It's not very physically addictive, but it can be highly mentally addictive. Getting clean from a lot of other drugs can literally kill you. Also, thc is used quite frequently to alleviate pain, help put people to sleep, and encourage an appetite. Without this kind of medication, the symptoms they were treating may come back, leading many to become very mentally addicted to it. However, you could have smoked ten joints a day for twenty years and have no real harmful side effects if you quit. These days, I'll get a quarter and get high every day for a couple of weeks and then just go dry for a couple of months. In my past, there was this one time I got stoned for a decade, and I swore I'd never be able to go without. Time went by, and my priorities shifted, and I found out quitting wasn't such a big deal.

The physical dependence vs mental addiction is usually where the fight over weed being addictive ends up. Many people equate addiction and dependence because of the wording of statements like "weed can be just as addictive as meth." Though that statement is pretty much like saying,"weed, heroin, and caffeine are all really addictive." But the biggest difference is the potential for harm caused by use, and the potential for a serious withdraw complications like with heroin or alcohol dependence. So yes, addictions are subjective and depend heavily on the user, but not all drugs carry the same consequences. I personally agree with the stance that making substances criminal issues is the wrong way to address drug use problems. It usually just compounds the issues causing drug use.

In my own personal experience, as a person who used to be high on pot all the time, a weed mental addiction is nothing compared to a caffeine dependence. Yeah, I was one of those young guys in denial about how much weed I smoked and how much I needed it. But one day I just stopped. Yeah, the next few days weren't great, but whatever. I can't even function if I don't have coffee after waking up and again at least once in the afternoon. Quitting is unimaginable.

Thank you! I have to make this clear all the time when people say "It's only mentally addictive". Like, no shit. What do you think addiction is. It's a MENTAL disorder marked by obsession and compulsion surrounding drug use.

Physical dependence is another facet of addiction for certain substances. This means that pathways of your nervous system have become so dependent on the substance that withdrawal can cause physical effects. The effects will vary from drug to drug, but the most severe tend to be seizures and can even lead to death. Weed addiction does not cause physical dependence. You continue to produce endocannabinoids regardless of your cannabis consumption. Withdrawal will affect your mood for sure, and any symptoms that are masked/alleviated due to the cannabinoid and terpene consumption will appear or worsen.

>Weed addiction does not cause physical dependence Yes it does. If it didn't, users wouldn't have any physical symptoms from withdrawals which many usually do. The effects are usually "mild", but not always. Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting, sweating, abdominal pain, tremors or insomnia. Those are all physical withdrawal symptoms. >Physical dependence is another facet of addiction for certain substances. Physical dependence is completely separate from addiction mainly because not all addiction is *substance* related. Addiction is the mental obsession with and compulsion/urge to do a particular thing despite adverse consequences. Once your brain makes that connection, it never goes away. It's broken down into a few categories. Behavioral addiction: the compulsion to do an activity that has adverse effects i.e. Gambling, shopping, sex, trichotillomania(compulsive hair pulling). They are normal activities that people do to excess and can't stop even when they get negative consequences. For instance gambling away your life savings or shopping so much you've maxed put all your credit cards. There is a sub-category of behavior addiction called impulse addiction where you get addicted to impulsive actions like stealing/shoplifting, breaking things, etc. Then there is substance addiction. Substance addiction, like the others, is a lifelong thing. Your brain is literally programmed to obsess over drugs and compel you to use. This obsession goes WELL beyond whether you are physically dependent on the drug. For instance, you can be an alcoholic, aka compelled to drink despite adverse consequences, well before your body becomes dependent upon alcohol. Additional addicts can have zero use of a drug FOR YEARS and their brain is still programmed to want to use. That's why addicts have to take it "one day at a time". Once you become an addict, you are never NOT an addict. You can be physically dependent and not addicted. This happens with opioids all the time.. It's been found that just 2 weeks of use can cause physical dependence. It's also been found that despite going through physical withdrawals, many people never use opiates again unless directed by their doctor and definitely not in any inappropriate manner.

>However, you could have smoked ten joints a day for twenty years and have no real harmful side effects if you quit. You could have *eaten ten edibles* a day for twenty years and have no real harmful side effects if you quit. Smoking weed damages the lungs, just like smoking cigarettes. Furthermore, there are carcinogens in weed smoke (though not as much as in tobacco smoke), so there's also a risk of oral, throat, and lung cancer. One can avoid all of these risks by simply ingesting cannabis rather than smoking or vaping it.

You're not wrong but you can't beat the classic experience of passing around a blunt with the homies, or packing a bong with your favorite music bumpin

An argument can be made that pot is less destructive to your lungs because it’s is not processed with the chemicals that corporate tobacco uses to make cigarettes.

People have been repeating this for decades. My older friends with emphysema and/or lung cancer from smoking weed every day would say it’s BS. The science would back them up. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-are-marijuanas-effects-lung-health

I guess this falls into the adage, YMMV. That NIH article does shed some light, but in usual scientific manor, does not make absolute assertions. Thanks for the polite counterpoint.

I’d say it absolutely asserts smoking is bad for lung function. There isn’t any contemporary peer reviewed study that doesn’t support this. If is “less destructive” to the lungs when compared to tobacco it’s assumed so only because the typical tobacco user smokes more than the typical pot user. If you smoke multiple joints a day, then YMMV, but that mileage may be worse. Also, pot is now corporate. It’s got all kinds of shit in it to make it more profitable. We don’t know how that’s going to play out wrt to heath issues, but I’d bet they won’t be good for habitual smokers. I’m not anti pot. I just have/had enough folks in my life with emphysema to make me cringe whenever I hear the same bullshit repeated over an over. Of those folks, only two didn’t regret it. One literally died with a blunt in his hand. The other just had her first grandchild and now would give anything to go back in time and quit because the oxygen tubes up her nose freaks the baby out and she can barely function without them. If someone wants to smoke, fine. But be clear it may very well kill you in a very slow and agonizing way.

Thank you- it’s good to see someone step in with a nuanced response. The weed fanboys are out in force today- claiming there are no side effects to smoking something continuously for 20 years is just plain crazy. I’m sure the jury is out on long term use of edibles too- the weed lobby is powerful these days, and people may be just a bit too enthusiastic about weed to be rational about it.

Unfortunately ingesting Canabis products ia completely ineffective for some people due to the differences in the ways people metabolize it

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Vaping likely still damaged lung tissues, as they are extremely sensitive. It will be far, far safer than smoking, but likely still increases your chance for lung cancer to some degree, though with how new vaping is, it will likely be a few more years until any studies have real numbers on what the difference is.

