Marijuana addiction treatment can be done on an inpatient or outpatient basis. Inpatient care offers time away from the substance while skills are being built in order to face the temptations of abstinence from the drug. Outpatient treatments offer the addict time to build skills for coping with the addiction while facing daily life stress. There is no best choice in regards to recovery from marijuana addiction; however, there are some treatment approaches that have been deemed more effective for treating marijuana addiction than others. Brief marijuana counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and psycho-educational groups are three of the recommended types of treatment successful in treating marijuana addiction.
Brief Marijuana Counseling
Brief marijuana dependence counseling (BMDC) is an integrative, 10-week treatment program designed to help people with marijuana addiction that are not necessarily accepting of the fact that they have a dependence on the drug. BMDC involves thoroughly assessing the marijuana dependent person's addiction, motivational enhancement techniques, cognitive-behavioral techniques, skill building, case management and ongoing maintenance of recovery. This form of treatment does not utilize concepts found in traditional 12-step programs; it encourages taking responsibility for choices. It is not a requirement of the client seeking treatment with BMDC to abstain from marijuana use initially because BMDC treatment recognizes that this is one of the biggest difficulties for a person in recovery from marijuana use.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for marijuana addiction is one of the most recognized and effective treatments available for a variety of disorders, including marijuana dependence. CBT is a structured and brief intervention designed to guide the addict toward recognizing the thoughts associated with unhealthy feelings and behaviors. The initial session is a thorough assessment of the recovering addict's life situation and triggers toward marijuana use. CBT sessions are timed with specific goals for each session and continuation of work at home for the client is essential toward building coping skills to prevent relapse with marijuana. CBT treatment helps the addict decrease and eventually abstain from drug use by the end of the treatment process.
Psycho-Education Group Treatment
Psycho-education groups are a longer term approach for marijuana addiction. Structured groups focus on teaching skills through use of education about effects of marijuana use, CBT techniques, motivational enhancement and solutions-oriented styles. The combination approach allows the participants in the group to find methods that fit their treatment needs while also relying on each other for honest feedback and accountability. Psycho-education groups are typically an additional treatment to the individual sessions but can be utilized as the sole treatment for the recovering addict.
