative effects. It's nice to know that I can quit, though, if I decide it isn't worth it.
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If you can stand reddit I can recommend Petioles. And on that subject, really hoping to see a similar community spring up here
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A lot of the comments here are great examples of exactly what this article is about.
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Know folks who spend 500+/month on weed and then can't afford to live. Just because they don't go trainspotting doesn't mean it isn't as fucked.
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True
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Because they are addicts with money or are they escaping bigger issues? Genuinely curious! (Not challenging you)
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Yeah, but that's usually escapism. It's not the weed that puts them in a bad spot. They probably need to fix other parts of their life. I know of folks who ignore health and financial responsibility to play video games too. I wouldn't blame the video games though.
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You can literally get addicted to anything.. even a habit can be addictive.
As with anything you do, do it in moderation. Even too much bananas can kill you.
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Of course is real. As any other things, like even sugar, we live in a wheel of addiction everyday.
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It's a shame that studies on marijuana and its effects on users were blocked and considered taboo subjects for so long. The reason we have these types of conflicting messaging about the safety/danger of marijuana use, is because there has not been enough research or longitudinal studies in those regards.
Can you become addicted to marijuana? Maybe. Does marijuana cause cancer? Maybe. Does it cause this or that or the other thing? Maybe.
For now we have to make assumptions. If you're worried about getting addicted, you should probably stay away. If you're worried about it being a carcinogen, you should probablt stay away. We're probably a long ways away from having conclusive evidence to show either way.
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https://marijuana-anonymous.org/
Marijuana Anonymous does meetings online and face to face.
Also, most Alcoholics Anonymous meetings will let you identify as an addict if you want.
It's easier to do this with people helping.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/health/the-sober-truth-seeing-bad-science-in-rehab.html
Except 12 step programs don't help. There's no scientific basis for them. They are essentially cults. You'd be just as well off going to a chiropractor or using homeopathy.
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32159228/
Here's evidence that they are effective.
Also, neither Marijuana Anonymous or AA charges anyone anything to attend meetings. There's no 'sober police' hunting people down if they decide not to go to meetings. There are agnostic and atheist meeting for people who don't like the idea of a Higher Power.
There's an AA slogan I like. Come to AA for 90 days and follow the program. If at the end of that time you don't like it, you can always have your misery back for free.
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I'm happy that this sensitive topic finally gets the recognition it deserves. Addiction is hard and this clip from a documentary shows you how marijuana addicts are ostracized from support networks.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uUPHlAbAf2I&pp=ygUUaGFsZiBiYWtlZCBhbm9ueW1vdXM%3D -
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I wouldn't call it addiction, in most cases it is dependence...unless your facing legal trouble due to your use, but keep smoking. But that's more to do with shitty legal practices.
I've been addicted to real addictive substances and weed ain't the same at all ime.
For long time users, stopping can cause some withdrawal symptoms, sure, but nothing worth fear mongering over imo.
It really varies person to person. Some people let it run their life. Others not so much.
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ITT: People who don't know the difference between addiction and dependence.
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Fair enough, it's hard to distinguish terms that are synonyms. Chemical dependency is the medical term for addiction.
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Lol at anyone up voting this BS, if you believe this you're a sheep who doesn't understand how the reward mechanisms of human brains work
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MJ is a psychological, rather than chemical addiction. Thus it is completely different than Opioids and Amphetamines, which are chemically addictive.
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109 comments
This line fron the article is exactly why I'm skeptical. I had to sit through tons of middle school and high school programs that lied to me about the physiological effects of marijuana. This article itself opens with an anecdote about one individual, but fails to identify any academic study suggesting physiological addiction because... There is none.
Psychological addiction is real. There's a reason that in most places any gambling advertisements have to include a warning and a hotline. The problem is that these sensationalist articles never make the distinction between psychological and physiological addiction. This article mentions when the case study first tried marijuana, but fails to detail the circumstances of her life, her personality, and other factors that can contribute to psychological addiction.
Add in that the medical marijuana industry is trying to replace the very physiological addictive (and profitable) pain medications... Add that to the years of lies in schools and media... Forgive me for not trusting this BS at all.
I had hoped there would be a significant study I could read but it’s just the same reefer madness we’ve seen for decades.
It will be great when it’s finally fully legal and we can do real science on it.
You're right not to trust this BS at all. It's straight up reefer madness propaganda. It's widely acknowledged that anything pleasurable can be addictive, that doesn't mean we need to ban gambling or alcohol or weed.
Nah fam. I’m addicted, trust me. Trouble eating, sleeping, keeping food down. Have to titration down super slowly or get intense cravings. It sucks.
After about 8 years of daily smoking (and slowly smoking more and more because of tolerance building up) I decided to quit for various reasons.