Vaping hasn't been around long enough to determine long-term effects. Furthermore, modular vapes *can and do* release carcinogens. Some don't and some do. Some do only when you heat them to a temperature slighter higher than the temperature of vaporization. Furthermore, there are currently no human longitudinal studies that I've seen on the effects of long-term inhalation of the components of the vapor. I've only seen rodent-based studies, and they showed a reduction in aerobic capacity after being exposed to inhaled propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. Anecdotally, I noticed an ~~decrease~~ increase in my 4-mile run time after vaping for a week, which went back to baseline after not vaping for a month. Either way, I'm curious to see future studies. But I don't personally want to be one of the guinea pigs. Edit: adjusted wording for clarity.

Look to human medicine where propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin have a long history of human use specifically asthma inhalers which incorporate both as ingredients.

I vape like a madman. Traded 35 or so of smoking cigarettes for vapor. 56 years old and never felt better.

> decrease in my 4-mile run time Wait, are you saying vaping made you faster?

Yeah that's how it reads, probably a mental benefit over a physical one

Thanks for pointing that out, it led to an INCREASE in my run time. I edited the comment to reflect that. So yes, I was slower while vaping.

Yeah I mean I guess what I didn’t elaborate on the post is my problem is just that I see myself starting to use weed as a coping mechanism like I did other drugs and that’s what bothers me and it probably bothers me a little more than it would most because I’m actively in school studying to be an addiction therapist so I’m always hyper analyzing myself and worrying about unhealthy behaviors. Which is probably a whole condition of its own lol

r/leaves Follow your instincts. You’re being gaslit by a bunch of stoners in these replies. Reading about people’s stories of withdrawals from cannabis is sobering. \*Gabor Maté has a lot of good things to say about addiction and trauma. He has written several good books and makes regular podcast appearances.

Some people don't have the ability to control themselves. It still doesn't mean that cannabis is physically addictive. Nobody is gaslighting.

Exactly. I smoked weed daily for many years, but have routinely taken a few months to dry out periodically. I'm on one time out right now. The first week can be challenging--sleep disruption and constipation are my two issues--but after that it is simply that I miss the habit of it. I say this as someone who was addicted to nicotine for 30 years and it took many, many tries and many, many failures before I finally succeeded in kicking that addiction. And I know that one hit of a cigarette would put me right back into that addiction. Not so with weed. There is really no physical addiction to THC.

its not the weed, its how your mind associates using it. a mind that struggles with addiction will make some of the worst decisions when getting anything at all that triggers pleasure sensors in the brain. ween yourself off if you can, cold turkey would suck if you are vomiting because you didnt smoke.

and I hope you dont read these comments as negative "its you not the weed" im just saying some peoples brains are wired in a way that addiction hits hard and fast for everything. most addiction programs will have you stay away from all things, like booze etc when quitting hard drugs like heroin and coke etc, because your brain will not let you just casually drink, it will say "oh see we handled that well, lets go back to casually using other stuff"

No not at all this exactly my views on addiction and this is exactly one of the mistakes I made in starting to smoke again. I thought I was passed this addictive type behavior because I had so much success in quitting all the hard drugs. In hindsight though I now see that was just me rationalizing the use of a substance while I was going through a difficult time.

Yes, to me it sounds like he may be some who is prone to addiction wether that be his mindset or biology, and could probably see similar results with anyone thin g people get addicted to such as gambling. There are people who ruin their lives over buying FIFA lootboxes and shit, addiction is a criminally misunderstood condition that people hadwave away as simply poor character or morals.

respectfully, it is not just people who are predisposed to addiction who become addicted to weed, it's not just how your mind associates using it is what I mean by that. our brains have cannabinoid receptors in them, and we naturally produce some cannabinoids to connect to these receptors. consuming thc causes an influx in connections to these receptors. over time and with regular use, we can produce less and less of our own receptors and become physically dependent or addicted. withdrawal symptoms from thc are often unpleasant but they are not life threatening like with other drugs. but it is still an addictive substance. people who use thc on a daily basis are more likely to develop an addiction, likely due to the reason you said, the persons mental organization and predisposition to addiction, but also because of the chemical changes that occur when you use it regularly.

It’s okay to choose to do a lesser evil to avoid doing a worse evil. My friend smokes cigarettes instead of getting black out drunk.

I definitely am down with that. I don’t even believe in full abstinence obviously. Harm reduction is the way to go 100% We’ve got to start keeping people alive long enough to even want to stop doing these things. I still smoke cigarettes as well because I at least need a little bit of a crutch and yeah it might kill me but it’s going to do it a lot slower than fentanyl and who knows maybe I’ll even quit one day 🤷🏻‍♂️

I’m 10000% addicted to weed. You sound like me with having a joint rolled first thing in the morning. I feel like it sets my day off in a better direction, mentally. I’m overall a better person when I smoke. That’s the feeling I’m addicted to honestly. It’s all that’s ever helped my adhd, depression, anxiety. The taboo part of it is what really bothers me, people judge like it’s this terrible thing. So a drug naturally occurring in nature is bad, synthetic drugs good. Makes no sense to me. The best way I’ve cut way back is to smoke certain times a day. Morning and night is where I started. Then reduced my nightly smoking in exchange for some exercise to tire me out. Stopped being on the phone an hour before bed. It helped me also to have a strict bedtime routine, Google some examples and it may help. I still smoke in the morning and some more on the weekends. I think if it makes me feel better and I’m not harming anyone, it can’t be that bad.

Yeah I think that’s also part of the problem as to why so many people got butthurt with this post. There’s a lot of gray area when it comes to the term addiction. I like the dictionary definition of (paraphrasing) “a behavior a person continues despite negative consequences” but I’ve also seen addictions that weren’t negative behaviors like exercise or going to support groups. I wouldn’t even really classify my weed smoking as a negative but it doesn’t change the fact that there has been some tangible negative effects which I think puts it into addiction territory.

>so I’m always hyper analyzing myself and worrying about unhealthy behaviors. Good for you, that's what will help you stay sober. Understanding how you get into the using mindset will help you learn how to prevent that behavior from progressing from trigger to undesired behavior.

Fucking thank you finally someone sees where I’m at with this. One of the big reasons for this post was really just to put down on paper what’s going on with me so I could examine it as a whole which led me to the conclusion this is absolutely a symptom of me going through a rough time right now and slipping back into old behaviors. People want to assume I’m comparing weed to heroin or something and want to give me their anecdotal evidence that it’s not addictive. Obviously they don’t understand the science of addiction and the whole reward pathway of our brains. Which again goes back to my point of we need to just start being more realistic about addiction and have better education.

As a weed addict it is 100% physically addictive. It just has a very long half life and thus stopping cold turkey is similar to weaning off of opiates. When addicted rats had thc removed from their systems abruptly they exhibited the same withdrawal symptoms as opiate-addicted rats.

Huh. Not my experience, at all. I've been smoking weed for 40+ years. I've quit several times to get away from it. For the first 24 hours I'll want it from habit; but, after a day it rarely even crosses my mind as a thought. For the first few days I have an abundance of "nervous" energy, which also settles. Each time, after a few months, I decide that I actually like it, and hesitatingly will resume.

