Question by Alyssa: can weed become addicting?
I know I may sound stupid for this but I’m just curious. Can weed become addicting? And if it can am i addicted? I recently went to a smoke party this weekend and got blazed out of my mind. I was smoking from the time I woke up to the time I fell asleep at around 3 or 4 in the morning for 3 days non-stop. Obviously not being my first time smoking like this I thought nothing of it. But when I got home I soon realized I had no weed at my house and no money to buy more. When I woke up the next day completely sober I was extremely nauseous and couldn’t keep anything down. I wasn’t even hungry but I was trying to make myself eat because I hadn’t eaten all day. I eventually ended up throwing up and still feeling nauseous for the rest of the day. After I smoke all the symptoms go away. Is it because weed helps with nausea? Or is it because im addicted to marijuana and smoking it helped me get rid of my withdrawal symptoms?

Best answer:

Answer by Metalplanttag
With chronic use – yes.

You may want to read this document http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/bmdc.pdf which I have reproduced a small amount below.
“Studies have demonstrated that tolerance and withdrawal develop with daily use of large doses of marijuana or THC (Haney et al. 1999a; Jones and Benowitz 1976; Kouri and Pope 2000). About 15 percent of people who acknowledge moderate-to-heavy use reported a withdrawal syndrome with symptoms of nervousness, sleep disturbance, and appetite change (Wiesbeck et al. 1996).
Many adults who are marijuana dependent report affective (i.e., mood) symptoms and craving during periods of abstinence when they present for treatment (Budney et al. 1999). The contribution of physical dependence to chronic marijuana use is not yet clear, but the existence of a dependence syndrome is fairly certain. An Epidemiological Catchment Area study conducted in Baltimore found that 6 percent of people who used marijuana met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) (American Psychiatric Association 1994), criteria for dependence and 7 percent met DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse (Rosenberg and Anthony 2001). Coffey and colleagues (2002) found that persons who use marijuana more than once a week are at significant risk for dependence. In the 1990s, the number of people who sought treatment for marijuana dependence more than doubled (Budney et al. 2001). Therefore, a large group of adults who smoke marijuana is dependent and may need and benefit from treatment.”
· The greatest risk of harm from cannabis use is in young people and those who are pregnant or have serious mental illness
· A tenth of cannabis users develop dependence, with three quarters of them experiencing withdrawal symptoms on cessation
· Most dependent users have concurrent dependence on tobacco, which increases the health risks and worsens outcomes for cannabis treatment
http://www.bmj.com/content/340/bmj.c1571.full

Marijuana abuse accounts for up to 20 percent of admissions into drug treatment programs.

According to Budney et al., the withdrawal syndrome associated with cannabis use is similar to that for tobacco but of lesser magnitude than withdrawal from other drugs like opiates or alcohol.

Cannabis Withdrawal from the American Psychiatric Association:

A. Cessation of cannabis use that has been heavy and prolonged

B. 3 or more of the following develop within several days after Criterion A

1. Irritability, anger or aggression

2. Nervousness or anxiety

3. Sleep difficulty (insomnia)

4. Decreased appetite or weight loss

5. Restlessness

6. Depressed mood

7. Physical symptoms causing significant discomfort: must report at least one of the following: stomach pain, shakiness/tremors, sweating, fever, chills, headache

C. The symptoms in Criterion B cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning

D. The symptoms are not due to a general medical condition and are not better accounted for by another disorder

First, direct comparisons of cannabis withdrawal with tobacco withdrawal have consistently found that the magnitude and time course of the cannabis withdrawal effects appear comparable to the well-established tobacco withdrawal syndrome. Second, cannabis users report using cannabis to “relieve withdrawal symptoms” suggesting that withdrawal might contribute to ongoing abuse of cannabis. Third, a substantial proportion of adults and adolescents in treatment for cannabis dependence acknowledge moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms, and some complain that they make cessation more difficult. In fact, cannabis users report having relapsed to cannabis use or initiating use of other drugs (e.g. tranquilizers) to provide relief from cannabis withdrawal symptoms. Last, persons living with cannabis users observe significant withdrawal effects suggesting that such symptoms are disruptive to daily living.

Thus, cue-elicited craving for marijuana activates the reward neurocircuitry associated with the neuropathology of addiction, and the magnitude of activation of these structures is associated with severity of cannabis-related problems. These findings may inform the development of treatment strategies for cannabis dependence. – http://www.pnas.org/content/106/31/13016.abstract?sid=ca43e649-7ac1-4b18-94ac-ac62e23b6cea

In the study, habitual pot users who were asked to abstain for two weeks experienced irritability, sleep difficulties and other symptoms that affected their ability to work and their relationships with other people… it is generally accepted now that the drug can cause addiction and withdrawal – http://news.yahoo.com/marijuana-withdrawal-real-study-says-210426347.html

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

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