I'm at about 10 days off cold turkey and I'm still struggling a lot. At the beginning was a big loss of appetite, trouble going to sleep and obviously the psychological desire to smoke. The worst part for me though is the intense anxiety, irritability and the lack of motivation to do anything. It feels like falling back into depression and slowly try crawling out of it.
Really disappointing to see so many people in here denying what I'm going through. Yes there's always been propaganda against using, but there's still some truth to it. I'm still glad that it's legal here in Canada because it did help me at one point, but like every drug, you have to be careful.
This this this.
Also, rat studies indicate that environment plays a large role in the symptoms we see as addiction - the inability to stop, constantly seeking more of the drug, etc. These symptoms tend to stop when the rats had adequate engagement, weren't overcrowded, etc. Even when they continued to have access to the drug, they tended to stop.
We saw something similar in humans after Vietnam. The soldiers over there were doing any and everything to avoid the horrors of war. Even when they came back with PTSD, we didn't see a huge uptick in drug addiction. This requires a lot more study, but there are some pretty good indications that people get addicted when their lives suck and they don't see any workable options available to change their situation. Addiction may be a disease based in despair more than an innate status in the brain.
I’m not the biggest smoker, but still a few grams a day and withdrawal is real. There is a physical side to it, it’s pretty mild like with coffee but it’s certainly unenjoyable.
I vape daily, but I don't really get withdrawal. If I go away on holiday or whatever having several weeks off is a breeze. However if it's there at home and I have nothing else on, I will get high, so I accept I'm probably psychologically addicted, but I've made peace with that since I still work full time and pay my way so who's it hurting.
I smoke half an ounce a day. People expect me to be lazy, but I'm fully functional. I just can't get out of bed if I DONT smoke lol.
Addiction is addiction. Whether you're addicted because you took a drug that your brain now depends on, or you've gotten used to doing something that makes you happy and your brain depends on the stimulus to make the happy juice, addiction is a physiological response. The effects on your brain are chemical. Your addiction is marked by the changes in thinking to seek and obtain your particular "high" in whatever form your brain needs, and you will experience withdrawal if you stop.
Some substances and activities are highly addictive, because they are designed to be. Marijuana is more potent than ever, and the experience of shopping for different strains and trying all the "flavors" is itself a little reward system.
People want to make distinctions between chemical addiction and psychological addiction, and there are differences, but addiction is addiction.
Very anecdotal, but I know multiple people who are addicted. Could very well be psychological, but if they go more than a day or two without smoking they are terrible to be around. Which sucks because I'm stuck with
A) don't be around them
B) be around them while they are baked and smell
C) be around them while they are terrible
I've been sticking with A for the time being, but it sucks because I feel like I've already lost a few friends when I stopped smoking and it seems like that is their whole life.
Crazy that you're getting downvoted for this. I smoke occasionally, but used to smoke daily and had to quit cold turkey for over a year. I now (almost 3 years since I first stopped cold turkey) refuse to have any marijuana on me and only smoke on the occasion that I'm out with friends and it's offered to me. That ends up being about one toke a month. Irritability and bad mood for chronic smokers when they haven't smoked enough to get withdrawals is common enough (anecdotally from my own experience quitting and seeing others around me struggling with it as well).
Especially if someone has quit and finds the smell off-putting or doesn't like to be around people who are either constantly baked or very irritable, this point of view is perfectly valid and adds to the conversation. Don't downvote just because you personally disagree.
In an era of readily available vapes, theres no need to smell of weed all the time and as a fellow stoner I apologise on behalf of the community.
Honestly, if I found out one of my friends saw me this way I'd rather they just get out of my life.
And then there's Keith Richards...
The other thing that's kind of questionable was that she was able to stop during her pregnancy. Like, when she knew she really had to stop, she did. This is basically in the same level as video game addiction. It's not the drug. It's the situation. Sure, she should be able to get help, but it's not really marijuana specific help she needs
Marijuana is considered physiologically addictive.
From UpToDate:
I agree. From my personal experience, I smoke daily and each time I've travelled internationally, where I can't bring my legal weed, I always suffer from poor sleep for a good week or so. It's nothing serious but it's noticeable.
It’s a “gateway” drug is my personal favourite. Yeah marijuana may not be as bad a heroin but it leads to heroin so you know, don’t do it!
Hey don’t eat that carrot! Why? It’s a gateway food to candy!
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i started smoking because i have mucle pain every day (muscular disbalance) basecally my mucels are to short and i because i liked the affect. it's been around a year and a half in that time i noticed beleave it or not (i don't care) my memory got better and i'm much happier mostly because i don't have to take pain killer that often. if i don't have any other than not being able to be very active(because of pain) i don't notice it to much of curse i sometimes then think it would be nice to smoke one but that dosen't happen to often. at least for me being a stoner and being lazy dosen't apply at all i'm a mechanikalengeneer (i did an apprenticeship) and now i'm doing a second one as a programmer.