Cannabis dependence and addiction

@GamerGuy1991 medicating with Cannabis

First, let us address one important factor, addiction is greatly misunderstood. For one most think that addiction is based on the substance itself creating the addiction, that is the worst misconception. It is almost like the outdated assumption that addiction, is akin to a child coming across some item, partaking and instantly becoming hooked. We all know that addiction does not work that way, it is a gradual process. Some never become addicted to anything, while some have very addictive personalities, this is the basis for thinking things like alcoholism could be passed genetically. Which is partially true, but it is such an over simplifaction that it might as well be totally false. Addiction itself is the symptom of a greater issue, when have you ever seen a person that was totally well, become addicted to something? Sure a lot of them seem great on the outside, but they are simply masking some kind of pain, there is a reason they chase the high of whatever they are addicted to. Is it always a pain? No, it can be a worry, it can be the absence of feeling, there are so many reasons it is impossible to list. Yet, to try and break it down, it essentially means that on a certain level that person is hurting in some manner, so they search for something to bring life back to a place of joy. This is a simplifaction still, but it hits the major points of why we become addicted to something, this is vital in understanding Cannabis Addiction and Dependence.

Those who become addicted to something, are likely to become addicted to a number of other things. We become addicted simply because that substance, or sometimes an act, will erase the negative feelings those in pain, fear, worry or anger are overwhelmed by. This is why it is easy to overindulge. Alcohol use in moderation is beneficial, but deadly if abused. Cannabis is lucky as it has no toxic effects, and cannot cause permanent harm if you do overindulge, it will hurt your wallet for sure though. The reason why we start an addictive kind of behavior is primarily fear. A person could find that one magic thing that allows them to relax, take the stress and pain away to find a sense of peace, which is healthy and very therapeutic. Most of the time the reason these things stop working in the way they initially did, has nothing to do with tolerance build up in the way most see it. When you pour that next drink, keep playing that game refusing to sleep, or smoke more than Snoop could in a year, it is not an issue with those things failing you in their proper use. It is that you became so afraid they would stop working, so you started overusing to make sure it would not fail you. Now, of course, there are truly addictive substances, pain pills, antidepressants, muscle relaxers, anti-anxiety medications, that factor in both mental and physical addiction. But, all addiction starts mentally first, it then becomes a physical problem, the severity depends on the substance.

While pills and alcohol will lead to severe physical problems and can have toxic effects on your body, Cannabis has been shown to have no permanent harm, and is non-toxic in its nature. Yet like everything, it can be addictive but, there is a difference between Cannabis Addiction and Dependence. Because Cannabis has no toxic effects, we must measure its addictive nature based on how it affects your actions. Those who smoke when they wake, then throughout the day and before sleep would be seen as addicts, but it depends on what the Cannabis helps them to do. If you are smoking so that you are able to get out of bed, do things you enjoy, work and do it all with a pleasant state of mind, then so long as you are not smoking to the point of being broke you have found what works for you. If you are spending everything on Cannabis, and all you do is lay around doing nothing but staying in a happy coma, then you have found what worked for you and overdid it. You do not need to stop using it, you need to find the balance that allows you to feel peaceful as you should, and live your life, if something is helpful it allows you to live your life, it does not become your life. While I am not as sure of the benefits of alcohol, I know for certain that those with anxiety, depression, anger, and most mental health issues greatly benefit from Cannabis use. Cannabis dependence is really a misleading term, as it brings the stigma with it more akin to an addiction. If you have issues that using Cannabis alleviates, then I suppose you could be dependent on it, but no more so than a person who must use any kind of medication for a real need.

Yet, fear and doubt can push us to stop trusting what is working for us, the key is to not doubt what works for you. If it works it will not stop working, you simply have to have faith in what works, because once you start to doubt it, then it will not work and it will take more and more to feel a tenth of what you once felt. If it truly works for you, your life is made better for it, along with the lives of those around you. If your life is not improving, if you are only coasting by, and avoiding living your life, then you need to reaccess what works for you. This does not mean you have to give that thing up, but it means you must examine and use it with care.