Cannabis isn’t physically addicting?

[IHrtHalucingens]

In all me health classes and drug rehab meetings i've heard marijuana is not physically addicting.I beg to differ,i've been smoking every day for about 8 years now, and for the last 3 years i havent been able to fall asleep without a bowl or two. Would this not constitute a physical need for marijuana?

[turfshark_40]

I thought you needed to have negative withdrawal symptoms for something to be considered as physically addicting. wikipedia had this kind of definition; Physical dependency on a substance is defined by the appearance of characteristic withdrawal symptoms when the drug is suddenly discontinued. Edited by: turfshark_40

[RoboCop]

That in my opinoin is still a psychological addiction, not physical. You have gotten used to useing it as a sleep aid, this does not show any real signs of physical addiction.

I am kind of skeptical with your story, you say you have been smoking everyday for 8 years? and not being able to sleep without marijuana for 3 years? It sounds like you have simply not been trying enough to sleep without cannabis. You keep smoking it daily.
Edited by: RoboCop

[Solidly-here]

There's I can't sleep ... and there's I CAN'T sleep.


Well, IHrt, I guess my first question about insomnia would be: "How many hours in-a-row have you stayed up, trying to go to sleep?


If this number is less than 72 hours, then you really haven't tried to stay up. Part of going to sleep is allowing my mind to stop processing things which keep me awake.


At least one day a month or so, I will lay down, but my mind will be churning away. I get up. I kill-off a few hours. I lay down. Oops, still churning. I kill-off another hour or 2. I lay down. Still a no-go. Oh well, it's almost morning, I'll sleep tonight. ... Then the next night my mind shuts down, and I zoom off into dream land.


The next issue: Does an addicted person need to take his drug in order to go to sleep?


Even if you WERE addicted to a drug, what the addiction means is you would have to take that drug every day. But it would not mean that you would have to take at the SAME TIME every day.


So, a question: If you smoke early in the day, can you sleep that night? If no, then you have "trained" yourself to use Pot as your sleeping pill. This is a far-cry from an addiction. (There are 100s of 1000s of people who have a sleep-time ritual, like a sleeping pill or a drink of alcohol, and without it, feel that they cannot sleep at all.)


What to do. I would try (as an experiment), going to a different place, like a vacation. So, maybe visit a relative, or stay a night at a hotel in a near-by city. Because you are not-home, you will think differently (home has a certain feel ... other places break-thru that familiarity-breeds-comtempt habit).


If you CAN sleep at a different place (without sucking down a bowl or 2), then you know the correct answer: "I'm NOT an addict (physical OR psychological)."


If you're interested, I could go on. This is the starting place: Isolate the exact problem ... like a good scientist.


It's easy to think that things are worse than they are (in this case, a Drug Addict). Life is set up so I have to work hard to keep my mind going in a positive direction. Every-single-day my mind is blasted with negative thoughts. In the past, that spiraling negativity stayed around for quite a while. These days (with years of Spiritual work) I will feel them, but Let Go more quicklythan before. This is Progress ... not Perfection.Edited by: Solidly-here

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by IHrtHalucingens

In all me health classes and drug rehab meetings i've heard marijuana is not physically addicting.*I beg to differ,*i've been smoking every day for about 8 years now, and for the last 3 years i havent been able to fall asleep without a bowl or two.* Would this not constitute a physical need for marijuana?

Marijuana is not physically addictive because ceasing its usage does not bring any significant physical withdrawal symptoms. You might find it difficult to fall asleep for an hour or two but it's hardly what I would consider insomnia. A withdrawal involves sickness, cold sweats, respiratory problems and even hallucinations in some cases. Quitting marijuana after heavy use does not provoke any of these symptoms.

[eski]

I agree saying the fact you cant sleep because you have no weed and that it is a physical symptom is a load of cobblers, its all in your head. I smoke every day and there have been times when I have run out and gone without for a day or two, and I have felt like I cant sleep but its all in the head. Your just not in the same state of mind you usually are. I also find I dont have an appertite again because you are not in the same state of mind e.g the munchies.

I think there are no physical affects but i think people underestimate how much it affects you mentally, especially for those of us who do smoke everyday. Because we are so used to being how we are when were stoned we forget what we are like when not.

[Sektor]

physical withdrawel from weed...... what a load of shit, lol


tell you one thing though, kiss good bye to your mental health if you go hard too young,


social phobea's, paranoia, light/mild psychosis, really bad typos, and remembering shit

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by Sektor

tell you one thing though, kiss good bye to your mental health if you go hard too young,


social phobea's, paranoia, light/mild psychosis, really bad typos, and remembering shit

That's a load of BS if you ask me.

