Cannabis also known as marijuana, weed, pot or a thousand other names this drug seems to have can be highly addictive to some people who struggle to stop smoking cannabis. How to stop smoking cannabis in this situation relies on an understanding of marijuana and its effects on your mind and body. Only then will you be able to feel the benefits of quitting smoking cannabis and be able to stay off weed and not relapse into your addiction.
Firstly we must understand there are some misconceptions about cannabis addiction that lead to people trying to quite smoking pot in the wrong way and can also lead to pro-marijuana users ridiculing the idea of addiction which is unhelpful to everyone involved.
Cannabis is not physically addictive
Many studies have shown that smoking marijuana is not like smoking cigarettes where the chemicals (nicotine) make you physically dependent on the drugs and when starved of it you suffer cravings that drive you to smoke again to be free of the effects. This does not mean stopping smoking cannabis does not come with its set of cravings but they are generally of a different kind.
Cannabis Withdrawals
Suffering from cannabis withdrawals is common when giving up smoking weed but any physical cravings are very mild but can include:
- Vivid dreams – I am not sure what causes these but many people coming off cannabis usage often find their dreams very vivid and sometimes scary This may have something to do with the chemical THC that stays in your system for weeks after you stop smoking and how it interacts with your brain.
- Anxiety – Feelings of paranoia and tension can be heightened while you are working the chemicals out of your system.
- Insomnia – Some people have reported that it becomes difficult to sleep which again may be related to your body readjusting.
These symptoms pass in time and are usually nothing like the terrible effects of quitting cigarettes, the real cravings come from your psychological dependence on the drug which has to do with your wanting it not physically needing it!
Psychological Dependence
A psychological dependence is when you feel you need to smoke cannabis in the forms of joints, bongs or however you choose because you feel you need it. This gets confusing and sometimes you may not know why exactly you feel you must smoke but for most people it is because it has become a habit to smoke to escape something in your own life. From escaping abuse, poverty, mental illness, depression or just from being bored and unmotivated you can fall victim to smoking weed because you need an escape from your reality and the high you get is a short term relief that makes things bearable for a while. This is not a long term solution though and the continued smoking often makes this worse and solves nothing leading a spiraling pit of depression, anger and even more dependence on cannabis to get through it all.
How to stop smoking cannabis then? The first step is understanding what you have just read and locate WHY you choose to use marijuana. Only from there can you hope to take action to quit the drug and gain the benefits of clearer thinking, more time in your life to change things and more money to make it happen too!