Is marijuana physically addictive or just psychologically addictive?

[BFB]

In terms of whether marijuana is a psychological addiction or a physical one is an interesting issue, the term psychological addiction gets used a lot, but I am not entirely sure that it is necessarily the right term for what some people experience, something like compulsive spending or shopping addiction as most of us would call it is a psychological addiction, something like an addiction to alcohol is a physical one, so are people who are addicted to marijuana experiencing a psychological one like shopping or a physical one like alcohol, well the material you read on that will vary usually depending on where you are reading it, much of the stuff you read on the internet is indeed extremely pro marijuana, certainly many of the forums relating to it are, almost to the extent of claiming it has no negative side effects or addictive potential what so ever, this is a perspective that many people prefer to believe, it is only people who have another kind of experience that may be forced to think otherwise, we are a forum for people who do find quitting a problem so it is indeed somewhere like here that you are likely the read the accounts of people who have found quitting more of a problem than others, stating the obviously really but something that is important to remember, a bit like AA been full of people who are addicted to alcohol, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole picture of everybody who drinks alcohol, but if you read a lot of the experiences people here have had I think it’s fair to say that a good deal many people here have found it much more addictive and experienced much more of a withdrawal than you would with a psychological addiction like shopping, the kind of symptoms many people here have reported include things like:

Sweats
Sickness and upset stomach
Loss of appetitive
Headaches and various other aches and pains
Insomnia
Paranoia
Acute anxiety
Panic attacks
Depression
Anhedonia (loss of pleasure)
Fatigue
Nightmares
Restlessness
Intense irritability
Acute tension
Strong cravings

Etc, etc, the list goes on and on, now what you have to ask yourself is are these the kind of symptoms that someone is likely to experience when they quit a psychological addiction like shopping or gambling, or are they the kind of symptoms similar to the ones someone experiences when they quit a physical addiction like alcohol, even if it is too much lesser an extent, obviously I am not saying that the severity of the symptoms are as extreme as with a drug like alcohol or heroin or something similar, very few drugs are, obviously the scale of the symptoms can vary in severity from drug to drug, the withdrawal symptoms from a drug like marijuana may well be mild in comparison to alcohol and other harder drugs, but the symptoms I have read that some people experience are a lot more like what you would experience when you quit a drug like alcohol or any other drug that is considered to be physically addictive, than a person with a shopping addiction would experience when they don’t go to the shops for a couple of weeks. And even some of the symptoms which some people may dismiss as mental or psychological like the anxiety, paranoia, panic attacks, depression, anhedonia, etc, from what I have read even these have a physiological cause, they are the result of what’s physically happening within the neurology of the brain, although symptoms of mental distress which like any mental problem can either have a environmental or physiological cause i.e. bereavement compared to bipolar, ones environmental the others a physical problem within the body more specifically the brain, but I think it’s fairly obvious that even these are a result of what’s physically happening with the body again more specifically the brain than the upset and fear of been sober for a few days, been sober for a few days isn’t in its self that stressful a situation to warrant this response on its own, you probably didn’t feel this way from the trauma of been sober before you started using the drug, people who aren’t addicted don’t naturally go around experiencing these things just from been sober, even if they do have a liking for been high, I will always have a very strong liking for been high that will probably never go away, but I don’t feel now like I did when I first quit it, it’s the withdrawal of the drug that’s creating the chemistry of these emotions.

So all of these symptoms are a result of what’s physically happening in your brain with its receptors, neurons, synapses, etc which creates the chemistry that creates the withdrawal, it’s something that has a physiological biological cause, it’s a neurological problem or disorder, it’s not something that is a result of something that happened to you as a kid or some kind of mental scarring, or just having a liking for that type of behaviour, I think to use the term psychological for this kind of experience isn’t the best description for what’s actually going on at all, to me it seems far more like the kind of addiction people experience when they get addicted to any other drug all be it to a much lesser extent in comparison to some drugs, but it’s much more like any other sort of physical drug addiction than that of been addicted to something like shopping, gambling or any other non drug habit. People with psychological addictions like shopping don’t experience these kind of physical symptoms when they don’t do it, it doesn’t have that kind of physical affect on their bodies, they don’t wake up ringing with sweat or find it stops them from eating or makes them feel sick, they don’t get headaches or fatigue, this is all physical stuff that has a physical cause, when you read the symptoms some people are experiencing on this site alone to say that this is all just in people’s heads and that it has no potential for physical addiction what so ever is actually pretty ridiculous, no it may not be the most physically addictive drug in the world but comparing it to a psychological addiction like shopping for those that have experienced what some of us have is just absurd. Contrary to what many like to believe it’s still actually a drug, you still have a drug addiction, yes there may be a psychological element of addiction to it as well, there is with all types of drug addiction, but if your experiencing the kind of withdrawal symptoms that some people do it seems very likely that you have more than just a psychological addiction.

