Drug Addiction - Marijuana

Marijuana addiction is an uncontrollable urge to possess and use the drug. Marijuana (also known as "pot," "weed," "ganja," or a host of other names), is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves derived from the hemp plant Cannabis Sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol; THC for short. Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (joint) or in a pipe. Those with marijuana addiction are not able to stop using the drug even if they wish. Often a person with marijuana addiction will make continuous excuses about why now is not a good time to stop using the drug. Such people are not alone. Marijuana addiction is a disease that affects millions of people every year. The drug marijuana affects people in different ways, but in the case of long term use, an addiction to the drug is common. Experience has shown us that quite often marijuana is used as a gateway drug to drugs. A person who smokes marijuana repeatedly will very likely experiment with other chemical substances that are much more destructive and addictive.

There is a good reason why admission to rehabilitation facilities has doubled for marijuana addiction. The potency of the drug continues to get more powerful and studies show that teens can get a hold of marijuana often easier than alcohol. Even those who seek treatment for addictions to drugs that are perceived as "harder" like heroin or cocaine will often acknowledge that marijuana is their primary drug of choice.Marijuana addiction has the same characteristics as any other addiction to other drugs .The frequent obsession with the drug, thinking about it all the time, indicates a drug addiction to marijuana. Another trait of marijuana addiction is the physical craving that comes when the body adapts to the drug and begins to develop a tolerance to it. Anyone who has been smoking marijuana for awhile can tell that they must smoke more now to feel the same effect that just a few hits used to produce. It's not about the quality of the weed; it's the body's defense mechanism as it readjusts to keep balance with the frequent supply of new chemicals being delivered by the pot. In a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance; however, the effects of even a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than for either drug alone. Marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization - a loss of the sense of personal identity, or self-recognition. Although the specific causes of these symptoms remain unknown, they appear to occur more frequently when a high dose of cannabis is consumed in food or drink rather than smoked.

Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction; that is, compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite its known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school, work, and recreational activities. Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which make it difficult to quit. This withdrawal can last up to 3 weeks following drug cessation. The psychological dependence can take significantly longer to overcome, and for this reason, a drug treatment program for marijuana addiction is recommended by experts in the field of addiction.

Below is a list of questions, if answered honestly will help determine if an addiction to Marijuana is present in an individual:

Do you often feel like you need to cut back on your use? Or, do you sometimes try to moderate your use (or quit using) and fail? Does your marijuana habit take up a lot of time, whether it is time spent using, recovering from use, trying to score or getting money to score? Has your use of marijuana caused you to quit or reduce your involvement in any work, recreational or social activity that used to be important to you? Do you keep smoking even after realizing that your use of marijuana is harmful on many levels?

When you stop using marijuana do you feel withdrawal symptoms? Or, do you take another substance (alcohol, cocaine, opiates, etc.) to keep from feeling marijuana withdrawal symptoms? If you have answered yes to at least one of the questions, marijuana addiction has already negatively impacted some important aspect of your life. Admitting that you have a problem is the first step towards recovery, committing to a drug treatment program should be the next.