Marijuana withdrawal as bad as withdrawal from cigarettes

[ganja_man]

^
I find that weed is way more about boredom than anything else. I use pills because I like the way they feel, I use weed to fill up time.

living the life!

 

[Mehm]

and finally, how do you know i wasn't just retarded to begin with?

classic :D


umm, 12 people? that's freaking stupid and ridiculous, why didn't they use more people?

but i find weed much harder to quit, physical withdrawals and all (which aren't that bad imo)

 

[mcwally]

couple of things in this discussion that may confuse things imo

1) pot is more often than not mixed with tobacco when smoked making isolating withdrawal/addiction affects a bit harder (though most BLs are aware enough to think of this I'd imagine yeh but it is a valid point)

2) physical addiction - bodys organs start to become dependant on the drug to function properly so upon sudden 'quitting' the organ/s will not function properly or shutdown so the body tells the brain hey I seriously need that shit.

However on this latter point:

THC is a physical molecule that affects the organ called the brain. Agree? Upon stopping it if this has occurred for long periods at high doses (say like nicotine or alcohol addiction in this case pot smoking) the brain needs it to function in the way it has been during the addiction. Suddenly stop then bam in some cases the brain will function in a severly altered manner ie short term or long term mental changes. Like short term insomnia, dreaming differences and even phsycosis or schizophrenia.

So is it physical or phsycological addiction here? Maybe we are oversimplyfying the issue by labeling addiction/withdrawal issues as either physical or phsycological because after all THC is a physical molecule just as the brain is a physical organ.

Withdrawing from pot/THC wont cause the brain to stop functioning and wont directly kill you but, because the brain is the only organ becoming dependant on it, but does that mean it is all only psycological or all in the mind?

 

[UnSquare]

...schizophrenia.

Can you cite?

PEACE
UnS

 

[swilow]

8(

Sounds like the problem was you and not the weed then

I think that is the point though lacey. Weed can cause significant problems when withdrawing, usually for people with other issues. People in this thread is implying that there is something actually wrong with experiencing mental disturbance, and trying to counter-act it with weed, and unfortunately magnifying the original issue. Whilst there certainly is something not so good about that sort of behaviour, I don't suspect its that rare on Bluelight.

 

[swilow]

2) physical addiction - bodys organs start to become dependant on the drug to function properly so upon sudden 'quitting' the organ/s will not function properly or shutdown so the body tells the brain hey I seriously need that shit.

Thats just not true. The brain is the place where addiction lies, in the receptor pathways. Not in the body as such. The addiction can of course manifest physically. I've never heard of psychosis from cannabis withdrawal; and there isn't much evidence to prove that a heavy smokers brain is----

actually I just fully read your post and I have no idea what your talkaing about.

 

[mcwally]

Thats just not true. The brain is the place where addiction lies, in the receptor pathways. Not in the body as such. The addiction can of course manifest physically. I've never heard of psychosis from cannabis withdrawal; and there isn't much evidence to prove that a heavy smokers brain is----

actually I just fully read your post and I have no idea what your talkaing about.

thats fine if you have no idea what im talking about so be it

your respone is exactly the type of discussion Im trying to get at, I dont proffess to have all the answers and I would suggest you dont either - you are essentially now saying that all addictions are psychological in terms of 'receptor pathways' in the brain but that the addiction can ofcourse manifest itself physically?? that doesnt particularly help

my general query is defining psychological addiction as opposed to physical addiction and hence also the withdrawal affects of each - while also stating that THC is a physical chemical that does affect the brain and therefore why do people dismiss cannabis withdrawal as only being mental like it is weakness of the mind rather than a physical/chemical craving for THC in their brain

 

[Flickme]

so many comments so i doubt mine will get read

but ofcourse marijuana withdrawal is worse than fucking cigarettes withdrawal.

 

[mcwally]

so many comments so i doubt mine will get read

but ofcourse marijuana withdrawal is worse than fucking cigarettes withdrawal.

lol blunt but exactly for u quitting pot is fkn hard as was for me, but meh ciggys smoked on and off heaps at variable levels of addiction and never had a prob with them

alot can come down to why people use pot, perhaps they can only get access to pot and not have the cash for other harder drugs, and so it is their drug if u like, u know stoners, and withrawing/quitting is very hard indeed

 

[merrygoround]

8(

Sounds like the problem was you and not the weed then


Or maybe "troll" would be the better response....