Now just like with alcohol not everybody who uses marijuana is going become an addict, many people who use it can stop without experiencing hardly any of these sort of symptoms but that’s because they probably haven’t developed the neurological condition of addiction from using the drug, one susceptibility for developing this condition from many types of drug use can vary significantly from person to person and according to recent research is most probably to a certain extent hereditary and even when this neurological condition does occur it may be experienced to differing degrees depending on the individual. So as I always say not everyone is going to experience these kind of symptoms from quitting marijuana which often lulls people who think in black and white that just because it doesn’t happen to everybody it can’t happen to anybody, but this is simply not the case with lots of thing in life, like I say look at alcohol just because everybody who uses that doesn’t get addicted doesn’t mean that no one can. My apologies for constantly referring to alcohol as a comparison, like I say it is a much more physically addictive drug one of the most addictive of all, but you only have to read some of the stories here to see what some people are experiencing from quitting marijuana is far more like what people experience from quitting alcohol or many other drugs addictions than a non drug or psychological addiction like shopping or gambling, personally I am not so sure that the term psychological addiction is entirely accurate for what some people experience, obviously if the neurological condition of addiction hasn’t occurred in the individual concerned, perhaps they are just not as genetically vulnerable in that way, then obviously for these people it may just be more of a psychological addiction, when it comes to drug use the addiction can be either physical, psychological or both, but for people who are experiencing the kind of symptoms I have just listed is psychological really the right term for the kind of addiction they are experiencing? As you can probably tell I am not entirely convinced that there is nothing physical going on, many of the symptoms I have read about from real users experiences seem pretty psychical indeed, but read through some of the post here by real users who are struggling to quit and see what you think. Why not let the real experiences of real users who are reporting finding quitting to be a problem help you decide?



Take care everybody and all the best

[abiogenesis]

Agreeing with all the sayings of BFB and I believe this is having a very negative impact on the people who are addicted to weed when some others tend to define weed addiction as a 'psychological one'. Because then people are blaming their personalities, they are thinking it's because they are weak minded, i,e.. When someone says it's a psychological addiction, it feels like 'hey dude, actually you don't have an addiction, it's something you are making up in your mind' and this is a severely misleading statement since then the problem is not being defined properly, and you can't find a solution to a problem you define in the wrong way.

I really don't know much about the other addiction types like internet/shopping/game, i.e.. but when it comes to the drug addiction, it is charactarized by the profound neurological changes caused by the prolonged consumption of drugs, and the concepts of physical/psychological comes to the story when people start to experience withdrawals. So, when it comes to drugs, addiction is a neurological disorder of the mind being independent of the drug of choice or the type of the withdrawals.

For those who have been reading my posts on this forum are probably very familiar with my perspective on the story, and I might seem a little too much keen on my perspective but this is because I am a person of science I guess and there are plenty of scientific studies on addiction which basically tells the story that I am trying to explain in this forum.

All the best,

[BFB]

I know exactly what you mean, for those who are unfortunate enough to develop this neurological disorder whatever the drug, a disorder which is indeed caused by prolonged use of whatever the drug is, combined with what in many cases may well be a underlying genetic predisposition for addiction, which is something scientists now believe can play a significant role, obviously the prolonged use of the drug will always have to be present as well, you can’t get addicted to something just from a genetic predisposition by its self unless you actually use the drug enough for it to happen, but from what I have heard it’s when both factors are combined that the problem is at its worst, but for those who do develop this neurological disorder the idea of it been a psychological problem is indeed with all due respect pretty patronising and dismissive of real nature of the problem, not that I think people are intentionally trying to be this way, so many of us have been told time and time again that marijuana is only psychologically addictive that we have been conditioned to believe it, so I don’t think it’s that any of us are deliberately trying to be that way, but when you say it’s psychological is does significantly diminish and completely fail the acknowledge the physiological nature of what is going on at least for some, at least for those who have developed this disorder.

And when you consider that for many it may have a genetic element to it as well to label these people as weak for developing this disorder is pretty dam harsh, I mean say if you were to take two smokers who smoke the same amount for the same amount of time and one develops this neurological disorder because of their genetic predisposition, but the other doesn’t because they have not inherited this predisposition then to say that the one who has developed it has done so because they are weak is like I say is pretty harsh, why should the one out of the two smokers be considered of weak character simply because they have this genetic makeup, it’s a floor in their DNA that has made the one out the two the addict and not their character, I use this example especially as the accusations of it been down to having a weak character is often made by people who use marijuana and haven’t developed this problem, obviously the person has a choice as to whether they use the drug and if anything the choice to use it at all is probably the weakness of character, but not the developing of this condition, at the end of the day until we are all having genomic profiling tests we don’t know which of us have this predisposition and which don’t. But in such a situation it is like saying people are weak because of their genetics, like I say I don’t think people are intentionally trying to be fascist about it or anything, I just think within the pot smoking culture people have been so desperate to defend the drug and exonerate it of any addictive or negative effects what so ever, most probably to justify their choice to continue using it and in order to prevent themselves from looking bad, like I say if there is any weakness in character it is the choice to use it in the first place, that they have put all the blame of anything like this happening down to the persons character, when in reality there is probably a whole lot more going on than just that.

