How to Quit Weed / Marijuana
How to Quit Weed
This article is about how to quit smoking
weed or marijuana, with reasons to quit, what to expect,
and two methods: the cold turkey method and the tier
method.
Reasons to Quit
Marijuana abuse and marijuana
addiction, as with any substance abuse, can have
detrimental effects to the livelihood of an individual.
Abusers can suffer from:
- physical health problems
- psychological health problems
- problems with their job, family, and all other cooperative
aspects of life
Any sort of marijuana use can have a negative effect, and if you
or a loved one is suffering from marijuana addiction, please
inquire with a marijuana addiction rehab
center from our directory.
What to Expect
Like with any addiction recovery and detox, breaking the bonds
of dependence can be extremely difficult.
Whether marijuana is physically addictive as well as
psychologically addictive is a moot point, according to Alan I.
Leshner, Ph.D. and Director of the National Institute of Drug
Abuse.
"Twenty years of scientific research,
coupled with even longer clinical experience, has taught us that
focusing on this physical vs. psychological distinction is off the
mark, and a distraction from the real issue. From both clinical and
policy perspectives, it does not matter much what physical
withdrawal symptoms occur," Alan writes in his article "The Essence
of Drug Addiction".
Another study annotated by the National Institude on Drug Abuse,
"Marijuana abstinence effects in marijuana smokers maintained in
their home environment," states that "withdrawal from marijuana
produces identifiable behavioral and emotional
distress that may be as important as, if not more
important than, physical symptoms in the development of dependence
and undermining attempts to quit using the drug".
As such, the real concern, as Alan states, is "the essence of
addiction: uncontrollable, compulsive drug seeking and
use, even in the face of negative health and social
consequences".
If you are addicted and want to know how to quit weed /
marijuana, you can expect to suffer from the urges to use marijuana
which may feel uncontrollable. The withdrawal symptoms from
marijuana pale in comparision to the addictive and dependent
behavior patterns that a user must break to quit weed and marijuana
use.
Help from loved ones, friends, and others, along with a
determined attitude will help combat and break these detrimental
patterns.
The Cold Turkey Method
Often called "quitting cold turkey", with this
method, a user completely stops the use of weed / marijuana or any
drug, facing the withdrawal sympthoms head on. Because
marijuana addiction is more emotional and behavioral than phsyical
or psychological, an individual quitting weed use through the cold
turkey method is best fit to change their regular behaviors to
avoid situations in which marijuana would be consumed.
This means changing
relationships where destructive abuse is encouraged, even changing
locations and jobs if those places facilitate a relapse. The
most important part of quitting weed cold turkey is separation from
the substance.
An easy way to distance and cut ties to marijuana is to visit or
contact a local marijuana addiction rehab
center for treatment or advice.
The Tier Method
The tier method simply involves slowly decreasing the amount and
frequency of marijuana consumption until no more use occurs.
If you or a loved one has tried the cold turkey method and failed,
try the tier method.
Begin the tier method by keeping the frequency of consumption
the same but cutting the amount consumed by half. If the
change is too dramatic, begin with 3/4ths and work to 1/2.
Then slow the frequency of use down by 50%. Continue with this
until comfortable.
Then cut quantity down again by 1/2, then frequency by 50%, and
so on until the marginal and infrequent use slows to a halt.
Summary
Learning how to quit weed and marijuana abuse is the first step
towards breaking the behavioral pattern of addiction.
Quitting weed by either the cold turkey method or the tier method
or visiting a marijuana addiction rehab
center is a smart decision toward a brighter future.
Resources:
- http://www.drugabuse.gov/PDF/InfoFacts/Marijuana08.pdf
- The Essence of Drug Addiction by Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D. -
http://www.nida.nih.gov/Published_Articles/Essence.html
-
http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_notes/NNVol17N3/Demonstrates.html
