Is weed addictive? Do some people actually develop weed withdrawal symptoms when they quit? Regardless of what you may have heard or read elsewhere, the correct answer to both of these questions is yes.
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Can You Have Withdrawal Symptoms from Smoking Weed?
Discussions of drug withdrawal often focus on the difficulty of ridding your body of opioids, or the possible danger of quitting alcohol after years of heavy drinking. But these aren’t the only addictive substances that can cause withdrawal symptoms.
To reiterate what we mentioned in the opening of this post – and to answer the question at the top of this section – yes, you can become addicted to marijuana, and if you do, you can develop weed withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop using the drug.
Weed withdrawal isn’t as painful as opioid withdrawal, nor is it as dangerous as alcohol withdrawal. But for some people, the symptoms can be intense enough to prevent them from ending their marijuana use.
Weed Withdrawal Symptoms
According to a July 2022 article in the journal Addiction, about 50% of people who regularly use marijuana, or who become dependent on it, develop withdrawal symptoms when they significantly curtail their weed use or try to stop using it completely.
The most common weed withdrawal symptoms are psychological, such as:
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Anger
- Depression
When you’re in the midst of withdrawing from marijuana, you may also experience physical symptoms such as:
- Loss of appetite
- Insomnia
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Stomach aches
- Chills
- Excessive perspiration
You can usually expect to start feeling the first symptoms within a day or two (24-48 hours) after the last time you used marijuana. These symptoms will intensify over the next few days, usually reaching maximum intensity by day five or six.
Once the symptoms peak, they will slowly begin to subside, a process that can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
The intensity and duration of your withdrawal symptoms can be influenced by a variety of factors, including:
- How long you’ve been addicted to weed
- How often you used marijuana, and how much you usually used
- If you have also become addicted to other substances
- If you have any co-occurring medical or mental health concerns
The impact of your symptoms can also be affected by your environment. For example, trying to get through withdrawal at home on your own will be a much different experience than completing the process in a professionally staffed detox program.
How to Stop Withdrawing from Smoking Weed?
When you become addicted to marijuana or any other drug, the substance’s near-continuous presence in your system will force your body to make certain adaptations. When the substance is no longer present, your body will temporarily struggle to regain its equilibrium. Weed withdrawal symptoms are evidence of that struggle.
There’s unfortunately no way to circumvent or speed up this process. There are basically only two ways to stop your symptoms:
- Stay away from weed long enough for your body and mind to heal
- Start using marijuana again
Since the second option means you’d be stuck back in active addiction again, you need to find the strength to remain weed-free until your symptoms dissipate. If you’re not able to accomplish this on your own, a detoxification (detox) program may be the best option for you.
What if I Can’t Stop Smoking Weed?
When you’re at home, with access to marijuana and the knowledge that using it can ease your withdrawal symptoms, it can be quite challenging to stop smoking weed.
The good news is that you don’t have to go through this alone.
When you enter detox, you will be in a safe, closely supervised environment where you won’t have access to weed or other recreational substances. You will also be under the care of experienced professionals who can help you manage your symptoms and remain focused on your goal.
Once you have successfully completed detox, you can transition directly into a residential or outpatient addiction treatment program. In these programs, you can:
- Learn about the disease of addiction and the process of recovery
- Understand your triggers, which are situations or circumstances that could threaten to push you back into active marijuana use again
- Develop strategies for either avoiding your triggers or responding to them in a healthy manner
- Hone your conflict resolution, effective communication, and stress management skills
- Address any underlying or co-occurring mental health challenges that may have contributed to your problem with marijuana, or delayed your efforts to get help
- Start to heal from any physical, psychological, or social damage that you incurred as a result of your marijuana use
- Discover the benefits of sharing support with other people who are working toward a similar goal
- Connect with peer support groups or other community-based resources that can fortify your commitment to recovery after you’ve completed treatment
There are many paths to successful, lifelong recovery from marijuana addiction. Take the time to review all your options and consult with experts to find the path that’s right for you.
Contact Phoenix Rising Recovery to Overcome Addiction
If weed withdrawal symptoms have been preventing you from ending your marijuana use, Phoenix Rising Recovery is here to help.
Our addiction rehab center in Palm Springs, California, offers a full continuum of care, including detox, residential treatment, and several outpatient options. In each of these programs, you can expect to receive customized services and comprehensive support from a team of truly dedicated professionals.
We understand the many ways that untreated addiction can undermine your efforts to live a healthy and satisfying life, and we’re committed to developing the focused solutions that will empower you to end your compulsive marijuana use for good.
To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
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