With the increasing strength of modern day weed and more and more people reporting that they are finding it addictive I think it’s time to perhaps re evaluate some of the things so many of us have taken for gospel, it’s so easy to immerse yourself in a sub culture that allows you believe whatever it is that you want to believe, you really can create your own little reality, I know I did, but eventually and not out of choice I was forced to realise it wasn’t the case. Hopefully some of the experiences here will tell the other side of the story that you don’t usually hear on so many of the pro pot forums, like I say maybe those who are utterly convinced that weed can’t be anything but “psychologically” addictive would like to read some of the real user experiences here and see if after reading a good deal many of them they still think it is the case.

To be honest I know there are many many people who won’t accept that it has any physically addictive potential to any extent what so ever, for any amount of people no matter what, there are some for who no amount of evidence will ever be enough and won’t believe it simply because they don’t want to and again to those people I would ask the question are the symptoms that some people are experiencing here what a compulsive shopper would when they don’t go the shops, I still I don’t think it has anywhere near as physical an effect on their bodies, but that’s just my personal opinion and if you want to think differently that’s fine, we are all entitled to our opinion. But whether we believe it to be a physical addiction or a psychological one, the thing that matters the most is how it is making us behave and the effect it is having on our lives, as now in my signature I would urge anybody who smokes marijuana regularly to try taking the American psychological associations test for addiction, if you answer yes to 3 or more of those questions then however you want to classify it, physical, psychological, or whatever, you are still displaying the behaviour of an addict and based on the professional opinion of people who know this field extremely well you are what they would classify as an addict, if it’s making you behave like an addict does it really matter what type of addiction you personally class it as. Isn’t it the way it is making you behave what matters most?

Take care everybody and all the best

[Unregistered]

Im a 26 year old female and I have been a heavy pot smoker for the past 6 years. When I say heavy, I was smoking as soon as I woke up. I was sneaking pot and a bong into my office job and was pretty much stoned all day. Arriving home from work I would smoke into the early hours of the morning, before it was bedtime, then morning and time to start my routine again. I was finding without really knowing that I was doing it, that I was disconnecting from friends and family. I would not go out for long periods of time where I knew I could not smoke. Let alone holidays or trips in case I could not get any.
For years I don't believe for many hours a day I was straight, and if I was it wasn't long maybe 4 hours or so where truthfully I felt sick in the stomach and threw up if I didn't smoke.
I quit last week. For many reasons. Firstly the cost. I was smoking an ounce a week on my own. Nearly enough to pay my rent. Not only that but having to rely and knowing that pot had that control on me was starting to really annoy me. I had planne for months to quit but never built up the courage. Until last week.
And the past week has been horrible. I've lost 5kgs. Can't count the number of times I've thrown up, the number o times I've cried, and the sleepless nights and when sleep comes the horrifying dreams. I feel angry, disconnected from the world, totally not hungry and just down right irritable.
I gave in last night and had 2 cones, and this is what I felt, very anxious, my heart was beating out of control but I did immediately feel at ease if that makes sense.
I won't be smoking pot again (fingers crossed)
I just wanted to know if the feelings of isolation and irritability did pass. It very much feels as though there must be a light at the end of this tunnel, because my god, the sweating, sweaty palms, the vomiting and general feeling of shit has got to end sometime.

[robinl555]

Dear Guest,
It will get better, hang in there.

[SRP]

I have heard it is both, in some ways its the same as a nicotine addiction, and in some ways it's the same as a gambling addiction. It's one "tough cookie"

Agreeing with all the sayings of BFB and I believe this is having a very negative impact on the people who are addicted to weed when some others tend to define weed addiction as a 'psychological one'. Because then people are blaming their personalities, they are thinking it's because they are weak minded, i,e.. When someone says it's a psychological addiction, it feels like 'hey dude, actually you don't have an addiction, it's something you are making up in your mind' and this is a severely misleading statement since then the problem is not being defined properly, and you can't find a solution to a problem you define in the wrong way.

I really don't know much about the other addiction types like internet/shopping/game, i.e.. but when it comes to the drug addiction, it is charactarized by the profound neurological changes caused by the prolonged consumption of drugs, and the concepts of physical/psychological comes to the story when people start to experience withdrawals. So, when it comes to drugs, addiction is a neurological disorder of the mind being independent of the drug of choice or the type of the withdrawals.

For those who have been reading my posts on this forum are probably very familiar with my perspective on the story, and I might seem a little too much keen on my perspective but this is because I am a person of science I guess and there are plenty of scientific studies on addiction which basically tells the story that I am trying to explain in this forum.

All the best,