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Cannabis addiction

Dracarys said:
There was a drug for weight loss, called rimonabant. It was a cannabinoïd antagonist. So basically it produced these cannabis withdrawal symptoms, with the purpose of making people lose their appetite. Unexpectedly however, large numbers of people taking it, started committing suïcide. The urge to commit suïcide was a side-effect of this anti-cannabinoïd drug. That's how serious and real cannabis addiction is.
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Doesn't that also just show how important cannabinoids are to proper functioning? Be they endo or from cannabis, our body's systems for using cannabinoids are crucial to all kinds of things our bodies need to do. A lot of people are deficient in endocannabinoids (I think it is also a function of our modern society - the endocannabinoid system helps us maintain homeostasis in the face of stress [whatever kind of stress that is], and I think our modern world is often just so stressful and toxic that a lot of us don't have the endocannabinoids necessary to cope, IMO this is closely related to the incredibly sharp rise in autoimmune disorders we are seeing recently) and supplementing helps them function. I think it's a lot more complex than just if you consume x amount of cannabis you are addicted, or cannabis is simply a vice that should be used in moderation. For a lot of people it truly is medicine. Personally I consume large amounts of cannabis - probably close to an eighth a day, and I very much do not consider it an addiction. Since I started this regimen about 9 months ago I've been happier and healthier than I can ever remember. On the other hand I view cannabis as one part of a holistic minded approach to healthy living, and I'm not just smoking kush, watching tv, and eating cheetos all day. Perhaps the difference between addiction and therapeutic use is more in attitude. Addictions are usually an attempt to cope with some disfunction in life - cannabis can help in that it gives relief, but if you are using it as an escape rather than a support and not addressing your problems, that is what I'd see as addiction.
 
cannabis is obviously addictive, mostly psychologically but there is also a physical component. i used to smoke weed all day and when i ran out i couldn't eat or sleep well and would get a headache and stomach ache and feel generally shitty. this made me very afraid to run out and seemed like a very big deal at the time.

now that i am older and have gone through benzo and opiate withdrawal, cannabis withdrawal seems laughable. but even though it seems that way in retrospect, i can't deny the problems it caused for me at the time. its just like a hardcore heroin addict with a huge habit laughing at someone complaining while trying to come off a month on codeine. in comparison his problem seems laughable but you can't deny the very real stress and suffering the codeine user is going through. or its like an inmate who just got sentenced to 20 years in prison laughing at someone who is freaking out over facing 30 days in jail. yeah, in comparison its nothing but none the less the guy getting 30 days in jail for the first time is likely gonna be under a lot of stress.

See, all life is relative like that. your biggest problem in life might seem like a joke to someone else but its not so easy to just shrugg all your problems off just because someone else has it way worse. thats because its our own minds and emotions that are the real trouble and not whats happening to us. if you are really strong and healthy emotionally cannabis withdrawal shouldn't be that big of a deal, but a lot of times emotionally damaged people rely on cannabis as a crutch and then when it is taken away they suffer a great deal.

also i want to point out that crack isn't really physically addictive. i used to smoke crack every day and when i would run out or quit for a while i never had any physical withdrawals, or even much in the way of psychological withdrawals for that matter. cannabis has given me more withdrawal problems than crack for sure. crack is all about chasing that high and avoiding the come down. once the come down is fully over, a lot of people are able to abstain from crack.

for instance i had a friend who was a crackhead, definitely addicted, had been smoking crack like 30 years and spent all his money on it. when he would run out of money though, he wouldnt stress too much. he'd just sit in his apartment and watch tv until he got more money. now me as a heroin addict on the other hand (heroin was my real addiction and id smoke crack too if i had extra $), i couldn't do that. i had to have heroin or id get unbearably sick. i could never just calmly sit and watch tv if i didnt have heroin. my whole life had to be planned around having enough heroin, or securing a substitute like suboxone and later kratom in order to keep me well. i used to envy my friend how he could just calmly sit there waiting for his check to come without having to endure hellish withdrawals.
 