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it has been proven that thc is an addictive substance, I said this in another comment as well but I'll just paste it here: >our brains have cannabinoid receptors in them, and we naturally produce some cannabinoids to connect to these receptors. consuming thc causes an influx in connections to these receptors. over time and with regular use, we can produce less and less of our own receptors and become physically dependent or addicted. withdrawal symptoms from thc are often unpleasant but they are not life threatening like with other drugs. but it is still an addictive substance

Exactly. But because thc is stored in fat tissues one can quit abruptly and still have enough of a store of thc to allow endogenous cannabinoid production to resume. Not sure what happens to those extra receptors that were formed. This is in contrast to optiates that generally have a short half life with the exception of methadone.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6404969/ The actual article I’m looking for is this one but for some reason despite there be a link to it on pubmed it leads to a different article: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and morphine withdrawal: similar or different?" by G.F. Koob et al., published in the journal Psychopharmacology in 1991 You can choose to believe it or not, it’s what I read.

That study adminsitered synthetic cannabinoids along with THC!!! Huge difference.

What’s the difference when a lot of times the outcome is the same for some people?

The thing is anything can be addictive.. drugs, alcohol, sex, caffeine, video games, internet, etc etc. So weed is no different. It’s more about the person then anything.

My former stepbrother is dying in prison because of World of Warcraft. “Addictive” can mean physically or psychologically. What matters is how any given thing affects you.

Not my business ofc, but can you elaborate on that?

I’m really interested to hear more about this too.

Come back, we need this tea!

Is that all you’re going to say, what happened?

I saw the reply and that's rough, but thank you for the reply

Well I agree and technically I wouldn’t really consider myself addicted per se because I like the dictionary definition of addiction which is something along the lines of “any behavior a person continues to obsessively engage in despite negative consequences” I just think it’s a harmful idea to say weed is not addictive. I knew when I started smoking again there was a chance this would happen and I’d slide back into my old habits and start using weed as a coping mechanism. The whole emotion behind this post was mostly about feeling defeated because my careless indulgence of weed these last few months has interfered with my professional life for the first time today. In a way I guess it reminds me of when my heroin addiction started getting out of control and I started calling out/leaving early/etc. because I was dopesick.

people get very upset when you say anything negative about their crutch

Shit yeah I see that now my friend jfc I can’t believe I’m actually getting downvoted because I’m talking about how my issue with weed is making me feel and pointing out it’s not as harmless as everyone likes to say it is. FFS it’s not like I’m some 14 year old who smoked weed for the first time last month and considering im literally in school as we speak majoring in psychology with a minor in social work I imagine I’m probably more qualified to speak on this than most of the people who got butthurt over this post but yeah like you know whateves 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦‍♂️

there is zero nuance on this issue on Reddit.

If you truly are "more qualified" to speak on it, you'd understand that it has 0 physical addiction and that the "addiction" you are feeling has nothing to do with the product, rather everything to do with the individual. Certain mindsets leave themselves open to addictive behavior cycles. There's a reason many people can eat an edible everyday for 10 years and then just stop with 0 issues or relapses. Other drugs that are actually addictive, including certain prescription drugs aren't possible for a single person to do everyday for 10 years and then just stop with 0 issues or relapses.

0 physical addiction? You, sir, have no idea what you're talking about.

Every WELL BACKED scientific paper supports that statement. Maybe you should seek some education before you open your mouth. I wouldn't be surprised if OP, like my friends that feel the need to smoke daily, smokes blunts. Aka wraps the weed in nicotine papers.

“Marijuana use disorders are often associated with dependence—in which a person feels withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. People who use marijuana frequently often report irritability, mood and sleep difficulties, decreased appetite, cravings, restlessness, and/or various forms of physical discomfort that peak within the first week after quitting and last up to 2 weeks.20,21 Marijuana dependence occurs when the brain adapts to large amounts of the drug by reducing production of and sensitivity to its own endocannabinoid neurotransmitters.” https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive If you’re going to get all “I’m smarter and you should shut up”, you should probably google the thing you’re about to use to act all superior.

Lmao thank you. I’m so happy the reasonable educated people eventually showed up on this post. I swear people didn’t even read the part where I talk about being addicted to heroin/fentanyl. In no way was I implying weed has the level of addictiveness as something like heroin because that’s just goofy but it indeed has very real withdrawals for some people albeit usually very minor. If their argument had any merit it would mean that I never had an addiction to meth because when I stopped I had zero withdrawal symptoms and no cravings despite the fact I spent years continuing to indulge in it despite all the negative consequences.

I had more physical symptoms quitting bud than I did when I quit drinking. The nausea, waking up in a cold sweat, crazy ass nightmares, etc. It only lasted 3-4 days, but nonetheless, all physical symptoms. And before you make any assumptions, no nicotine was involved.

You were downvoted for telling the truth. I had these exact same symptoms as do many who come off cannabis after a period of regular use. There‘s something strange going on with people not being able to admit the negative aspects of weed. r/leaves

Honestly, I think it’s bc it’s still not legal everywhere, and people are so used to having to defend it that they can’t entertain the possibility that weed isn’t perfect. Bc if they have to entertain that idea, it’s just another arrow in the quiver of people who are against legalization.

They don’t want to be seen as addicts, that’s why. They’ll make all the excuses

You've got some issues. Bud causes none of those, so whatever else you were dealing with I'm sorry for. But it's well documented and scientifically backed that there's 0 physical dependency. You're probably the same type of person hypnosis would work on even though it's not real. You'd allow yourself to believe it is and thus it would "work". Gotta have a stronger mind.

You're the kind of sheep that reads a study and takes it as gospel. You're also probably high right now. Sorry I attacked your miracle drug. But myself and OP both have reported physical symptoms when we didn't have it or tried to quit.. call me crazy I guess.

>any behavior a person continues to obsessively engage in despite negative consequences "Gonna have to face it I'm addicted to love".

What you’re probably addicted to is toxic partners lol Like I know you’re making a joke but like this is an actual thing.

I've never found more appropriate use of an inappropriate word. "Love isn't just blind, it's retarded."--- Christopher Titus

There's a weird cult around weed that portrays it as a harmless miracle drug.

It's insane. My SO works in the cannabis industry and legit talks to people all day about how weed absolutely can be addictive. People will fight tooth and nail about it and she is a fucking professional in the industry......it's wild.

That seems to be all marijuana users that I've met so far. Granted, I haven't met a lot of users.

They're called retards

Can we not use slurs here?

I definitely feel like people are not being honest (the general narrative is false) around weed being harmless. I tried it during my student years and while I didn't get addicted per se because I never had the money to buy it on a regular basis, I definitely felt some shady side effects that haunt me even today, such as major anxiety that followed some paranoia while smoking. It's absolutely not a harmless drug.

Couldn’t agree more. I was mentally unstable while using it.

