Today, it’s legal to use marijuana and certain other cannabis products in much of the U.S. The increasing acceptance of these products has led some people to believe that marijuana use is generally harmless. However, this is not always the case. Like another legal substance, alcohol, marijuana can be a source of harmful dependence and addiction. If you experience these problems, marijuana addiction treatment can help. How can you tell if you’re affected? For many people, a key sign is the presence of marijuana withdrawals.
What Are Withdrawals?
What are withdrawals, and why do they occur? The term describes a physical and psychological syndrome that can appear in people who are physically substance-dependent. Dependence occurs when your brain starts treating the presence of drugs or alcohol as a normal operating condition. If you halt your substance use, your brain may start reacting in unpleasant ways. This reaction appears to you as the signs and symptoms of withdrawal.
Withdrawals are possible with any substance capable of triggering physical dependence. That includes marijuana and other cannabis products. However, the withdrawal syndrome is not the same for all substances. Instead, the things you experience depend, in large part, on the source of your dependence.
Marijuana Withdrawals and Cannabis Use Disorder
Some people are surprised to learn that marijuana use can lead to dependence and addiction. However, substance treatment specialists are well-aware of this fact. Since 2013, they have used the term cannabis use disorder to classify marijuana addiction. The same term applies to addiction to other cannabis products. Crucially, it also applies to life-disrupting, non-addicted abuse of these products.
The presence of marijuana withdrawals is one of the official criteria for diagnosing cannabis use disorder. Other criteria include:
- Needing to use more and more marijuana to notice its effects
- Creating a daily routine that revolves around marijuana-related activities
- Losing the ability to limit the amount or frequency of your drug use
- Not being able to quit, even when you make multiple sincere attempts
- Failing to halt a level of marijuana use that you know causes you harm
- Dropping other recreational activities in favor of marijuana use
- Feeling strong cravings for marijuana when not actively using it
- Having a level of use that makes it hard for you to function in daily life
Out of 11 possible indicators, you need just two to be diagnosed.
Signs of Marijuana Withdrawals
Cannabis withdrawal syndrome is an officially defined condition. How can you tell if you’re withdrawing from marijuana? Telltale signs include things such as:
- Having trouble sleeping
- Feeling unusually anxious, nervous, restless, angry, irritable, or aggressive
- Being in an unusually depressed mood
- Losing your normal appetite for food
- Experiencing unexplained body discomfort
You must have at least three of these signs of marijuana withdrawal. In addition, they must appear within a week of you quitting marijuana or cutting back your use. Finally, there must not be a better explanation for the issues affecting you. You are most likely to experience marijuana withdrawals if you’re a habitual heavy user of the drug.
Seek Help Withdrawing From Marijuana at Women’s Recovery
Concerned that you may be affected by marijuana withdrawals? Talk to the addiction specialists at Women’s Recovery. We’ll help you determine if withdrawals are present. We’ll also help you
determine if other criteria for cannabis use disorder are present.
Need treatment for this disorder? Women’s Recovery can help. We feature women-focused care for marijuana abuse and addiction. This care not only addresses the direct effects of marijuana. It also addresses the underlying factors that may have contributed to your problems. Call us today at 833.754.0554 for more information. You can also reach us through our brief online form.