Theres some really good points up here, one of them being "anything can be addictive", that being said Ive been an MJ user for over 12 years straight, and it is most definitely addictive.
Most people don't want to acknowledge - while a current user or during WD's it can and does cause psychological and physical issues if used long term. Such as memory and motor function delays, lethargy, anxiety and depression. Besides all that, make me wait 2-3 days for a joint, I'm probably the poster boy for asshole, and thats just being honest. There's a reason I stopped smoking as heavily as I used to, but still gotta have my 1 a day.. addiction.

P.S what I think really gets me is the people that will advocate the shit out of marijuana use for medicinal reasons, but only smoke it to get high.
 
Cannabis is 100% addictive for me. Not just mentally but physically, I've smoked around 2.0g a day for 6 years and I can't sleep, eat and actually feel psychotic when I try to go without. The fact that cannabis addiction gets laughed off by so many fuels how quickly the possibility of its addictivness gets dismissed. I believe it comes down to the individual, but as I said with me it's definitely a physical as well as mental addiction, I wish people would be a little more open minded about this.
 
While I realize the thread is a bit old now, I think one important aspect of this discussion that hasn't been noted is that addiction is as much about the person as it is the substance. All kinds of people are prescribed opiates all the time. Some of them are able to use the prescription for their whole life and never move into addict territory. On the other hand you occasionaly have a person who gets 40 percocet prescribed to them after a minor surgey and a year later they are shooting heroin.

For anyone interested in the subject I highly recommend a book called "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts" by Dr. Gabor Mate. You can also find quite a few YouTube videos were in he speaks on addiction. He ran a harm reduction clinic in one of the worst parts of Vancover for many years and has written this brilliant book on addiction that uses both really interesting ancedotal evidence from his experiences and medical science to discuss addiction. The most interesting part, to me, is he puts addiction on a spectrum and examines how his own obession with buying classical music CDs could be viewed as addiction. This book was recommended to me by two friends, one is a counselor with a PhD in psychology (specialized in addiction) and another who is a former meth addict and alcoholic, but is clean now and works at a treatment center with patients.

Long story short I pretty much smoked daily, throughout the day for well over a decade. There were some dry periods, of course, but basically if I could pull off being any amount of high I was from within the first few hours of being awake until I went to sleep. When I got to a point in my life when I was basically only smoking by myself, my partner doesn't smoke, but still doing it every day it seemed silly. I was also experiencing some uncomfortable phsyical symptoms when I reached my "sweet spot". I either had to smoke to little or too much to enjoy the high. Or be drunk. Which for a few months turned in to a bit of a drinking binge. Then it was like, OK, I'm getting hammered just so I can smoke a bowl. I quit for two years, taking a little toke occasionally at a party.

I certainly experienced certain physical withdraw symptoms. Mostly had trouble sleeping, nothing a few fingers of good bourbon or a a couple micro brews before bed couldn't take care until my brain sorted itself out. I also certainly had moments were I really, really fought with myself over thoughts like "Well, I'm just going to go by a gram because I had a shitty day, then I will get clean again next week." Other withdraw symptoms included depression that was more than just "the blues" over quitting. Generally speaking was enjoying life even less than when I was getting drunk to smoke a bowl.

Having had a little counseling myself, it was determined that I have some impulse control issues that are on the spectrum of addiction, but that generally speaking I make good decisions.

This past summer I decided to start smoking again and have made questionable financial decisions and had inappropriately balanced priorities surrounding smoking herb. I was good for a while on the not being high all day thing, but am pretty much back to that.

Just some ancedotal evidence for anyone interested.
 