[bcStoner420]

Originally Posted by nature_boy_liam

That's a load of BS if you ask me.

I agree, i smoked since i was 11 years old, and i never had any of these symptoms to any degree whatsoever. It might make some pre existing mental problems worse (I dont know for sure), but at the same time has proven to make some better.

In my experience Mental withdrawl was so ferice that it could mabey feel like a physical addiction, but truth was it wasnt, i mean you dont get sick or have seizures when quitting pot. Ive had friends who also cannot sleep or eat without it, this went away after a day or two so i say that is just a mental thing.Edited by: bcStoner420

[Camapily]

I think it's a lot about your personality. SWIM smokes very often, but
he doesn't have an addictive personality at all. He's never noticed any
problems with addiction, especially to marijuana.

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by Camapily

I think it's a lot about your personality. SWIM smokes very often, but
he doesn't have an addictive personality at all. He's never noticed any
problems with addiction, especially to marijuana.

Ditto. But then again, SWIM hasn't exactly gone and done an addictive drug very often (bar alcohol), except for maybe XTC, but SWIM never felt addicted to those even though SWIM used to do them every weekend without fail for quite some time. I suppose XTC wouldn't be as addictive as cocaine or opiates.

[cactus]

Originally Posted by Sektor

physical withdrawel from weed...... what a load of shit, lol


tell you one thing though, kiss good bye to your mental health if you go hard too young,


social phobea's, paranoia, light/mild psychosis, really bad typos, and remembering shit

id believe it, ive seen many people come out second best to weed. I smoked for 11 years pretty hard, i saw 3mates end up complete nut bags and a few others with mild paranoia. Weed is psychedelic, most people forget that when they abuse it every day.

[IHrtHalucingens]

Yeah i see where you all are coming from with the sleeplessness as a mental issue, i definately dont feel sick or nehting when not smoking just bored out of my scull, but i will stay up for a few days at a time until crashing, i try exercise but that just makes my muscles tired. I guess it all goes to show that the mind is more powerful than the body.

[thegod1]

Originally Posted by IHrtHalucingens

Yeah i see where you all are coming from with the sleeplessness as a mental issue, i definately dont feel sick or nehting when not smoking just bored out of my scull, but i will stay up for a few days at a time until crashing, i try exercise but that just makes my muscles tired. I guess it all goes to show that the mind is more powerful than the body.

Whenever I'm coming down from a drug and can't sleep, I drink a few beers. It always seems to help me sleep. If that don't work talk to your doctor about some sleepng pills.

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by cactus

id believe it, ive seen many people come out second best to weed. I smoked for 11 years pretty hard, i saw 3*mates end up complete nut bags and a few others with mild paranoia. Weed is psychedelic, most people forget that when they abuse it every day.

Yes, but by definition a psychadelic is a type of drug that enhances or amplifies thought processes of the brain by disabling the filters which block or suppress signals related to mundane functions from reaching the conscious mind, so who's to say that all the weed your buddies smoked is only revealing their true selves. It should also be noted that if you are to classify marijuana as a psychadelic, you're only basing that classification off literal translation when in reality there is little comparison between marijuana and say, psilocybin mushrooms and LSD.

[a-SalviaLover]

Well, weed trigers psychedelic reactions, but it's not exactly a psychedelic. I like to call it slobbedelic better.

And I don't consider this reslesssness a sign for physical addiction. I would like to know how long have you tried to fall a sleep before proceeding to the bowl. I am sure ithat if wait long enough you'll fall asleep and if you don't fall asleep, the next night you surely will.

[Solidly-here]

IHrt says: "i will stay up for a few days at a time until crashing."


This is a very long time to remain awake. Is this because you (sometimes) take an amphetamine for several days?


The longest I ever remained awake was 92 hours (less than 4 days). This was not done on Uppers (I've never had the pleasure). I did this with a few friends, and we kept ourselves busy (including a 49-hour Monopoly game, which started us off on our marathon awake-fest).


But, staying up for days at a time, seems to contradict your first Post: "i've been smoking every day for about 8 years now." If you have smoked Pot every singleday, and Pot puts you to sleep, how do you stay up for 5 days straight (even when you are smoking)?Edited by: Solidly-here

[IHrtHalucingens]

oh yeah i meant to clarify that before, by everyday i mean for the most part every day, i might go a few days without smoking once a month, but the majority of my days do include smoking. And this is when i cannot sleep, i just seem to get more energy than i know what to do with, both physical energy and mental energy. I do not use any uppers or amphetamines. And as for beer im not a big fan of drinking, but if i can get my hands on it i will usually take a few xanax and that puts me right to sleep.