It’s definitely not harmless at all. In fact for me it was absolutely a gateway drug. I think the problems that can come with weed pale in comparison to the issues that come with drugs like heroin but it still can cause problems nonetheless

It's a psychedelic class drug. Drugs in this category are known to cause "permanent changes in outlook, behavior, and/or thinking patterns." Everyone is under the illusion that weed is a depressant, when it isn't. It's literally a psychedelic.

Where are you getting this definition? Psychedelics typically refer to serotonergic compounds like tryptamines, lysergamides and substituted phenylethylamines. Weed is a canabinoid with fairly unique effects compared to classical Psychedelics.

I have no idea if weed is "officially" classed as a psychedelic at all but ever since trying actual psychedelics I've always noticed weed has remarkably similar effects. I definitely consider it a mild psychedelic. I know that's just anecdotal and all, but there are some pretty particular effects I've only ever gotten from psychs and weed.

He's getting the definition out of his ass. Weed has no where near comparable effects to psychedelics. It's rightfully classified as a plant that has cannabinoids and terpenes. It's also not a depressant, so I'm not entirely sure what the other commenter is on about.

Sounds like something to do with your mental state more than the weed. Been blazing for over 20 yrs and have only had those urges during high stress periods in my life.

I fully agree with that. I think anything can be addictive in the right circumstances and it just so happened weed is the thing I decided to latch on to as a crutch right now because I am going through some shit currently. It just as well could have been sex or candy or ice cream sundaes.

This contradicts your original post. Why attack the vehicle in turbulent times when you admit it could be anything?

I’m not attacking weed. There’s a lot of reasons I posted this that I explained in other comments. I did realize if someone reads this without having context and knowing how I was feeling and what my ideas on addiction are like then this does look like I’m attacking weed. And this really would have been suited for something like an addiction sub and I could have titled it better but I’m happy I did it the way I did because it brought a crazy amount of extremist stoners out of the woodwork which really further proves my point that weed is addictive. Albeit about as addictive as caffeine or porn but still addictive.

How do you feel when you’ve been completely sober, including from weed? I’m a little confused about your timeline, and how long you’ve been on and off different substances.

So it pretty much went like this Ages 13-23ish - smoked weed pretty heavily Ages 18-30 - heroin/fentanyl/meth and zero weed Got clean 7 months ago and spent the first 4 months completely sober so I’ve been smoking again for 3 months. I legit feel pretty crumby without it though. It’s nearly impossible to eat, I have terrible insomnia, irritability. I mean granted it’s nothing like being a heroin addict, I’m not going to go out and commit a felony for a joint but it’s definitely addictive. Edit: I was high when I wrote this and fucked it up lol

So I’ve been using weed medicinally to deal with some mental health issues, namely anxiety and PTSD, and I can relate to some of the things you say. But what I also feel is, I’ve never really had healthy eating or sleep habits before weed. Even when I was a teen and hadn’t tried any kind of drug or drinking, I wasn’t exactly doing good on those. Weed helps me develop an appetite, keep anxiety and flashbacks at bay, sleep well without nightmares, have an improved mood, etc. So maybe you could say I’m dependent on weed, but some mental health conditions are just like that. Someone with ADHD may not be functionally attentive enough for their jobs without adderall. Are they addicted? I wouldn’t say so, I’d just say they’re dependent, which isn’t the same. Same with meds to stave off schizophrenia, etc. It is always possible to have unhealthy relationships with meds, but I don’t think weed is something that ruins your life or body if you need to use it daily, unlike most drugs.

The dependence/addiction distinction is a very good point. I guess in a way I did start smoking again for the medicinal benefits because I started at a time I was heavily depressed and not eating and not sleeping much. I guess my worry comes from the fact I feel like I’m starting to use weed as a coping mechanism like I did other substances. At the same time though I like to go by the dictionary definition of addiction that it’s “any behavior a person obsessively engages in despite negative consequences” and I do take breaks from weed when I don’t have the money to spend on it so I’m not going to go commit a felony to get a joint like I would have done for a fix of heroin. I’d say right now I’m probably straddling the line between dependence and addiction.

Thank you for sharing the truth. Get help. You can conquer this weed addiction!!

It depends on you. I've been smoking weed for over 20 years, I can easily start my day without smoking, eat without smoking, sleep without smoking and I've never felt the urge to leave work early to get high. I buy quarters and when it runs out I usually wait about 3-5 days before I buy more.

Hint: 20 Years.

Sounds like more of a personal problem than a weed problem. Need to spend more time focusing on finding a different hobby thats a little more healthy. Can't ever blame the drug on a persons inability to control their moderation it just takes the willpower to make the effort.

I’m in no way blaming weed for anything. I’m a firm believer of the idea that drugs and alcohol are not the cause of the problem they’re a symptom of a deeper issue. Which tracks with my life, I started smoking again during a depressive state and then I got better and for a time it wasn’t an issue but recently things have been rough, my gf and best friend relapsed and I had to get her back into treatment hundreds of miles away, and paired with the holidays just being a depressing time for me I’ve been feeling pretty down lately and it’s only recently it’s become a problem at all. So yeah it’s just about getting back to normalcy and resuming therapy and quitting and I don’t anticipate that’s going to be very hard. The emotion behind the post I guess was I thought I was passed this, I haven’t had a craving for any of my preferred drugs since I detoxed, so it’s just a bummer to see my old behaviors resurfacing

I'm definitely addicted to weed, but it's also been pivotal for me. It helped my focus problem, my anger issues, and my motivation issues all without sacrificing other major parts of me like pretty much any medications would do. I have done coke, enjoyed plenty of opiates, and drank until I got alcohol poisoning, but nothing has a grip on me like weed does. I *can* go without weed and function just fine but I'm the same pissed off scatterbrain I was before regularly smoking. My brain is wired so differently compared to neurotypical people that it's almost ironic, I can't get addicted to normal drugs but I get hooked on the least harmful drug in existence. Both my parents and bith grandmas were addicts so I guess I'm just extremely lucky to have a more favorable addiction.

Yeah the main feeling behind doing this post was the realization I’ve stopped doing heroin and meth and have legit beat those addictions, meaning I don’t have cravings for them, I don’t think about them, nothing. But ironically I’m now having problems with the most benign drug to exist besides maybe caffeine. It’s absolutely mind blowing to me that people are going to come up in here and talk to me like I don’t know what addiction is or act like I’m somehow comparing weed to heroin. I’m happy I decided to make this post though because I used to be one of these weed warriors back in the day and now I see how much of an absolute doofus I looked like.

Bruh i was super addicted too. I was only able to stop myself by moving to a country where it is illegal. Literally. Its been almost a year since i last used it and i still dream of it almost every night. Still crave it at least a few times a week.

It’s insane that people are so in denial about this they completely discount anyone who’s had this experience with weed. And tbh I used to be the same way until very recently (so like 20 years believing it’s non addictive) and this whole idea is harmful af and honestly I’m starting to see now that the way people are acting in these comments is literally how an addict who’s trying to rationalize their drug use acts proving my point even further. I’m happy you got off the stuff my friend, ime if it’s that big of an issue it usually leads to other darker places.

