Marijuana Dependency

Marijuana is an ancient drug that is still highly-prevalent and available today. When taken, it produces intense feelings of euphoria, relaxation and drowsiness which are desirable and can become quickly habit-forming. Users take the drug, which is derived from the dried leaves and flowers of the Cannabis sativa plant, by smoking these components and inhaling the intoxicants.

While the drug contains many psychoactive chemicals, the most prominent of those it contains is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, and the amount of THC in the marijuana being used determines the intensity of the high a user will have. When users consume marijuana instead of smoking it, they can quickly increase the amounts of the intoxicants they receive, intensifying their high and the medical dangers associated with the drug.

The wide availability of the drug — increased by its legality in several states — make abuse a major problem, and while the drug does have legitimate medical uses, specifically to manage pain, it also can produce many unwanted and severe adverse side effects which can be devastating, especially taken with other drugs. Marijuana, widely available to school-age children, can also serve as a gateway drug. A marijuana dependency will always require medical intervention followed immediately by a comprehensive rehab program.

Marijuana’s Short-Term Side Effects

The short-term side effects of marijuana use can begin quickly and are severe and even life-threatening in some instances. This is in part because the levels of THC in the marijuana a user is taking cannot be readily determined. Short-term side effects include:

Marijuana’s Long-Term Side Effects

Marijuana has a severe negative impact on cognitive functions if taken long-term which can directly impact a user’s school or work performance and relationships. Long-term side effects include:

Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms

Marijuana withdrawal also has many intense and severe symptoms which mimic those of other “harder” drugs, and a medically-supervised detox will be necessary to break dependency and ensure safety. Withdrawal symptoms include:

Overcome Your Marijuana Dependence with Individualized Care at Bayview Recovery

There is hope, but you might need some help finding it. Bayview Recovery wants to be your guide from dependency to recovery. We have comprehensive resources available, including medication-assisted treatment and cognitive and individual therapy, but we also have a personal commitment to you that we believe holds the key to your recovery.

Bayview Recovery has the resources to provide you with a highly-personalized recovery treatment, and that means you will have a partner in your recovery from your first phone call and someone on your side long after you leave the center, through our alumni services. This unparalleled commitment to understanding you and your addiction fully gives most patients what they will need to break their dependency and begin living drug-free lives.

Bayview Recovery can help you overcome your marijuana dependency, and we will put everything we’ve got into getting you well. Talk to a Bayview Recovery addiction specialist today by calling 855.478.3650 to learn more about our personalized programs which include comprehensive treatments and one-on-one care you simply won’t find at any other treatment center. Bayview Recovery will help you get there.