Marijuana Addiction: Effects, Signs and Rehab Treatment

how to help someone with marijuana addiction

Seeking assistance and making positive changes in your life are steps towards a healthier, happier future. Your loved one’s recovery from drug addiction can be a long process and the negative impact on your own health, outlook, and well-being can multiply over time. It’s important you maintain a balance in your life to avoid burnout from all the stress and frustration that comes from helping someone get clean. Witnessing someone you care about battle a substance use disorder can be extremely distressing and take a heavy toll on your own mental and emotional well-being. Whether the drug abuser is a close friend, spouse, parent, child, or other family member, it’s easy for their addiction to take over your life. It can pile stress upon stress, test your patience, strain your bank balance, and leave you racked by feelings of guilt, shame, anger, fear, frustration, and sadness.

Communicate with the Person Addicted to Cannabis

Most drugs — even nicotine — are extremely difficult to quit using. While marijuana does not have the same physical addiction other drugs do, there is a psychological addiction that can be just as strong. Getting your loved one to quit smoking weed becomes even more challenging when he or she believes there’s no harm in using. More people than ever hold the opinion that marijuana is tolerable or acceptable. Marijuana is legal recreationally https://ecosoberhouse.com/ in 18 states (approximately 36% of the country) and medicinally 36 states (72% of the country) which has ultimately resulted in a widespread public acceptance.

how to help someone with marijuana addiction

Top 10 Warning Signs of Fentanyl Addiction

  • You can also speak with the person you love, whose marijuana use has become problematic, to let them know you’re concerned for them and their substance use.
  • Depending on the type of drug they’re abusing, they may also exhibit frequent sniffing, nosebleeds, or shaking.
  • Heavy drug users often lose interest in old hobbies, lack energy, and become more moody, withdrawn, and sad.
  • The outcome will be the mutual reward of nurturing a new and healthy relationship.
  • These challenges highlight the far-reaching negative consequences of marijuana addiction, and the importance of early intervention and treatment.
  • Many people believe in recovery as it helps find renewed purpose, improved relationships, and a life free from the chains of addiction.

Enabling can include helping with rent, buying them food, providing babysitting services, or making excuses for them to relatives, friends, employers, etc. Remember that addiction is a sickness and do not fall into a routine of helping them buy more drugs. Letting your loved one experience the natural consequences of their use may help them see the need for treatment. Topsail offers personalized addiction treatment programs for individuals struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, aiming to provide effective solutions and support. Remember, your unwavering support and belief in your loved one’s ability to overcome marijuana addiction can be a powerful force in their weed recovery journey. In addition to the heavy emotional costs, money problems can also mount for families of drug abusers.

Quitting Cold Turkey: Tips to Quitting

Some common symptoms of withdrawal include irritability, insomnia, and decreased appetite. Understanding this bumpy ride will help you support your loved one as they face these challenges. Over time, heavy marijuana smoking can impact a person’s life, like a snowball rolling down a hill, gathering size and speed.

how to help someone with marijuana addiction

Many people believe in recovery as it helps find renewed purpose, improved relationships, and a life free from the chains of addiction. By emphasizing these potential outcomes, you can help instill hope in your loved one. Opening the lines of communication with someone you know struggling with weed addiction is the first step toward helping them.

This is a very common tactic used (both consciously and unconsciously) by the addict to get what they wants by taking advantage of the emotions of those closest to them. As the addict approaches their bottom and their disease worsens, family members and friends have a tendency to enable the addict, allowing them to postpone the ultimate repercussions of their using. Understandably, loved ones try to ease the suffering the addict may be feeling because of loyalty, love, caring, and a sense of responsibility. Family and friends may give money (which likely goes to buying more marijuana), buy food, pay rent and bills, bail them out of jail, etc. By trying to save the addict from him or herself, you are doing both yourself and the addict a disservice. Members of MA collectively support each other as peers, sponsors, and friends.

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As an addiction expert and recovery coach, I have seen firsthand the devastating effects of marijuana addiction on individuals and their families. There is weed addictive are times when the stress of helping a loved one through addiction becomes too much. If you find yourself feeling constantly anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed, it may be time to seek professional help. Denial is a common defense mechanism for people struggling with addiction.

Whether your loved one is struggling to quit or doesn’t recognize their addiction yet, you’re already taking a vital first step by seeking to understand how to help. This guide will walk you through how to provide support, approach the subject of addiction, and ensure you’re making the best choices for your—and your—well-being. Trying to quit on your own is possible, but it can be challenging without the accountability, support, and guidance of professional treatment. To quit smoking marijuana, you may benefit from the supervision and care provided through Sobriety a marijuana addiction treatment program. Helping a loved one with marijuana addiction is a challenging, emotional journey, but you don’t have to face it alone. By understanding the nature of addiction, approaching the subject with compassion, seeking professional help when necessary, and setting healthy boundaries, you can guide your loved one toward recovery.

Identifying these triggers and finding ways to avoid or cope with them can help you be more successful. For most people discontinuing their marijuana use, withdrawal symptoms will usually last for around one to two weeks. However, some people may continue to experience these symptoms for several weeks or even months, a phenomenon known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). Rula’s editorial team is on a mission to make science-backed mental health insights accessible and practical for every person seeking to better understand or improve mental wellness. You deserve support, whether that’s connecting with friends and family or others who might be in the same situation.

how to help someone with marijuana addiction

Simple Promise does not staff licensed therapists or medical providers on site, according to The New York Times, which spoke with the program’s founder, Brandon Guinn. While weed might offer temporary respite from some conditions, the long-term risks could outweigh these short-lived gains. Tracking how much cash you’re spending on weed can provide a shocking insight into the financial impact of your habit. Avoid trying to lecture, threaten, bribe, or punish the person. Getting angry or making emotional appeals will likely only add to the user’s feelings of guilt and reinforce their compulsion to use.