Always remember... Everything that gives you pleasure or anything that increases dopamine could be addictive. As you know, Dopamine release occurs after pleasurable experiences (Food, Drugs, Sex, Internet, Video Games, Music)
 
I like to call it cannabism or cannalic because if you dont call alcoholism or alcoholic addiction you cant really call cannabis addictive or addiction....keep that in mind freind
 
I am interested. I have run out of options for chronic pain and have read many biased, on both sides, reports re MJ being addictive. My best bet is to try it for myself, however, since I was a drunk until 20 years ago then replaced cigarettes with nicotine lozenges I am nervous about trying another substance. I know I can never have alcohol again. There were three times I smoked herb, twice paranoid, once laughed for hours. But that's it you see, I am not looking for a high but must find relief beyond Rx. Rx which was arbitrarily cut in half leaving me addicted but without enough to be effective. I live in a stupid state so no chance of getting a proper dose of herbs here. Then the herbs may not help pain but I might really like them. Thanks for sharing your experience . I believe I'll cool my jets before going out and buying some herbs. There's thinking to do.
 
After 20 years of alcoholism I finally beat it by using cannabis.

Cannabis is my least concerning addiction. I have 3, coffee (caffine), sugar and thc. Quiting coffee and cigarettes was years of issues and I picked them both up again and quit again, alcohol I traded out for weed and don't even desire a drink. It didn't happen overnight and it wasn't intentional I simply couldn't afford liquor so I supplemented weed.

As a side effect I got my life together.

Cannabis has been demonized by everyone so they could make money, repeatedly. Use your own judgement when deciding which drug to use for recreation or pain but had I been told the truth I would never have touched alcohol and probably been using weed by my mid 20's to deal with ADHD.

I believed the lie til I was in my late 40's and my testosterone depleted to a point that ADHD became unmanageable, weed gave me back my life.
 
Shelly320 said:
Is this a joke
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Not at all. I've been using daily for 8 years with a few breaks up to 100 days. Withdrawal is like a cold for about 10 days with insomnia and more dream recall. Quiting coffee was way worse and was psychologically worse as well. To quit weed I just stop.

Negative side effects would be memory recall, I make a lot more notes and I have made a few routines to keep me on pace. Financially I was nearly a homeless alcoholic who had lost everything and nearly everyone, I was bitter and angry, life was like punishment and thankfully I didn't just tap out. Now I am in the top 1% of my field, I have my focus back and life is the best it has ever been. If I had known I could function at almost normal capacity for my whole life I would have been using weed illegally long ago. The difference for me is like suddenly waking up.
 
:) THANK YOU, Yourbaker...Your posts of personal success with weed give me HOPE. I need some hope amongst the heartache of chronic pain (3+ decades now). I've been experimenting with strains of MMJ, but have found this takes time and better yet...a mentor.

I cannot tolerate pain meds. They choke my GI system. I've been experimenting with strains of MMJ, but I don't know what I'm doing. I know I don't want to "nod". I need to maintain sharp mental focus, as I work full time. I am married 36 years, with no children. My disease robbed me of ability to conceive, but I'd hope that I've "mothered" many. I also must constantly deal with extended family stressors.

I understand that feeling of "life was like punishment", feeling "bitter and angry"...but I'm truly happy you didn't "tap out". Your words are encouraging. I appreciate your posts.

I lost my best friend and mentor to cancer last month. I am ever so thankful he had MMJ those last months after Taxotere ravaged his body. He needed it for the nausea and malaise, as an escape. I miss him SO MUCH but am thankful I keep him in my heart.
 
