Can I become addicted to marijuana, cannabis or skunk?

Eleos counselling has many years experience working in Horsham West Sussex counselling people with drug problems  Although marijuana does not incorporate a component that causes chemical addiction it can, nevertheless, be psychologically addictive. At the moment, much research being done on the effects of selected seeds, hydroponically grown marijuana (skunk) and whether it has a component, which can cause chemical addiction; this form of marijuana is 8 times stronger than naturally grown marijuana, besides, has strong links to mental health problems, predominantly psychosis. Certainly, mixing marijuana resin with tobacco, which contains nicotine, can cause a chemical addiction, due to nicotine in the tobacco.  Some doctors argue that nicotine is the most addictive drug, used by man, exceeding heroin, cocaine and alcohol. 80 to 90% of regular smokers are, possibly, addicted to nicotine.  Research has uncovered that cannabis contains at least as many cancer-causing chemicals as tobacco. Cannabis is often smoked without filters; smoking cigarettes greatly increase the change of lung disease.

Most people think that marijuana is perfectly safe and non-addictive, but research has shown that this could not be further from the truth, because Cannabis  does have a strong addictive potential, just like any other drug, which causes euphoria.

One of the reasons that people believe marijuana is non-addictive is that they don’t see any withdrawal symptoms when they smoke it. There actually are withdrawal symptoms, but they take some time to develop and by then the user doesn’t link the symptoms to marijuana.

Marijuana contains some 250 different chemical components. One of these is THC (Delta- 9-tetrahhydrocannibinol ), a primary addictive ingredients, triggering marijuana’s effect. THC easily moves into the bloodstream and when there it stays  in the bodies fat cells, where it will remain for a long time, after the drug has been used . Up to 40 days can pass between the time you have stopped smoking marijuana and the time the THC has finally been removed from the fat cells in your body. This means that the effect in marijuana last eight longer  and withdrawal symptoms do not use the pair for 2 to 3 weeks after you stop smoking when a THC is in the process of being removed. Because of the delay, it makes it difficult to identify the insomnia, irritability, aggravation, anxiety and craving that finally appear as marijuana withdrawal symptoms.

Will smoking marijuana, cannabis or skunk damage my health?

Mixing marijuana resin or leaves (grass or weed) with tobacco certainly will cause health problems, such as those caused by nicotine.   Smoking, generally, has been directly linked with cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, oesophagus, bladder, kidneys, stomach and most notoriously, lungs; coronary disease/and all manner of breathing problems from bronchitis to emphysema.  Recent research is pointed towards long-term mental health problems caused by smoking marijuana particularly skunk.

You mentioned mental health problems, what kind of mental health problems could, smoking skunk, cannabis and Marijuana cause?

Recent , research carried out in Australia, has pointed towards the possible causal link between psychosis and memory loss in young people (under the age of 21), who smoke skunk marijuana.  The research suggests that the chemical in the skunk drastically alters brain chemistry which can, in turn, lead to psychotic episodes and memory loss in a young developing brain.  Although this is not conclusive research, it is worth bearing in mind the possible links, as, to date, no long-term research has yet been carried out.  Another issue, to bear in mind, is your family history, as again, research indicates that you are more susceptible to long-term mental health problems   should you use skunk, cannabis or marijuana, if you have a family history of mental health illness.

Am I substance dependent?

Substance dependency is defined by 3 or more of the following occurring together.

• Increased tolerance to drugs (needing to substance more to get more stoned).
• Physical and psychological problems when drug’s  such as skunk/marijuana cannabis intake is reduced (withdrawal).
• Using more or for longer than intended.
• Repeatedly trying, but failing to cut down or give up.
• Spending lots of time planning the next joint, or recovering from the effect.
• Prioritising smoking marijuana /skunk, cannabis over other parts of life.

How can Counselling, Psychotherapy, help?

Counselling/psychotherapy has been found to greatly improve the chances of full recovery from many forms of addictive behaviour, whether that’s chemical dependency or psychological addiction. Using cutting-edge techniques and older, more proved methods, I have helped client gain full recovery from substance misuse.

How do I make an Appointment?

Contacting me can be the first step in your recovery from a drug problem. You can contact me by email, landline or mobile on any of the numbers on the contact us page. All phone calls and emails are treated in strict confidentiality.

Useful Links :

FRANK: A government drug awareness website, which has information on various Street drugs, including cannabis.

http://www.talktofrank.com/drug/cannabis/?&gclid=COnJ-YKHibYCFVDMtAodhlwAFg

BBC website with information about cannabis

http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/?q=CANNABIS