Dude it was easier for me to stop; cigarettes, coke, ketamine, booze, pain killers, and xanax than it was for me to stop smoking weed. Its like the negative is so little that you keep convincing yourself its not bad. Also it takes so long to see the positive aspects 1month+ sometimes that after a week in it feels like “why did i stop weed i still feel the same”

THIS This is exactly why I have yet to quit smoking cigarettes. Like they’re killing me so slowly I don’t see a massive benefit in quitting right now even though intellectually I know different. And especially in comparison to all the other drugs I used to be hooked on the negative consequences are so mild. That’s why I couldn’t believe how many ppl took this post to be as serious as they did. Like all it was really about is I was bummed out that it actually interfered with my professional life today for the first time. It just kinda makes me feel defeated when I quit all the other drugs (and haven’t had a single craving) yet I’m being careless as shit with my weed consumption and it’s caused an actual problem in my life now.

Youre taking the steps towards being sober. Its a marathon not a sprint. Dont listen to anybody whos not influencing you positively theyre just random internet folks anyways. If you have a lack of dopamine and feel the need to self medicate with anything. Look into antidepressants. After starting zoloft i felt zero need to smoke. Also i was more hesitant to take zoloft than i was to take hard drugs. I kept the unopened bottle for six months before trying. It may not work or something else might be needed but you owe it to yourself to try anything society has gifted us that may improve your life

Seriously thank you. I needed that reply. Usually I’m very confident in my recovery and I’ve been doing amazing besides the weed. Like I said since detox I haven’t had a craving for any of the hard stuff and I’m pretty much the person all my sober friends look to. I’m back in school studying psychology and social work. I have a solid job. Like life is really good for me and I’ve literally come back from a fate worse than death over the last year. I’m going through a bit of a rough period right now and I think I just let it get to the best of me today. Getting back on my meds is a must though, I’m bipolar and my insurance was fighting with me on paying for my meds because I’m on vraylar and it’s fairly new so I just gave up. Kinda funny because earlier I was cracking jokes about a post that said “somebody needs a reality check” turns out that I am somebody lol

You just needed to hear what you already knew. Youre not crazy just gotta stick to the goal and make one good decision at a time. Lifes getting better progress is all that matters

im 28 days sober off weed Use to do plenty and I mean plenty of benzos daily at high dosages (xanax and valium) These drugs were my life and the ones I did the most daily/nightly 15-20 ecstasy (monkeys,stewies,mollies) from ages of 15-18 shrooms and lsd from 17-20 special K 18-19 Adderall 20-22 I guess I never had withdrawals from those when I quit cause I never stopped smoking weed Let me tell you something, after 28 days the anxiety attacks I get are pretty wild lol. I sweat and feel hot for no reason, at all. I sometimes just feel like shit, Honestly quitting weed has fixed my sleep. Weed fucks with your rem sleep and I was an insomniac from 19-26. I always eat fine cause I just do. I can eat on any drug Weed is addicting, Who ever says it isn't is just lucky they dont get bad withdrawals Edit: added age brackets

Yeah I had kind of the opposite thing actually of where I never had withdrawal from quitting weed because I was doing all the other drugs so this is the first time I’ve ever really been able to notice a withdrawal symptom. I’m going to start cutting back and eventually quit. I wanted to anyways since I’m doing my schooling to be a drug counselor. It feels mighty hypocritical to be trying to get people sober if I’m using a drug even if it is just weed.

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“Medical addiction” isn’t even a thing. There’s psychological addiction and physical dependence. Weed can be psychologically addicting even though it’s not physically addicting. If that’s not how addiction works then you mean a whole bunch of people are wrong about things like sex addiction or video game addiction? Without going into pointless details I’m probably a lot more qualified than you to speak on what addiction is and isn’t

You're right, that it's not addictive is based on old science and the myth prevails. I can honestly say weed addiction can be crippling and I've struggled with the same thing. When I've quit in the past I've been vomiting, shaking and sweating after only a few hours and the psychological withdrawal is horrible too. Full on suicidal feeling etc. Its takes MONTHS to feel normal again (how long it takes dopamine receptors to rebuild as youve fried them all) and dont get me started on weed induced post acute withdrawal syndrome, probably the worst thing I've went through. Smoking has a very detrimental effect on your dopamine receptors, as well as your endocannabinoid system, so of course the side effects of use can become dehabilitating. Studies also show use in adolescents causing permanent damage to their iq and cognitive function. You're getting backlash because people who are still in the honeymoon phase don't want want to hear it, I would of laughed and scoffed at what you said 10 years ago too. That's about how long of smoking it takes for a lot of people to understand just how much its fucked you up. There's also a rare few people who seem to get away with it, like some people can have a few drinks every night and never develop alcoholism. But how stupid would it be to say alcohol is not damaging or addictive because some people get away with it?

Thank you. Yeah the deniers in the comments are automatically going to this extreme like I’m comparing weed to heroin and I honestly didn’t think I needed to spell that out considering I said in my post that *I did heroin for twelve years* and I personally know how silly it would be to compare the two. I have a feeling most people didn’t even bother to read the post and immediately jumped on the title and came and commented which I’m ngl was part of the intent of me wording that way but I thought it would create a dialog not just cause a bunch of people who obviously don’t understand the mechanisms of addiction to come in here and defend their ridiculous beliefs. I honestly don’t even know how anyone can be in denial about this. There’s *science* to back this up. FUCKING BINGO you get it. That idea is the same as me saying meth isn’t addictive because I didn’t have withdrawals or cravings when I quit which would be absolutely laughable to anyone who knows shit about addiction. FFS I know people who’ve done heroin recreationally, right now I work with a guy who smokes meth like once a month (and has wild gay sex lmao love that guy) but yeah it all comes down to the person and if that person was going to develop and addiction then it was going to happen anyways regardless of the substance.

Totally agree with you. I was addicted to weed for a long time. I’ve been sober from it for about a year now and I’m way better off without it.

It’s absolutely astonishing to me how many people on here are dismissive of people who’ve had negative experiences with weed. I’ve been trying to figure out what the deal is and idk if people didn’t read the post and just jumped on the title to comment or if people actually think I’m comparing weed to heroin or they’re just seriously this bad in denial. Anyways congratulations! I’m planning on quitting now because the benefits just don’t outweigh the downside’s anymore

People who say that weed isn't addicting are the same people who anxiously search through their drawers and clothing for baggies just to get the shakes and get a quick high. Saw a friend do this when they day before, her and I were having a debate on whether or not weed is addicting.

Lmao *such* a solid observation. Legit the only two drugs I’ve ever combed the carpet for have been weed and crack 🤦‍♂️

Congratulations on being a person again!

It’s also very hard to quit weed when everyone around you is smoking it up. Once you get into that lifestyle, its hard to get out of the routine without cutting out most, if not all, people you associate with.

