I thought marijuana wasn't addictive?

Question

I have a friend who just confessed to me that she's an addict. She says she smokes pot everyday and can't quit. I've always heard it's not addictive. She's 40 years old and says she's been getting high almost daily for 15 years. Could she have built up an addiction?

She sounds serious about wanting to quit, but she doesn't know where to start. She has a family who isn't even aware she has a problem (I would have never guessed). What sould she do?

Answer 1

Marijuana is psychologically addictive and that may feel just as bad as someone physically addicted to a drug such as a person who is addicted to heroin, alcohol or prescription pain killers or tranquilizers.  The good news is that the first step to getting help is admitting the problem which can be half the battle and thankfully she realizes that she is unable to stop without the extra help.  

There is a free 12-step support group (though Not in place of professional help) called Marijuana Anonymous which is based on the philosophy and principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).  The only requirement is that the person has admitted that they have a problem and would like to get sober.  It would be even more beneficial for her recovery, to look into outpatient treatment especially since she's been using pot for such a long period of time.  If she doesn't have health insurance, some programs have county and/or state funding available.  Those types of programs may be listed in the county yellow pages under 'drugs', 'alcohol' or 'rehabilitation'.  The local hospital(s) may have a program too.

Marijuana Anomyous:  http://www.marijuana-anonymous.org

Narcotics Anonymous (NA):  http://www.na.org (Some say that NA is slightly more rigid than AA, just fyi :)

AA:  http://www.aa.org  (Those without an alcohol problem can attend an "open" meeting which is for anyone including relatives, friends and college students.)

A support group for the relatives and friends of the drug user is called Nar-anon.  Another similar group is called Al-anon which is mainly for those the family and friends of alcoholics though one may attend an "open" meeting if the person doesn't have a drinking problem.  Nar-anon:  http://www.nar-anon.org  and/or Al-Anon:  http://www.al-anon.alateen.org

Answer 2

There are two different types of addiction, physical and mental.  The physical addiction of marijuana is 0, meaning if you stop cold turkey you wont die like you can from stopping alcohol or benzodiazapines.  Althought fatality in stopping something isnt the only factor in physical addiction, marijuana is not something the body needs to keep it going and stopping doesn't cause the body to do much more than it did before smoking.

Now mentally addicting.. YES!!!  Very much so, it has a sedative effect that some people crave for mental well being.  It has a strong mental addiction, (ie I cant cope with my mother in law without hitting this joint first)  And for some, the mental addiction and or habit of something can be stronger and many times is, than physically addictive.

Answer 3

It's a habit, not an addiction. If she were to stop, her body would not shut down/have withdrawals. It's all a mental thing, will power. When you get used to doing something all the time for years & years, it's hard to stop, whatever it may be.

Answer 4

Just because things are not CHEMICALLY addictive, things are very often PHYSICALLY addictive. If you do something every day for 15 years it may be come "norm" to you and very difficult to change that pattern. This goes for pretty much anything, not just "drugs". As for what she should do, I'm not sure anyone here has answered that question. And I do not know what to suggest either other than good luck to your friend. Maybe tell her to find other things to replace this addiction? Pick up another hobby to replace the time she would normally have spent smoking?

Answer 5

I'm addicted to........ baby aspirin, I just can't go through the day without it. I've been popping them since I was 3 years old.

Answer 6

I had no problem at all quitting. It's not addictive! It's so annoying that people say that. I smoked it for 4 years and had to quit. The only thing, was that I missed it. I MISSED it. Huge difference from someone who has to go to meetings, rehab and detox.

-Edit-

I can't believe someone actually gave Shyla D a thumbs down! That IS the best answer. Short, simple, and right on the money.

Answer 7

Okay, well I won't argue that marijuana is as addictive as something like alcohol and cocaine, but it can definitely be highly addictive; especially after such a long period of time and if heavily used.

Whoever says it's just a mental addiction and not physical is WRONG. It just takes longer to get withdrawals because THC (chemical in marijuana) stays in your fat cells and take s a long time to completely leave. Just because some people say they didn't get addicted, doesn't mean anything. Some people just don't have stronger reasons for it's use or addictive personalities that others do.

More and more studies are finding that marijuana has addictive properties. Both animal and human studies show physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms from marijuana, including irritability, restlessness, insomnia, nausea and intense dreams. Tolerance to marijuana also builds up rapidly. Heavy users need 8 times higher doses to get the same effects as infrequent users.

A lot of people become reliant on it; they find it hard to be happy without it.

The extent of a marijuana addiction - like any addiction - depends on how addictive a person's personality is; some people are just way more easily addicted to things than others.

It's unbelievably hard to quit after using it casually for so many years. When a person gets accustomed to using it casually, it's like part of their daily routine.

One of the hardest reasons to quit is that usually if you smoke marijana... so do a lot of your friends! Most often, it's like this sub-culture of heavy and destructive users that don't have as many connections to the outside world.

Now, to help your friend:

First, she needs to figure out the reason (s) she smokes it in the first place. For example, some people smoke it to relax. If that's the case, there are other better ways to relax. Once she identifies the reason (s) why, then she can look at alternatives to smoking marijuana.

Remember: This is a HUGE change for your friend.