effingcustie said:
Doesn't that also just show how important cannabinoids are to proper functioning? Be they endo or from cannabis, our body's systems for using cannabinoids are crucial to all kinds of things our bodies need to do. A lot of people are deficient in endocannabinoids (I think it is also a function of our modern society - the endocannabinoid system helps us maintain homeostasis in the face of stress [whatever kind of stress that is], and I think our modern world is often just so stressful and toxic that a lot of us don't have the endocannabinoids necessary to cope, IMO this is closely related to the incredibly sharp rise in autoimmune disorders we are seeing recently) and supplementing helps them function. I think it's a lot more complex than just if you consume x amount of cannabis you are addicted, or cannabis is simply a vice that should be used in moderation. For a lot of people it truly is medicine. Personally I consume large amounts of cannabis - probably close to an eighth a day, and I very much do not consider it an addiction. Since I started this regimen about 9 months ago I've been happier and healthier than I can ever remember. On the other hand I view cannabis as one part of a holistic minded approach to healthy living, and I'm not just smoking kush, watching tv, and eating cheetos all day. Perhaps the difference between addiction and therapeutic use is more in attitude. Addictions are usually an attempt to cope with some disfunction in life - cannabis can help in that it gives relief, but if you are using it as an escape rather than a support and not addressing your problems, that is what I'd see as addiction.
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I love this post. I've often wondered about the possibility that the scale of the pro-cannabis movement we see today is partly a result of modern society creating an endocannabinoid deficiency pandemic of sorts.

Whenever cannabis addiction is brought up, I always wonder: are people quitting cannabis, losing all the medical benefits they previously enjoyed, and then confusing the experience of ordinary drug-free life (i.e. the symptoms of whatever conditions they were treating with cannabis) with "withdrawal symptoms"?
 
Modern society resulting in a endocannabinoid deficiency is definitely a "citation required" claim. I'm not sure how such a thing could be proven, that the stress related to modern day living in particular is damaging to the body's endocannabinoid system, but it's interesting to speculate on I suppose.
 
Burnt Offerings said:
Modern society resulting in a endocannabinoid deficiency is definitely a "citation required" claim. I'm not sure how such a thing could be proven, that the stress related to modern day living in particular is damaging to the body's endocannabinoid system, but it's interesting to speculate on I suppose.
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Personally I think the most likely hypothesis is not that stress related to modern day living damages the endocannabinoid system, but that we are using exogenous cannabinoids to adapt to modern day living faster than evolution can keep up with changing demands on our endocannabinoid systems.

But yeah, I don't have any direct evidence for this.
 
RogerMexico73 said:
I decided I'm going to take a week off to see how it goes.
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I graduated uni last year and while at uni I was a regular smoker, not every day, but frequently enough. Now that I work I obviously have much less time to smoke I can tell you after you stop smoking regularly it's the first two weeks that you feel kind of down and miss (not crave) the weed. After that you start to enjoy the clear head. And obviously now I appreciate my toking sessions more, not only 4 grams will last me two months easy, but smoking feels fun again, rather than part of my daily routine.

And I know what you mean when you say being high alleviates the feeling of lack of fulfilment I've been there. Life is like riding a bike, to keep balance you need to move forward. If you have to much free time on your hands and are bored for a better part of your day you will smoke to help with that. The only way to deal with that is to get rid of the free time. Be it a job, a hobby or a sport. If you got nothing to do smoking will make the boredom bearable. And that's where it becomes habitual.

Taking a break is not going to change anything unless you make some life style changes. Otherwise you'll take the break, feel even more bored and go back to it.
 
Honestly is it like some sort of addiction when your body is used to a daily thc intake, and then you stop smoking pot, it will mess with your body's daily routine, and will eventually lead to stress, which then you would want more (So your not stressed out)
 
A large portion of us have a ton of decision in life of things that make us can rest easy," said Gantt Galloway, Pharm.D., official and research chief of the New Leaf Treatment Center, and senior researcher at the California Pacific Therapeutic Center Exploration Establishment, in a meeting with Healthline. "The individuals who have less options, who maybe don't have as rich an arrangement of social connections on the grounds that their family life is troublesome or on the grounds that they have enthusiastic issues that are preventing them from shaping dear fellowships ... those individuals may discover medications, for example, maryjane more alluring and be at more serious hazard for enslavement.
 
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