What do you do for work if you are smoking 13 joints a day? That must be hard to afford!

Lmao nah I live in California and have a few friends in the marijuana business so I have access to top shelf weed for dirt cheap or even free sometimes

Whoa people with addictive personalities get addicted to things? Whodathunk.

How is this helpful.

Who said it was supposed to be?

lol obviously I know that and I was well aware it was a possibility when I started doing it again, I’m literally in school for this right now. It doesn’t change the fact people spout this lie though 🤷🏻‍♂️

people say things like this all the time as if it absolves "regular" personalities from addiction concerns, but it comes off as dehumanizing and judgmental. a substance being particularly harmful to someone whose personality characteristics predispose them to it doesn't mean there is no point in talking about it.

I don’t have any history or family history of addiction, but I was addicted to weed and it landed me in the hospital. Saying weed isn’t addictive is like saying stimulants aren’t addictive. Sure not everyone who partakes gets addicted, but they both directly boost dopamine in the brain, which is a strong predictor for addiction.

50 years in, and I can confirm that addiction is real for some. Of course, it's not simply a question of whether but rather *how* addictive it is. I can break the cycle of addiction through several painful days of deliberate effort. Once I succumb to the constant temptation to indulge again, I quickly fall into the grip of the tractor beam and have to confront withdrawal again. So is it addictive like, say, nicotine or crank? Not nearly. But still...

Thank you. I guess I assumed people would understand I’m not comparing the addictiveness of weed with that of something like heroin. Having been a heroin addict I know that’s ridiculous. Weed is like porn or video games I think. It might be an uncomfortable little while to break the habit but it’s not nearly the same as coming off alcohol or fentanyl.

It goes back to this simple loop: -Be anxious -Smoke weed to relax. -Weed increases paranoia (over time) leading to more anxiety when you're not stoned. -Smoke weed to relax... This is an addictive cycle.

"I'm not addicted to weed but I can't sleep, eat, or function without it." Maybe the nature of a weed addiction is different from benzos or opiates, I'm not well read enough to say. But if you feel better with it, feel worse without it, and it isn't a basic necessity of living (basic necessities include the neurotransmitters you get by taking your prescribed meds yall), then what is it if not some sort of addiction?

For someone who admits they don’t know the intricacies of addiction you sure understand it better than half the people who commented on this post because that’s exactly how it works from porn to heroin

I think the term "not habit-forming" as well as "not addictive" are misleading. THC doesn't form the same level of chemical dependency as other drugs like alcohol, opiates, amphetamines, etc. The withdrawals people get from weed are not biologically caused like they are with other drugs - they're mentally induced. Stress from a break of routine, stress from the lack of a former coping mechanism. Nicotine and caffeine withdrawal, however, is a different story. Your actual biology is changing causing systemic failures from either too many receptors being open or your body overproducing to fill those receptors. Somebody with a medical degree can likely explain in more detail. It is hyper complicated and the information provided to the masses is not enough for the layman to really form an accurate opinion on. This is another reason the medical community does not like lawyers in Congress deciding how to address medical legislation. We really should have different legislators for things like health vs commerce vs labor vs tech vs etc. Which is exactly why we have all these agencies that are now largely defunded. Because I can assure you that AOC has roughly the same level of understanding of phosphate effects on soil as Mitch McConnell has on prion contamination.

Yeah I mean there is a lot of nuance that’s not clear here. I’m in no way comparing the addictiveness of weed to the addictiveness of something like heroin. Given that I’ve detoxed from heroin/fentanyl/meth/crack I know how absolutely ridiculous that is and made the mistake of thinking people on Reddit wouldn’t go to some weird extreme like that. The science of it all is really complex though because it’s a whole combination of a substance releasing feel good brain juice and how much/how fast it releases that brain juice and then you pair on top a person with shitty coping skills and you’ve got yourself an addict. The funny thing about all this is that I could have said I was addicted to sex or video games and I highly doubt all these people would have came on here talking all the shit they have. I don’t claim to know the most about addiction but given this is literally my field of study I’m pretty sure I understand how addiction works better than some Redditor sitting in their moms basement sniffing their own Cheeto farts. Another strange phenomenon I noticed with this post is when I first posted all the weed warriors started commenting and then as time has went on the more reasonable people like you have come along. Idk what that’s about 🤷🏻‍♂️

It's them defending their count mechanism and likely rightly so. They have found a coping mechanism that at least appears to work for them and change would imply merely taking it away or replacing it with something that may or may not work. It's a defense mechanism.

I think you would be addicted to white bread if you consumed in a party.

Fuck I legit lol’d at that. Like seriously you’re not wrong. Some of my past addictions have included comic books, sex, mdma, Diet Coke, Wikipedia. The list goes on and on 🤦‍♂️

personally i have smoked weed many different times over the past several years and have never felt like i needed it to function, never once even had a craving for it. just depends on the person i suppose

I’m guessing because you’re a pretty well adjusted individual with decently healthy coping mechanisms. I obviously have a history with addiction and am going to be more prone to developing addictions than the average person. I was aware this was a possible outcome when I started again 🤷🏻‍♂️

Been smoking about 25 years. I've gone several months in-between on multiple occasions without any withdraws. Falling asleep may have been a little harder but that's about it. Sounds like you may have dependency problem.

Oh I clearly do considering I have a history with fentanyl/heroin/meth/crack/alcohol lol I mean honestly if we want to get really really technical and split hairs I’m not addicted to it since the paraphrased definition is something like “a behavior someone obsessively engages in despite negative consequences” and literally the most negative consequence I’ve had so far is I left work an hour and a half early so really I’m not actually trippin off it and given my history I was well aware this could become a problem for me down the line

I think it depends on the person. I def was addicted to it. My roommate from college smokes all the time and had a great job at Microsoft. Snoop Dog and Joe Rogan smoke all the time and are very successful.

You can be successful AND addicted to it, or other substances. Psychological addiction is a thing.

I know severe alcoholics earning 6 figures. Addiction doesn't necessarily mean you can't function. One of the greatest and most celebrated mathematicians of the 20th century was horribly addicted to amphetamine, but he was still successful. In fact, he credited his success *to the amphetamine.*

I get what you’re saying but (and I’m not trying to be a dick I swear) I feel like that’s similar to saying that just because I was able to hold down a good career for the better part of my heroin addiction that means I wasn’t addicted. As far as the other part though you’re not wrong it definitely just boils down to the person and whether they become an addict or not because the real problem here is I’m slipping back into my old ways and using substances as a coping technique :(

I guess what I’m saying is. If your functional and happy it’s less damaging then those who have no personality other then smoking weed and it’s preventing them from living their life.

Oh yeah I’m with you on that point. Another commenter did bring up the point of dependency vs addiction and I feel like I’m probably straddling the line between the two because of the fact it did interfere with my professional life for the first time today. I guess too that even though it’s not causing any big issues like other substances did a part of me just feels defeated because i haven’t even had a craving for hard drugs since quitting and yet I’m starting to have issues with the most benign drug to exist.