The problem was me? So i was the problem i got addicted to marijuana? Addictions only occur from substances that are addictive. Many addictions can cause death, as i'm sure your aware of, so to say that " i was the problem" only indicates your sheer lack of knowledge in this topic. Buddy if you've never beem addicted to pot, or anything, which it sounds like you haven't, then don't post stupid comments like the one you did.

And as for the whole "troll" thing? Mate, that just confirms to me that your thoughts and intentions are just FULL OF SHIT

 

[BadStart]

I've been a pack a day smoker and a heavy pot smoker for years now. I'd say I smoke anywhere from 3 to 7 half gram joints a day. I've tried to quit both many times. I've not managed to stay off weed for longer then 5 months and have managed to be ciggarette free for about 2 years (was putting tobacco in my joints the whole time tho!)

Ciggarettes are hard to quit thats just common knowledge. But most people think weed is a cakewalk. I am definetly living proof that weed is HARD to quit too! My problem is I like smoking it to much. I really start to miss my evening joint after a little while.

Cigarettes I could stay off of. I've quit so many times and every time I start again its always during an alcohol binge. A few nights in a row drinking turns me back into a full fledged smoker. I always go back to weed stone sober, I'll tell myself "Self, its been a few months... You can smoke a joint now you don't have to go back to being a pot head!" and its a downward spiral from there

I've just accepted that I'm a pot smoker. Happier that way.

 

[Beenhead]

I smoked a lot for 7 years straight and quit, no problem at all.

 

[dunwich]

I have experience both pot and nicotine withdrawal.

Nicotine withdrawal is way more pressing and much more of an obvious drug cessation response, such as feeling like you NEED nicotine.

Pot withdrawal isnt to acutely bad, but it might even be worse on ones life. When i first stopped pot after 5 years of being a stoner I couldnt concentrate for (4+) weeks. Nicotine withdrawal only gave me that for less than 1 week. I also was not puking and near-suicidal during nicotine withdrawal, but i was during pot withdrawal.

This study is stupid, since there are so few subjects, but I have to say i agree that pot withdrawal CAN be very bad if it actually presents itself. Nicotine withdrawal WILL be bad no matter what.

 

[groovywombat]

I usually spend my weed money on Newports. I've gone from an oz a week to a couple g's a week, all since i was touched by Newports. Took 4 years

 

[3 to the 3]

The tag line conclusion "Marijuana withdrawal as bad as withdrawal from cigarettes" doesn't seem to reflect what the lead investogator actually conculded:

“These results indicate that some marijuana users experience withdrawal effects when they try to quit, and that these effects should be considered by clinicians treating people with problems related to heavy marijuana use,”

NO SHIT.

Of course some people will get withdrawl symptoms. My guess is most users wouldn't compare quitting MJ with one of the most addicitive substances known.

"Vandrey recognizes that the small sample size is a limitation in this study"

As usual for MJ research, the tests are compromised by the small sample size anyway...

 

[Sabby]

Im currently in the process of 'quiting' pot, and so far aside from a little insomnia, I havent noticed any other withdrawl symptoms.

Ciggarettes, now that was a completely different story.

 

[burn out]

Im currently in the process of 'quiting' pot, and so far aside from a little insomnia, I havent noticed any other withdrawl symptoms.

Ciggarettes, now that was a completely different story.

how heavily and how long did you smoke pot for though? those are the key factors (plus your own body chemistry) which affect the out come here.

in my experience you have to be a pretty heavy pot smoker for a good while before physical withdrawal sets in. if you're only smoking a couple of times a day chances are you wont have much if any withdrawal. but if you stay high all day every day for years that's when you experience an unpleasant physical withdrawal. it's nothing too severe but it can make you feel pretty bad, to the point where eating is almost impossible.

 

[swilow]

thats fine if you have no idea what im talking about so be it

your respone is exactly the type of discussion Im trying to get at, I dont proffess to have all the answers and I would suggest you dont either - you are essentially now saying that all addictions are psychological in terms of 'receptor pathways' in the brain but that the addiction can ofcourse manifest itself physically?? that doesnt particularly help

my general query is defining psychological addiction as opposed to physical addiction and hence also the withdrawal affects of each - while also stating that THC is a physical chemical that does affect the brain and therefore why do people dismiss cannabis withdrawal as only being mental like it is weakness of the mind rather than a physical/chemical craving for THC in their brain

A brain addicted to opiates will stop/reduce producing natural endorphins, which, when the artificaial source is removed, make you withdraw ie. feel like shit due to the plethora of things that endorphins and counterparts are required for. THC is a weak agonist, and doesn't create a massive imbalance in endogenous neurotrasnmitters that takes a long time to correct.