It helps to change other things in your life when quitting. Things like: telling old friends (especially the ones that smoke it) that you are quitting, changing your diet to include healthy food, setting new routines (like excersise), and working hard to meet new people. The last suggestion is highly important. Getting a new hobby is a great idea too. The busier she is, the less time she has to think about it.

Your friend must do her best to completely avoid situations where people are likely to smoke it.

If someone does end up smoking it in front of her, she must escape and go for a walk or something to get it off her mind! Otherwise she could easily forget all about her quest to give up.

She needs someone there to listen to her talk about her lifestyle changes. If she does good, then she should reward herself. A good idea for this is to estimate how much she spends on marijuana in a week (or month), and buy herself a gift at the end of every week she is successful that costs around the same amount (no more expensive).

In order to be more successful, she must remove ALL of the things in her house that could remind her of marijuana. And she must be careful not to replace it with lots of cigarettes or alcohol or anything. With all this cleared out of her house, she can't smoke it even if she wants to.

Some people say that it's easier to quit by cutting back a little at a time. I say no: it's easier to quit it all at once! Out of sight, out of mind you know? It could take YEARS to quit if she cuts back a little at a time and her chances of being successful won't be as good. The first month of quitting won't be so bad because the THC takes a long time to leave your body, but after that is when withdrawal starts. During this time, it is important for her to see as many friends that are non-smokers -or that won't remind her of it- to be around her to distract her, and to focus on new hobbies and alternatives to the reasons why she used to smoke it.

The best thing for anyone that wants to quit... is to see friends that don't smoke it as often as possible. They will distract her from it. Let her know that if she has the urge to smoke it and she isn't able to help herself, that she can call you or you will come to see her and distract her, take her out somewhere maybe (movies?) until it has passed.

She will probably feel miserable from quitting for a while, but it will pass and she can overcome it; it's not impossible, many people before her have been successful. After quitting for a longer period of time, she will no longer feel the need to smoke it anymore.

Just make sure she keeps herself busy!

She's making a good choice by quitting. I wish her the best of luck :)

Answer 8

Marijuana is not physically addictive. It can be mentally addictive, however.

Answer 9

You can be psychologically addicted, but it's not physically addictive.

Answer 10

Its not physically addictive as far as I know, but you can be psychologically addicted to it and it can be really really hard to stop.

She could try asking her doctor for a referral to someone who specializes in this, like an addiction counselor or something? Or maybe a support group like Narcotics Anonymous (NOT Narconon, which is run by the Scientologists and has deceptively similar name).

NA is basically along the same lines as Alcoholics Anonymous, they have meetings across the country and also online meetings I think.

http://www.na.org/

http://portaltools.na.org/portaltools/Me...

Answer 11

have her sign up for rehab if it is getting to a point of severe seriousness.

Answer 12

It can be psychologically addictive, but so can things like coffee and chocolate. She can definitely break her addiction. It's good that she actually wants to quit, some people have problems overcoming addiction because they don't actually want to quit. I would say start by reducing the amount she smokes everyday. Smoke less times a day, have her set a limit on how often she smokes (e.g. once at night before bed), and stick to it, unless reduced. Also she should try to stay busy because boredom can make you want to smoke more. Tell her to stay distracted by doing anything, whether its going to the beach or river, running errands, taking the dog for a walk, exercising, gardening or yard work, or going somewhere with friends.  

Answer 13

Of course its addicting..you can be addicted to anything.............IM ADDICTED TO CHOCOLATE........you have to give her the facts show her how shes ruining her life...how her self image is slacking..GET HER HELP...or u can put her in REHAB

Answer 14

It isnt physically addictive like other drugs that are man made, but the problem becomes a dependant more than an addiction. If you smoke this stuff every day for 15 years straight that makes you relax and feel good, of course you are not going to want to stop because its the first thing you are going to think about when you get home. if she really wants to stop when she does shes not going to start shaking and getting sick, but mentally she will be unhappy for a little while until she gets use to it.

So to answer your question. No it is not "addictive" like cocaine and booze, but more mentally addicting like love and pizza! hah

;)

BEST ANSWER !!

Answer 15

Any type of drug becomes addictive if taken or smoked on a regular basis and in sufficient quantities, and in the UK marijuana is a class B drug, and possession is illegal.

Answer 16

I don't know but obviously she shouldn't smoke it or she will end up typing like gnasty.

Answer 17

Yes it is addictive.  

However, just because it's addictive doesn't mean that it's completely impossible to get off of.  Marijuana is a psychologically addicting drug.  This means that if you've been smoking for a while, your mind is going to get used to it and want more.  It is possible to kick the habit though.  I know people who've smoked for years and have just stopped.  You need a lot of mental control though, just like quitting cigarettes.

There are other drugs that are physically addictive though.  A good example of this is heroin.  If you've been doing heroin for a while and just immediately stop, you'll go into withdrawal and your body will start going crazy.  You'll start throwing up, and your body will feel HORRIBLE since it's been used to the heroin for so long.

So as far as this goes, marijuana is a psychologically addictive drug, and not a physically addictive drug.  

Answer 18

Well you klnwo what chocolate isnt addictive either but i cant stop eating that now can i?

Answer 19

LMAO not addictive deffently not iv been smokein for  avery long time an di quite and im not feenin for more if u like the feeling and like it yes you will want it but if you want to quite you wont b scratchin ur neck and beggin people for some