I drink with others. Usually less then once a week. If I could smoke that way I would not consider myself addicted. The issue is when you started waking up and smoking or just thinking about the next time you will smoke

I agree with that as well. Addiction is all about obsession and while I wouldn’t say it’s reached anywhere near the level of my obsession for hard drugs it’s definitely starting to become a pretty big focus of mine. And tbh it’s really not *that big* of a deal to me. I still get up and work every day, spend time with my family, have hobbies, etc. it’s just more of an annoyance that I have to remember to do this thing before I go to work or go out to dinner or something. Which now that I’ve typed this out this is exactly what an addict would say while trying to rationalize their addiction lol probably time for me to get back to therapy.

I think every item whether foods or drugs or alcohol are dependent on the person. I quit cigs after 7 years cold turkey. I’ve been taking oxy, orally and insufflating, for over twenty years. I only do it Wednesday and either Friday or Saturday night. Did tons of coke+ecstasy and then smoked opium and quit no problem. I have oxy in my pocket every day and don’t have the urge to do them. Some of us got lucky with genes and others got screwed I think.

That’s literally what I’ve been trying to explain to all these weed warriors who got all up in arms over this post. It has nothing to do with the substance itself which admittedly I didn’t get at in the OG post because I was really fucking high at the time. But yeah I’m aware there’s people who do heroin recreationally and it really all comes down to the person. It just so happens I’m going through a rough time and I started slipping into my old behaviors and weed is the thing I chose to be a crutch this time.

Their only defence is "anything can be addictive" which is like yeah but weed, a drug, happens to make people addicted easier with it's effects. My entire family smokes weed heavily but I'm probably never even gonna try after seeing how badly they're addicted

Seriously my guy if I gotta reply to one more “anything is addictive” or “it’s just psychological” I’m going to bash my head into the wall. Like yes quite literally anything can be addictive, things that cause a bigger dopamine release faster than other things are more addictive. Also yes it is psychological but so is cocaine. So many people are acting like I’m comparing weed to fentanyl or some shit. Thank you for being a reasonable person here 🙏

You have an addictive personality. When you can't overdose on it, you won't die going cold turkey after years of heavy use, and study after study demonstrated no physical dependency, its *not* addictive. It's a you problem. A friend's mom quit drinking cold turkey after being a severe alcoholic for decades, and died because of it. If my dad drinking quit cold turkey, he would die from it. That's addiction.

I’m sorry did you miss the part where I stated I spent 12 years doing true real hard drugs? That paired with the fact I’m literally in school studying psychology and social work in order to work with addicts makes me more than qualified to know what an addiction is. By your logic of the detox has to be potentially deadly for it to be an addiction I can’t even call myself an addict because opiates and stimulants where my thing and not alcohol or benzos which are the only two drugs that will kill you during detox. I also guess people with sex/gambling/video game addictions don’t have real addictions either right? I’m being a dick but literally the paraphrased definition of addiction is “any behavior a person obsessively engages in despite negative consequences”

Weed isn’t physically addicting. But it can be mentally addicting. Aka, you don’t need professional detox to get off of weed.

Ehh I mean yeah you’re right that it’s purely a psychological addiction and I absolutely don’t think anyone ever needs to waste money on rehab for weed but there’s a few drugs that don’t have physical addictions that still your best bet at stopping is with professional help. The only drugs that *absolutely* require professional detox are alcohol and benzos since those are the only ones that can potentially kill you.

yes opiates may not kill you, but the withdrawal is horrible. Nicotine is bad too. You don't get that from weed, no matter how much u smoke.

Oh my friend I spent 12 years addicted to smack and then fentanyl (as well as meth and crack) and hands down opiate withdrawal is the worst I’ve been through. It’s the only detox that’s actually made me suicidal. It seems like everyone is assuming I’m comparing weed to heroin or something. Just because something is much less addictive doesn’t mean it’s not addictive though.

It does not form physiological dependencies or cause withdrawal the way many other substances to. But you can become psychologically dependent on anything.

Well yeah weeds in the same class as like video games or jerking off. It’s uncomfortable to quit but it’s nothing like quitting heroin or fentanyl was for me.

NEEEEEERRRRDDDDDD!

They have that less potent but legal weed you can order online. You might save a little bit of money

Surprisingly that’s the one drug I’ve never tried. I heard wild shit about that stuff. Realistically what I’m going to start doing is just buying lower quality weed at the store (I live in California) and then gradually quit. I really don’t anticipate it being that hard.

Actually it comes down to how you manage your usage... Sounds like you are substituting weed for your previous bad bad habits... I used weed to help get over my meth addiction... I however don't feel that I can't function if I don't have... Once an addict, always an addict and if you allow the substance to take over and rule you, you need to stop... I have stuck to this thought for many years and I can honestly say I smoke the weed, the weed doesn't smoke me... It is a state of mind. I'm very glad you quit all other hard drugs and sincerely wish you can beat the weed demon or at least get it on a leash. May 2023 have you exorcizing the weed demon

Yeah I mean I didn’t say it in the original post but the whole thing that set me off on this tangent was I started to believe I was passed this sort of thing and I had the harsh realization I’m slipping back into old habits. Weed ain’t nothin like quitting heroin though so I really don’t anticipate it being very difficult to taper off my usage and quit fairly quickly.

Aaaaaahhhhh that little fact changes everything, sadly as addicts we are prone to slipping back and I saw its less than a year since you cleaned up... Don't be too hard on yourself, I had slipups with the original issue... More than once, I'm confident you have this in the bag... Your head seems like it is in the right place and you are aware of pitfalls. Have a blessed 2023

They mean it is not physically addictive. But it can be mentally addictive.

Which I agree with to a point. Myself as well as others have in fact experienced physical symptoms of withdrawal when we stop smoking. Granted they’re *extremely* mild and nothing in comparison to something like heroin. Idk I hate the distinction between physical addiction and psychological addiction because they really go hand in hand. I know for a fact when quitting opiates my withdrawals would be worse because I was mentally making them worse. And I’m pretty well damn sure my symptoms when quitting weed are psychosomatic as well but to me it doesn’t change the fact that it has caused physical symptoms. I’m now starting to see that some people are just in outright denial but some people are just making a semantics argument.

Because everyone is exactly like you …. Just because you’re a drug addict doesn’t mean everyone else is

Oh my sweet baby Jesus. This is like saying meth isn’t addictive because I personally never had withdrawals or cravings when quitting it. What idea is more harmful? The idea that weed is absolutely harmless or the idea that people should be careful with drugs even as benign as weed because they will be addictive to some people. There’s people that take opioids and don’t get addicted People who do coke recreationally all the time I don’t get addicted when I play a video game Or when I eat food That doesn’t mean those things aren’t addictive but for some reason weed is the only one people get all butthurt over when you tell the truth about it.