[thegod1]

Taken from Erowid...

Addiction Potential:
Regular use of cannabis can lead to psychological habituation for some people making it difficult for them to quit. Studies have estimated that between 5 and 10% of those who try smoking cannabis will become daily users sometime during their life, but most of these smokers will have given up the habit by age 30 and few remain daily smokers after age 40. Most people do not experience signs of physical addiction, but with regular daily use use, mild to medium withdrawal symptoms usually occur for less than a week, but can extend for as long as 6 weeks.

[bonghed]

Well i've always had sleeping problems, so i don't blame weed, i wouldn't blame weed directly at all anyway, it's not physically addicting imo, but it is nice to have a smoke before bed. (i do daily)

[eski]

I’m a daily smoker but I do find this topic comes up everywhere, and to be honest most of the time all I see is people who do smoke trying to make them selves feel better by saying its not addictive, weather its addictive or not its still bad for you.... I agree its not addictive physically but what about the things it is....harmful to your lungs...changes your state of mind...makes people lazy....and weather ya'll like it or not scientists are gradually finding that smoking for a long time could cause mental disorders.

I also find a lot of people say I smoke joints but I don’t smoke fags so it must be weed, but the majority of people use tobacco in their joints just because its not in cigarette form does not mean the nicotine disappears.

Nicotine is ADDICTIVE so when a lot of people get stressed because they haven’t a joint maybe it's the nicotine they are craving not the weed.

Of course I smoke but im not naive about it and I am fully aware it causes problems and that it's bad for your health. Are you? or are you just one of those people who kids them self on “it's not addictive so its alright”

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by eski

I’m a daily smoker but I do find this topic comes up everywhere, and to be honest most of the time all I see is people who do smoke trying to make them selves feel better by saying its not addictive, weather its addictive or not its still bad for you.... I agree its not addictive physically but what about the things it is....harmful to your lungs...changes your state of mind...makes people lazy....and weather ya'll like it or not scientists are gradually finding that smoking for a long time could cause mental disorders.

I also find a lot of people say I smoke joints but I don’t smoke fags so it must be weed, but the majority of people use tobacco in their joints just because its not in cigarette form does not mean the nicotine disappears.

Nicotine is ADDICTIVE so when a lot of people get stressed because they haven’t a joint maybe it's the nicotine they are craving not the weed.

Of course I smoke but im not naive about it and I am fully aware it causes problems and that it's bad for your health. Are you? or are you just one of those people who kids them self on “it's not addictive so its alright”

Why do you perceive the change in state of mind as a negative? Do you have a negative attitude?

Good point about the nicotine though. I don't smoke cigarettes but I do use tobacco in my joints so I guess there's a little bit of nicotine addiction inside of me. Still though, smoking two or three joints a day is a lot less harmful to your health than chain-smoking 20+ back daily.

[IHrtHalucingens]

well after reading all your posts id have ot say my sleeping problem most likely lies in the fact that over the years i have changed the normal chemical balance in my brain such as eski pointed out above and so when i do not smoke its almost like taking another drug, since being high is my usual state, which keeps me awake.And prollyIn combonation with a pre-existing problem not caused by weed, but i have been self medicating with weed so long it has become ruitine so i cannot sleep w/o it.


And f.y.i i was just wondering about the physical addiction not necessarilly stating that it was fact, i was just trying ot get others input, i sensed a little hostility towards the notion that id even mention it. LOL ne way its all good thanks guys

[polloloco001]

i think you probably have insomnia which is unrelated to marijuana
withdrawal and you self medicate with marijuana because it makes you
lethargic and sleepy, and you have been self medicating with marijuana
for several years. this does not mean you use cannabis only for the
sole purpose of sleeping, nor does it mean your marijuana use is an
addiction, or even extravagant. if you want to cut back but still want
to sleep ask your doctor about some sleeping pills.

[hdog]

marijuana is not physically addictive because it does not cause your body to release or produce dopamine, the chemical that causes you to feel "pleasure." Other drugs such as cocaine or heroin cause your body to produce an excess of dopamine and your body becomes use to this excess, but since marijuana does not cause your body to alter its normal levels of dopamine or any other natural chemicals found in the body, it is not possible for it to ever become physically addicted.