When you started smoking weed, it may have seemed like the fun or socially-acceptable thing to do among your peers. But like all addiction, there’s a time when it stops seeming fun. On the contrary, it just seems like an expensive habit. It’s slowly damaging your lungs, memory and more. It’s painful when you cough. In some states, you may even risk prosecution if you continue. But no one’s saying it’s easy to figure out how to stop smoking weed.
It’s time for a change and you need a plan. Know that you don’t have to do this alone. You can work with a marijuana detox center in Portland, Oregon.
Let’s explore the steps to quitting.
Step 1: Understand that Marijuana Addiction Is Real
It’s not Santa Claus or a unicorn. Just like any addictive substance, you’ve become both physically and mentally dependent on marijuana. Drugs re-wire the brain to maintain that addiction. So when you decide to learn how to quit smoking weed, you actually need to undo the hold it has over you.
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), around 17% of those who use weed in their teens will develop a substance use disorder. This is comparable to heroin. Around four million people in the US meet the clinical criteria for addiction to weed. Yet only around 100,000 seek help each year.
Step 2: Learn About the Effects of Smoking Weed
This isn’t your “granddad’s weed”. The percentage of THC, the addictive psychoactive substance in marijuana, has more than tripled in just 30 years. That means it’s more potent. And, despite what advocates may claim, it’s more dangerous to your health and wellbeing.
Some of the long-term effects of weed include, but aren’t limited to a 30-year study that found that people who started using weed in their teens and continue frequent use develop have permanently lower IQs. Also, One in five episodes of psychosis can be linked to daily marijuana use. And finally, studies show that use may cause permanent memory loss.
On the physical side of things, marijuana use can lower fertility. And while studies show that occasional use doesn’t lower lung function, the repeated use of a person who is addicted can lead to chronic bronchitis and the potential to develop chronic pulmonary obstruction disease (COPD)
Step 3: Understand How Addiction Works
When exploring how to stop smoking weed, it pays to learn what addiction actually is. Did you know that your body has a natural reward system? This system releases hormones when you do something good like helping a friend or playing basketball.
These hormones make you feel happy and relaxed. But when you introduce drug addiction, the substance hijacks your body’s natural reward system. Eventually, you only feel “rewarded” when you use the drug.
Learning how to quit weed requires you to look at how the weed “controls you” by controlling your reward system.
Step 4: Mentally Prepare for a Rough Withdrawal
Because your body has become dependent, your body must learn to function without the weed. This means withdrawal symptoms.
You may experience weed withdrawal symptoms such as:
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Change in appetite
- Flu-like symptoms
- Intense cravings
If you haven’t been using for long, this may last a day or two. But for some long-time users, it lasts a week or more. During this time, many who don’t have support give in to those cravings. That’s why it’s so important to make sure this support structure is in place first.
Step 5: Explore Your Options for How to Stop Smoking Weed
Even if you have a support structure at home, working with professionals can help you overcome your weed addiction. Crestview offers those suffering from addiction an opportunity to get on the recovery path. We’ve designed program to meet your individual needs, including those in various settings like Partial Hospitalization (PHP), Intensive Outpatient (IOP, Outpatient Drug Therapy with programs specifically designed for men, women, and teens.
While in our programs you’ll learn how to stop smoking weed through various therapies and activities designed to help you explore yourself and learn to manage your addiction. These include things like:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Mindfulness meditation therapy
- Art therapy program
- Trauma therapy program
Are you feeling out of control when it comes to your addiction to weed? You can figure out how to quit smoking weed for good and reclaim your life. Call us at 866.262.0531 to learn more.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
