Nov 16, 2009
Addiction to Marijuana: What’s It Like?
Drug addiction is a topic that gets a lot of attention, but marijuana addiction is usually not put in the same class as other drugs. There are good reasons for this, but one effect is that the idea that marijuana is not addictive is often taken granted. The fact is that there are users – even if it is a small amount compared to the overall amount of users – who do get addicted to marijuana.
Have you ever wanted to know what the addict experiences from his addiction? What about the withdrawal? Let’s discuss some commonalities reported by the users themselves.
The most universal of all addiction withdrawal symptoms is a generally feeling of anxiety without the drug. The description of this takes many forms; maybe it means the user feels nervous, or feels a bit upset and has no specific reason to be so. It could be that they easily snap at others and find themselves very irritable. Marijuana addiction is no different. Those who are quitting will find this to be a symptom they can count on coming, and lasting for many days, depending on how heavy their addiction is.
Other side effects reported are the inability to sleep properly, having nightmares, insomnia, and even over sleeping. People report feeling flu-like symptoms causing them to shake with cold yet feel very hot at the same time. It’s also common to feel upset or depressed.
On top of all this is the presence of an intense desire to use again. And this is the essence of addiction: an near overwhelming impulse to go and acquire the drug, and use again, despite the intention to do the exact opposite. Making it out through the withdrawal experience and past the initially overly strong desire to use again is the hardest part.
The good news is users report that after anywhere from just few days up to one or even two weeks, all these symptoms will recede into the background of everyday life and eventually go away entirely. That is, perhaps, with the exception of the desire to use again. Controlling that impulse is key to controlling addiction in the long run – which is a whole other subject!
