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Marijuana addiction is real, and rising

denverpost.com

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Re: Marijuana addiction is real, and rising

#31

Post by mrbgty »

dev_420 wrote: post #6

Throwaway because obviously the stigma. But yes, it's very real. I am addicted to marijuana. I smoke nearly 3 grams a day; what has become a $1000+/month habit. I've always loved weed but the high salary has allowed me to lose control. I can't sleep or eat without it. Within 24 hours without weed I become an intolerable asshole who cannot eat or sleep. When I do sleep without it, it's full of nightmares and I wake up…

If you haven't seen this, I recommend watching it as it explains the nightmares.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwaWilO_Pig

Re: Marijuana addiction is real, and rising

#32

Post by hsienmaneja »

chimeracoder wrote: post #26
hsienmaneja wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That you experience significant physical withdrawal symptoms from marijuana certainty calls into question the street wisdom that pot isn’t (physically) addicting.

> certainty calls into question the street wisdom that pot isn’t (physically) addicting. This isn't "street wisdom"; there's a massive body of clinical research that's gone into marijuana and investigating its effects on the body and brain. Marijuana is one of the most-studied drugs in existence, far more so than most prescription medication on the market.

Actually, the notion that pot isn’t addictive is the street wisdom, or was when I was growing up. This is in contradiction to the reality.

Re: Marijuana addiction is real, and rising

#33

Post by boomboomsubban »

hsienmaneja wrote: post #19
dev_420 wrote: post #6

Throwaway because obviously the stigma. But yes, it's very real. I am addicted to marijuana. I smoke nearly 3 grams a day; what has become a $1000+/month habit. I've always loved weed but the high salary has allowed me to lose control. I can't sleep or eat without it. Within 24 hours without weed I become an intolerable asshole who cannot eat or sleep. When I do sleep without it, it's full of nightmares and I wake up…

That you experience significant physical withdrawal symptoms from marijuana certainty calls into question the street wisdom that pot isn’t (physically) addicting.

Or it's a combination of mental addiction and the placebo effect. The ritual has become such an important part of their life, that when they remove it their anxiety causes a physical reaction based on their concept of withdrawl.

Re: Marijuana addiction is real, and rising

#34

Post by zolthrowaway »

dev_420 wrote: post #6

Throwaway because obviously the stigma. But yes, it's very real. I am addicted to marijuana. I smoke nearly 3 grams a day; what has become a $1000+/month habit. I've always loved weed but the high salary has allowed me to lose control. I can't sleep or eat without it. Within 24 hours without weed I become an intolerable asshole who cannot eat or sleep. When I do sleep without it, it's full of nightmares and I wake up…

I was able to quit after like a 5+ year pretty excessive habit. There were three steps that really helped me. 1) I removed all accessories from my home. I sold/gave away all of my pipes, vapes, e-nails, etc. 2) I started taking nootropics. For me personally, l-theanine, caffeine, and a multivitamin did wonders. Even if it's placebo (which I don't think it is) it really helped mitigate the appetite and fogginess issues for me. 3) Telling my friends I'm not smoking anymore. I established that I'm not smoking. A lot of them initially tried to get me to smoke. It's something they enjoy and I used to enjoy. I had to explain how I felt. The real friends stayed and others flaked out which is totally fine with me.

I do certainly understand the psychological addiction. It takes a toll. I definitely have unhealthy vices I'd like to cut back on, but for me personally, the steps above were enough to take me from waking up in the middle of the night to rip dabs to being totally sober. If you are interested in quitting, I would honestly recommend giving the above steps a try.

Re: Marijuana addiction is real, and rising

#35

Post by lightbyte »

Baeocystin wrote: post #24
hsienmaneja wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That you experience significant physical withdrawal symptoms from marijuana certainty calls into question the street wisdom that pot isn’t (physically) addicting.

There is one important difference: withdrawal from something like alcohol can actually kill you. Withdrawal from marijuana makes you an irritable asshole for a week or two. The hardest part is understanding and coping with the issue that drives the user to use marijuana so heavily in the first place. If it can be understood what need the marijuana use is providing for, changing use patterns becomes possible.

>withdrawal from opiates ... can actually kill you

Opioid withdrawal is actually not fatal at all barring potential dehydration from excessive diarrhea/vomiting.

Re: Marijuana addiction is real, and rising

#38

Post by fhood »

ggggtez wrote: post #28
dev_420 wrote: post #6

Throwaway because obviously the stigma. But yes, it's very real. I am addicted to marijuana. I smoke nearly 3 grams a day; what has become a $1000+/month habit. I've always loved weed but the high salary has allowed me to lose control. I can't sleep or eat without it. Within 24 hours without weed I become an intolerable asshole who cannot eat or sleep. When I do sleep without it, it's full of nightmares and I wake up…

>Within 24 hours without weed I become an intolerable asshole I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest the underlying problem might not be the weed.

If the implication here is that the intolerable asshole part is a personality problem, that doesn't seem like a fair accusation. Caffeine and sugar withdrawal cause much the same symptoms. It is hard to be nice when you have a headache and feel crappy.

Re: Marijuana addiction is real, and rising

#39

Post by Baeocystin »

hsienmaneja wrote: post #29
Baeocystin wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is one important difference: withdrawal from something like alcohol can actually kill you. Withdrawal from marijuana makes you an irritable asshole for a week or two. The hardest part is understanding and coping with the issue that drives the user to use marijuana so heavily in the first place. If it can be understood what need the marijuana use is providing for, changing use patterns becomes possible.

Pot destroys lives in part by being so apparently benign.

Whatever problems drive a person to use pot as a crutch are the source issue. Pot abuse itself (or any maladaptive behavior) is best thought of as a symptom, not a cause.

Re: Marijuana addiction is real, and rising

#40

Post by mediocrejoker »

In that entire article, the only definition of 'marijuana addiction' is a single sentence, and one that requires further clarification:

> But in the public health and medical communities, it is a well-defined disorder that includes physical withdrawal symptoms, cravings and psychological dependence.

Does anyone know what the specific criteria are for diagnosis? The rest of the article seems to be quotes from various people stating without evidence "Yes, marijuana addiction is real"

I'm not saying it's not real, but nothing in this article provides any evidence that it is.

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