Signs of Marijuana Addiction
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Signs of Marijuana Addiction

Signs of Marijuana AddictionWhat are the signs of marijuana addiction? Some frequent, long-term marijuana users show signs of a lack of motivation (amotivational syndrome). Their problems include not caring about what happens in their lives, no desire to work regularly, fatigue, and a lack of concern about how they look. As a result of these symptoms, some users tend to perform poorly in school or at work.

Many users of marijuana do not consider that they are addicted, but they would not want to stop using it if given the option. The signs of marijuana addiction are similar to other drug addictions. The user eventually feels they "need" the drug, finding themselves unable to quit using it for fear of withdrawal symptoms. Marijuana addiction is the consequence of habitual use of marijuana. It can be described as chronically making the decision to quit using marijuana followed shortly by a relapse due to overwhelming cravings for it. Marijuana is considered to be both mentally and emotionally addictive. Signs of marijuana addiction are present when the user tends to only gravitate to others who share their common interest in the drug. They are also likely to lose interest in activities that once meant a lot to them such as going out with friends and participating in sports.

While not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted, when an user begins to seek out and take the drug compulsively, that person is said to be dependent on the drug or addicted to it. In 2002, over 280,000 people entering drug treatment programs reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse, showing they needed help to stop using.

Another of the many signs of marijuana addiction is tolerance. Tolerance means that the user needs increasingly larger doses of the drug to get the same desired results that he or she previously got from smaller amounts. Some frequent, heavy users of marijuana may develop tolerance for it. Signs of marijuana addiction also include withdrawal symptoms; some heavy users of marijuana show signs of withdrawal when they do not use the drug. They develop symptoms such as restlessness, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, weight loss, and shaky hands.

Common Signs of Marijuana Addiction:

  • Marijuana tolerance. Just like any drug, regular use of marijuana leads to the development of a tolerance for it. This means that you need more and more of the drug in order to achieve the same high. If you need more and more of the drug to get high, you are physically addicted to marijuana.
  • Unable to cut down or stop marijuana use. If you try to stop smoking marijuana, but you just can’t or find yourself justifying why you can get high when you’re trying to quit, then you’re addicted.
  • Lots of time spent getting high. If you take an objective look at how you spend your time and see that the bulk of it is spent either getting high, waiting to get high, or looking for marijuana so that you can get high, then you are psychologically addicted to the drug.
  • Reduced activities. If your schedule has slowly been depleted of all physical or recreational activities and replaced with hanging out and getting high, then you are addicted to marijuana.
  • Continuing to get high despite the problems it causes. For example, if you have been warned that you will be fired if you are late to work or show up high again and yet you to continue to smoke marijuana before heading into work, then you are exhibiting behavior that is akin to self sabotage and that is one of the signs of marijuana addiction.
  • Using marijuana to escape from problems. If you feel like the only way you can handle bad grades, problems at work, and escape with relationship issues is to get high, then you are showing signs of marijuana addiction.
  • Depending on marijuana to be creative or to relax or enjoy yourself. If you need to get high before you feel comfortable being creative or before you can truly relax, then you are addicted to marijuana.
  • Choosing relationships and activities based on whether or not you will be able to get high. If you decide which events to attend and who to hang out with based on whether or not you can do so stoned, then you are addicted to marijuana.

Signs of Marijuana Addiction
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Marijuana Facts

  • The Monitoring the Future Survey, which is conducted yearly, includes students from 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. In 2006, the survey found that 15.7 percent of 8th-graders have tried marijuana at least once, and among 10th-graders, 14.2 percent were “current” users (that is, have used within the past month). Among 12th-graders, 42.3 percent have tried marijuana at least once, and about 18 percent were current users.
  • There are data showing that marijuana can play a role in motor vehicle crashes. Studies show that approximately 4–14 percent of drivers who sustained injury or died in traffic accidents tested positive for THC. In many of these cases, alcohol was detected as well.
  • There are some signs you might be able to see. If someone is high on marijuana, he or she might: seem dizzy and have trouble walking; seem silly and giggly for no reason; have very red, bloodshot eyes; and have a hard time remembering things that just happened. When the early effects fade, the user can become very sleepy.
  • There is no magic bullet for preventing teen drug use. But parents can be influential by talking to their children about the dangers of using marijuana and other drugs, and by remaining actively engaged in their children’s lives.
  • Tolerance” means that the user needs increasingly larger doses of the drug to get the same desired results that he or she previously got from smaller amounts. Some frequent, heavy users of marijuana may develop tolerance for it.
  • Under the influence of marijuana, students may find it hard to study and learn. Young athletes could find their performance is off; timing, movements, and coordination are all affected by THC.
  • What happens after a person smokes marijuana? Within a few minutes of inhaling marijuana smoke, the user will likely feel, along with intoxication, a dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and balance, and a slower than normal reaction time. Blood vessels in the eye expand, so the user’s eyes look red.
  • When a nursing mother uses marijuana, some of the THC is passed to the baby through breast milk. This is a matter for concern, because the THC in the mother’s milk is much more concentrated than that in the mother’s blood.