5 Signs of Marijuana Addiction

One of the least harmful or addictive drugs, marijuana can nonetheless give rise to physical tolerance, emotional dependency, and self-destructive behavior. Marijuana addiction is not, in itself, life-threatening, but it can lead to risky behavior, such as driving under the influence or neglecting basic responsibilities.

How can you spot if a loved one has a problem? How do you know if you’re addicted to weed? Use this checklist to assess your reliance on the drug.

Signs of Marijuana Dependency

1. Tolerance Has Set In
The more you use, the more you need to use. It’s an unbreakable rule of substance abuse, and it all comes down to something called tolerance. In the early days of marijuana use, people experience powerful highs. After a few months of repeated or even daily use, they’ll need to need to smoke more in order to feel the same sense of relaxed euphoria.

While there are temporary fixes—periods of abstinence followed by binges—they only contribute to the cycle of dependency. If you have to keep upping your doses in order to get high, your body may be telling you that it’s time to break the grip marijuana has on you.

2. Marijuana Has Becomes an Emotional Crutch
Marijuana can easily become an emotional crutch, a way to escape from stress and upset. Eventually, the user may be unable to cope with the pressures of life without the help of drugs. Seeking refuge in marijuana is one of the surest paths to emotional dependence—a key sign of marijuana addiction.

Just as an alcoholic may grab a drink at the start and end of every day in order to feel “normal,” so, too, a marijuana addict may get high throughout the day in order to function. If you think you need marijuana to maintain your mental health, it may be time to seek professional help.

3. Organizing Your Life Around Marijuana
Some users move quickly from the recreation stage to the addiction stage. What starts as an experiment, a way to have fun, or even to handle a medical condition, soon becomes the center of life, the reason for being. Marijuana takes the driver’s seat; the user goes along for the ride.

Before long, they begin to organize their lives around the drug. They choose friends who are also users, they only frequent places where they can smoke or take part in events that allow them to get high. They neglect other relationships and responsibilities. Such obsessive use, one of the most common marijuana addiction signs, should act as a warning.

4. Ignoring the Consequences
It’s normal for humans to consider the consequences of their behavior. It’s something we do every day. If I use drugs, will I lose my job, get arrested, neglect my children, or upset my family? Do the benefits outweigh the potential drawbacks?

As soon as addiction sets in, the normal cost-benefit analysis goes out the window. Addicts are no longer capable of making sound decisions about their use of the drug. Nothing is as important to them as their next hit. If you or someone you know continues to use marijuana in spite of the fact that his or her life is falling apart, then it’s clear they’re exhibiting signs of marijuana addiction in adults.

5. Experiencing Withdrawals
One of the most glaring marijuana addiction symptoms, marijuana withdrawal is common in those who have become physically dependent on the drug. The moment users quit, they experience agitation and discomfort. They may be unable to sleep; they may lose their appetite or suffer from an unusual amount of anxiety.

Marijuana withdrawal symptoms may not be as severe as other types of withdrawal symptoms, but they can dissuade people from taking the steps they need to break their reliance on the drug. If you feel sick or upset every time you step away from the drug, then it may be time to enter Yellowstone Recovery’s rehab center, which offers supervised withdrawals.

Addiction Treatment

Experts are still studying the long-term effects of marijuana abuse, but initial research suggests that frequent use over a long period of time can have serious repercussions on cognitive abilities, not to mention the quality of life.

If you or someone you love displays one or more marijuana addiction signs, then it’s best to explore your treatment options sooner rather than later. Contact Yellowstone Recovery to learn more about our affordable treatment centers in southern California.