Marijuana is a hot topic today, perhaps more than it ever was before. In fact, now that it has been lobbied so heavily, a growing number of states have legalized the use of it. While there are many who will argue the safety, the fact remains that weed has gone mainstream. Over 158 million people in the United States use it on any given day for recreational and medical purposes.
If you’re someone who regularly uses marijuana, has your feelings about it changed? While the popularity of it has spread like wildfire, some regular users have started to worry what role it is playing in their health. If you’re concerned about addiction within yourself, then it’s important to dive right into symptoms you’re displaying and signs that you may be addicted. While it’s important to write down how you feel, the list of common symptoms below can help familiarize you with those that are red flags of addiction.
- You Can’t Quit Many people who are addicted to marijuana find that it’s incredibly difficult to go even a day without getting it in their system. In fact, some will schedule their entire day based on when and where they can get high. If you’ve tried to quit but have failed at every attempt, you may very well be addicted to this drug. Whether you need it to relax after a long day or you find it’s a habit that makes getting through the day easier, it’s easy to see how weed can become a part of your life. The attachment you make with this can result in the need to use it more frequently and the inability to stop.Whether you’ve tried to stop using marijuana once or more times than you can count, it can become clear that you need help with quitting. While marijuana may not be known for being as addictive as other drugs, it can be addictive nonetheless. This is especially true for individuals who have built up their tolerance and can’t find success with even cutting down on the amount they use daily.
2. Your Life Revolves Around Your Next High
Being addicted to a drug such as marijuana means it will quickly become more of a priority in your life. When getting high trumps responsibilities, relationships, and hobbies, it can easily begin controlling every aspect of what you do. Do you find yourself in any of the situations below?
– Not going out with friends because you want to get high
– Less productive at work because you’re thinking about marijuana
– Inability to focus at work because you’re high
– You spend a lot of time looking for people to buy weed from
– You only hang out with people who have weed or make it easy to buy it
– You can’t relax or enjoy yourself without smoking weed
– Relationships have changed and are now dependent on marijuana useIf you find that weed is a recurring factor in different aspects of your life, it’s very likely you’re addicted to it. When this is all you think about and the main priority in everything that you do, it’s more than just a recreational activity. This can result in losing friends, losing your sense of self, and not taking part in activities that you once enjoyed.
For most people, this progression is one that they don’t notice because it changes over time. For instance, you might stop hanging out with your old friends as often as before because new friends have weed. You might also think work is getting more demanding when in reality you simply don’t have the capacity to focus like you did once before. These are things you must recognize in yourself to come to terms with whether or not you’re addicted.
3. You’re Using More Than Before
In the past, could you smoke just a few puffs and get the high you were after? If you’ve noticed that it takes much more to achieve that same feeling, this is a sign your body has built up a tolerance. While at first, this may not seem like a problem, eventually, it can lead to using much more marijuana than before. Not only will this drain your bank account but it can also lead to more intense withdrawal symptoms.
If you were to compare how much weed you smoke now to how much you smoked when you first started, is there a significant difference? It’s important, to be honest with yourself and evaluate how much your usage has truly changed. If it’s hard for you to get high without smoking quite a bit, this can easily be a sign of addiction. The more you use, the more your addiction will eventually grow.
4. You Constantly Need an Escape
Do you find it difficult to deal with the challenges of everyday life? If you need to get high in order to deal with any degree of stress, this can be a sign of addiction. This is also true if you use this drug to escape from reality and try to forget any difficulties you’re facing. By pushing away emotions and reality, your stress can increase steadily and lead to severe health and psychological problems over time.
One common misconception is that marijuana makes users mellow and relaxed. While this may be initially true, the Office of National Drug Control policy has stated that this drug can lead to violent actions when used regularly. For those who use this to escape due to stress, this can be a dangerous combination. Being high clouds thinking clearly, which can result in making the wrong decisions, including those with severe consequences.
5. You Withdrawal After Use
Once the impact of marijuana wears off, how do you feel? Addiction can leave you experiencing withdrawal symptoms that only make you want to smoke more. These symptoms can include:
– Anxiety
– Depression
– Decreased Appetite
– Insomnia
– Anger or Aggression
– Chills
– Shaking
– Nervousness
– HeadachesIf these symptoms show themselves when you’re not using weed and subside when you begin using again, this can mean you’re addicted. For most, these withdrawal symptoms don’t dissipate until a couple of weeks after marijuana use is stopped. This can make the process of quitting quite difficult, especially for those who experience severe symptoms due to a high tolerance.
One of the best things you can do is write down how you feel hours after you stop using marijuana. If you see these symptoms increase in number or intensity, this can mean your addiction is progressing. If you want help stopping, it’s best to get it sooner rather than later.
Are You Addicted?
If you’re worried that you may be addicted to marijuana, the thought alone should drive you to seek help. Even if your use isn’t heavy, it can be controlling different parts of your life that lead to eventual trouble. The biggest red flags to watch out for include:
– Difficulty Quitting
– Withdrawal When Attempting to Quit
– Can’t Stop Thinking About Weed
– You Use Weed to Escape Reality
– You Use Weed When You Shouldn’t
– You Risk Your Safety to UseWhen to Seek Help
While weed may be easy to find and even legal in many areas today, that doesn’t mean it’s not addictive. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to seek help so you can find solutions that help you through rehabilitation. Even if you’ve been using for longer than you can remember, it’s never too late to get help. The first step for most is being able to recognize they have a problem, which is generally easy to identify with this drug.