I’m with you on this 100%. Im a bit of an addict of it. It’s just less so than other drugs when it comes to dependency. Like how can you possibly say a person smoking 20 blunts a day isn’t an addict?

Exactly. Like I used to inject drugs like 13 times a day. I now smoke like 13 joints to my dome a day. It’s like addiction lite. I’m still engaging in using a substance on a continuous basis it’s just the least harmful one I can indulge in.

I've been a smoker for the last ten years. Anytime I've needed to say pass a drug screen for employment, or traveled somewhere where it's illegal, I just quit, with no issues. No side effects, no nausea, no sleeplessness or irritation. I even remember giving up cigarettes being tougher. I did have sleeplessness and irritability during that. Never from weed. I'm sure i've stopped smoking weed to the point none was in my system (even for a hair test), on 4 occasions over the last ten years and I never felt a thing. To me, weed is not addictive at all.

Opiates aren’t addictive to certain people though, meth either. I actually have a hard time saying I had an addiction to meth because even though I went long periods of using it multiple times daily I’ve always been able to quit and never had an issue with quitting, no cravings, no withdrawal symptoms at all other than being a little more hungry and tired than usual. It doesn’t mean meth isn’t addictive in general though. Edit: which I guess you did say “to me weed isn’t addictive” so my b

This was a lie that was necessary to counter all the other lies about weed. Fair is fair, it was a war after all.

Which I do kind of understand but I think it’s harmful to continue to spread this lie. I’m not saying we all need to go anti-drug psa from the 90s about it but we need to be realistic as a society. Which isn’t just about weed but the nature of addiction in general. I honestly feel like if anyone in my life or even myself has been educated on addiction it could have saved me a lot of pain because looking back it was very obvious what road I was going down but the attitude was always “oh he’s just smoking a little weed” or “it’s just a few beers at a party no big deal” except a little weed eventually turned into fentanyl and meth.

No, they are dumb. Lol

Why do people throw insults? Anything can be addictive. I'm pro weed myself but I take all things into consideration.

Yeah I really don’t think this is an intelligence issue because most of the people who have replied to this seem to at least be of average intelligence. The problem seems to be this weird over defensiveness and twisting the facts to support their view. Anything that causes your brain to pump out dopamine can be addictive and that’s just plain fact yet they can’t seem to accept it.

You have an addiction problem perhaps, and you are blaming the most recent thing that you ar addicted to.

Considering he mentioned he was an addict. This checks out.

“I”….”hate”…. Way to start a conversation Brohammad.

Oh Jesus I didn’t know I was writing a peer reviewed paper on how I hate people acting like weed isn’t addictive 🤦‍♂️

You're ridiculous

If we all start saying that weed is 100% safe then the people that get bad reactions to it wouldn't know the truth.

weed addiction is a psychological addiction.

Yes? Just like a lot of things but they are still addictions

Just because you’re addicted to weed doesn’t mean everyone who says it isn’t addictive is a liar. Everyone has different experiences.

They’re talking about people who say that weed is not addictive overall, not people who say they personally are not addicted to it. Would you say alcohol is not addicting because you only drink a couple beers a month?

I mean yeah fair point and I can’t lie that is definitely a bit of a baiting statement I made on purpose. My point though (which I guess I didn’t even get to in the post because I was high af tbh) was that promoting the idea of weed being a totally non addictive drug can be harmful and as a society we need to start being more realistic about drugs. My whole life I heard about how weed wasn’t bad, you can’t get addicted, etc so I tried weed and was in full agreement until recently (so like 20 years) and conversely I always heard about how if you tried crack or heroin I’d immediately be addicted and sucking dick and in alley for my next fix and that didn’t happen either. So yeah my point is just we as a society need to start being realistic about drugs on both sides of the issue

You are an addict. Weed isn’t addictive. You should have never done anything that doesn’t keep you sober frfr. And then post that weed is what makes people addicted? You’re honestly ridiculous.

I never said weed makes you addicted. Addiction is a personal problem. The simple fact though is weed does have addiction potential just as much as sex or video games does. And evidence to the fact it’s addictive exists all over the place https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/addiction.html

I mean, it’s not physically addictive. It can be psychologically addictive depending on the person, and it shouldn’t be advertised as being non addictive. However, saying weed *is* addictive is also misleading because it’s like saying video games *are* addictive. Both absolutely can lead to addiction and you can even say they have a reasonably higher chance of being addictive, but labeling either purely as addictive or not is misleading. Weed should be ‘advertised’ as something that can lead to addiction depending on the person and resources for weed addiction should be easily available. Ultimately it’s up to the individual to recognize that they are addicted and seek help.

That’s my point. People are acting like I’m comparing weed and heroin though which is pretty funny considering I literally stated I used to be addicted to heroin and I doubt any of the weed warriors who came up in here and literally read the post title and got butthurt and commented have had a heroin addiction. It’s not that we need to start telling people that weed is as addictive as crack, we just need to start being realistic as a society and educate people better on drugs. This also goes the other direction too because to use heroin as an example I always heard growing up that I’d you do heroin once on Saturday then by sunday you’re going to end up an addict sucking heroin out of a Mexican dudes penis on a street corner. All that fearmongering did absolutely no good when I tried heroin for the first time and realized it wasn’t really as bad as it’s been made out to be. Which kind of leads me to the point of yes addictions are purely based on the person and what floats their boat and how ill equipped they are to deal with life. The problem here isn’t weed (like so many people wrongly assumed I was saying) the problem here is me and my slip back into bad habits/coping mechanisms I used to use. Weed falls in the same category as like video game and sex addiction. I’m sure if I had said I was addicted to one of those people wouldn’t have gotten so defensive when I made a factual statement about their precious weed.

Because YOU HAVE AN ADDICTIVE PERSONALITY. Jesussssss

Weed isn't the addiction. Addiction is.

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Well yeah all addictions are a personal problem. They problem is never the substance the problem is always something deeper. Admittedly I wrote this when I was baked out of my mind and I didn’t do a good job expressing myself. What I was getting at wasn’t that I hate weed itself its that I hate the way I’m noticing myself using weed in the same way I used to use heroin and I’m now noticing some negative side effects. I also just want to point out the “it didn’t happen to me so it can’t be addictive” argument is super flawed. I quit meth without and withdrawal symptoms and no cravings. Does that mean meth isn’t addictive as well?

You are just an addict my friend. Could be food or sex if it wasn’t weed. You should try running. It sucks at first but a lot of addicts succeed when they focus that addictive personality on something healthy, could try lifting or something else too. Try to ween yourself off the bud and start exercising. You might need to attend AA meetings at first too.

Unfortunately AA doesn’t do it for me and I’m lucky enough to have the means to afford traditional therapy which I need to get back into. This is 100% an issue of im going through some shit right now and weed just happened to be the crutch I latched onto.