I find weed unbelievably addictve; but I know that, for me, it is psychological. I feel upset and anxious when I have no pot, even if Im not gonna smoke that day, and usually get really wound up during the process of scoring. This has distinct and negative physical side effects- anxiety, nausea, sweating, anorexia, etc. These feelings are the same as when I quit pot against my will. Howver, when I tell myself I'm not going to smoke for three days and really mean it, I don't get any real symptoms, except extra clarity and extra stonedness when I smoke . The fact I can introduce 'marijuana-withdrawal' symptoms in myself makes me feel it is a psychologically based addiction, by and large. Weed is as addictve as you let it be. AFAIK THC doesn't replace the producuction of endo-canabinonoids as it is a partial agonist; leaving the brain to still do a fair bit of whatever the cannabinoid system does.

 

[swilow]

The problem was me? So i was the problem i got addicted to marijuana? Addictions only occur from substances that are addictive. Many addictions can cause death, as i'm sure your aware of, so to say that " i was the problem" only indicates your sheer lack of knowledge in this topic. Buddy if you've never beem addicted to pot, or anything, which it sounds like you haven't, then don't post stupid comments like the one you did.

And as for the whole "troll" thing? Mate, that just confirms to me that your thoughts and intentions are just FULL OF SHIT

Don't you realise that it is you that gets addicted; the drug doesn't get hooked on you, its the opposite....theres no shame in that though; a lot of people are addicted to things. The worst thing you could do is pretend its not happening though. I don't think that Lacey is saying anything deragatory, simply that suseptible individuals are more likely to get addicted. Therefore, it can be said that it is you that causes the 'problem'- after all, you are not forced to take the next hit? None of this, howver, negates any of the helplessness of addiction at all; its just a good thing to know that, if you caused the problem which 9/10 you did, then you can fix it. By you, I mean the generic 'you'.

 

[burn out]

A brain addicted to opiates will stop/reduce producing natural endorphins, which, when the artificaial source is removed, make you withdraw ie. feel like shit due to the plethora of things that endorphins and counterparts are required for. THC is a weak agonist, and doesn't create a massive imbalance in endogenous neurotrasnmitters that takes a long time to correct.

I find weed unbelievably addictve; but I know that, for me, it is psychological. I feel upset and anxious when I have no pot, even if Im not gonna smoke that day, and usually get really wound up during the process of scoring. This has distinct and negative physical side effects- anxiety, nausea, sweating, anorexia, etc. These feelings are the same as when I quit pot against my will. Howver, when I tell myself I'm not going to smoke for three days and really mean it, I don't get any real symptoms, except extra clarity and extra stonedness when I smoke . The fact I can introduce 'marijuana-withdrawal' symptoms in myself makes me feel it is a psychologically based addiction, by and large. Weed is as addictve as you let it be. AFAIK THC doesn't replace the producuction of endo-canabinonoids as it is a partial agonist; leaving the brain to still do a fair bit of whatever the cannabinoid system does.

thc replaces the production of endo-canabinoids enough to cause a mild physiological withdrawal syndrome. i know this because, like i said a few posts up, it takes a long time to get physically dependent. so i have experienced both the withdrawal when i was only psychologically dependent, as well as the withdrawal when i was both psychologically and physically dependent. the major difference is, when i was physically dependent i found it very difficult, if not impossible to eat without cannabis, because my body wasn't producing enough endo-cannabinoids to stimulate my apatite. when i was merely psychologically addicted, i had no problem eating without cannabis, i just craved smoking it really badly. the fact that the chemical dependency does exist needs to be recognized though, because there were times where i did not want to smoke weed but i HAD to smoke weed in order to sit down and eat dinner with my family. that wasn't psychological, i didn't even want to be high then. i HAD to be because i was chemically dependent enough on weed for it affect my apatite. now i'm not trying to say this is anywhere as bad as opiate withdrawal can be, i'm just saying it's bad enough that it should be clinically recognized, like the original article states.