Similar Pattern
Marijuana addiction may follow a similar pattern to addiction to other substances, according to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Health Services. The person who could once use it periodically has now lost control, despite the problems it is causing. The user starts to use larger amounts of the drug, using up money that could have been spent on more productive purposes. The addict will soon start spending more time thinking about its use and when he can get more supplies of marijuana. Dependence is not common among marijuana users. But abuse can occur, even though the user may have experienced legal or work-related problems. Although it is considered less severe than the addiction to other drugs, marijuana abuse can cause problems with family and friends. Tolerance can develop with the use of THC, the main active ingredient of marijuana, and withdrawal symptoms can occur in some users when they stop. The THC content in today's marijuana, unlike that of the 1960s and 1970s, is much higher and has the increased likelihood to cause addiction.
Dependence Syndrome
Long-term marijuana use may affect the brain as much as other addictive drugs, Columbia University's Health Services explains. The addiction to pot may depend on how much of the drug the person uses. A study by the Journal of Psychiatric Research published in 2006 on 2,446 subjects ages 14-24 over a period of four years concluded that regular marijuana use in adolescence can cause the development of a dependence syndrome. People who use marijuana regularly and stop may experience irritability, restlessness, fatigue, depressive moods, anger and depression. There may also be appetite changes, nausea, weight loss, shakiness and sweating.
Recovery
Marijuana addiction is a progressive illness that leads to a life centered on marijuana, according to Marijuana Anonymous World Services. The person addicted to marijuana develops a compulsion to use the drug and is unable to stop. It may also become an obsession, even when the life of the marijuana user is becoming destroyed or destroying the people around him. Although there is a disagreement as to whether marijuana is physically addictive, the Marijuana Anonymous program uses a 12-step recovery similar to that used by Alcoholics Anonymous. The user admits he or she is powerless over marijuana and that life has become unmanageable because of its use. The program notes that marijuana addicts suffer from problems similar to those of alcoholics. Smoking marijuana stops becoming fun, it is hard to imagine a life without marijuana, and it starts to cause problems with memory and concentration as well as problems with friends or relatives.
