Cannabis Addiction

Executive Director of Narconon Arrowhead Gary W. Smith reports, ‘Although the number of people coming to us who are abusing pot is a smaller percentage of our total clientele, in the 30 years I have been in the drug rehabilitation field I have not seen these numbers of individuals literally hooked on marijuana and unable to stop on their own. We’ve known for a long time that marijuana use can lead to other drugs but it is shocking to see people whose lives are being destroyed by smoking pot just like others we are treating who are addicted to crack or alcohol. I believe this is happening because the strength of the pot that is being smoked today is probably ten times stronger than the pot of 20 years ago.’

In researching for an effective rehab facility for yourself or a loved one there are several factors that should be taken into consideration. Long-term facilities are statistically shown to produce more lasting results. There are a myriad of issues to handle in most addiction cases and is not achieved overnight. A drug free facility is another vital factor. Some initial medication may be called for in the withdrawal process as withdraw from many substances can be life threatening if the individual is not weaned of the drug or alcohol properly. Another important factor is a full and complete handling of the cravings, and feelings of guilt and depression resulting from addiction. Failure to fully handle these three factors is the number one reasons behind relapse or continued use following treatment.

Generally speaking a clinic is a medical facility (usually out-patient) which specializes in a particular condition or area of medicine. A drug rehab clinic would be a medical facility that more often than not offers services directed at the cessation of drug or alcohol use. This is an important part of addiction recovery but is far from the entire story. Many drug rehab clinics use other drugs and medications in an attempt to handle the drug the individual is having problems with i.e. methadone clinics, etc. While it is sometimes medically necessary to wean a person off of their drugs of addiction or alcohol with the use of medication it is the minority of cases. This of course would need to be decided by competent medical professionals and professional medical advice should be heeded. Long term use of replacement drugs or medications is not the answer to creating drug free productive lives.

Addiction is a chronic, relapsing condition, characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and drug use which is accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. In addition to being addicted to methamphetamine, chronic methamphetamine abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions. The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts. With chronic use, tolerance for methamphetamine can develop. Users may take higher doses of the drug, take it more frequently, or change their method of drug intake. In some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours over several days until the user runs out of the drug or is too disorganized to continue. Chronic abuse can lead to psychotic behavior, characterized by intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that can be coupled with extremely violent behavior.

Addictions can be classified by a condition of repeated and compulsive seeking and use of drugs, alcohol, or other similar substances despite adverse social, mental, and physical consequences. Addictions is probably a more correct use of the term addiction as most individuals entering addiction treatment generally have more than one substance of abuse, beyond their primary one. The strength, potency, and wide types of drugs and substances on the scene today make these addictions the plague of the modern world. There are only three possible outcomes for these addictions; jail, death, or sobriety, ultimately the addict must choose.