Cannabis Addiction Help

Cassiobury Court is one of the leading addiction treatment clinics in the UK, we can provide Cannabis Addiction Help to individuals that are in need of treatment and advice about dealing with the problem.

Cannabis addiction is also known as ‘cannabis dependence’ or ‘cannabis use disorder’.

The medical description of cannabis addiction can be defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as the ‘continued use of cannabis despite significant impairment’. This definition fits the mould of other addictions defined in DSM-5.

Cannabis addiction generally ranges from mild to severe. Addiction to cannabis is a progressive disorder. This means the longer you are addicted to cannabis, the more severe your addiction will generally become.

Cannabis addiction is psychological in nature. When you become addicted to cannabis, physical dependency does not arise. This means cannabis dependency is purely psychological in nature. For this reason, some experts have termed cannabis addiction a ‘perceived’ addiction.

Signs and symptoms of cannabis addiction

The signs and symptoms associated with the addiction are not considered sufficiently serious to require urgent medical attention. This is because symptoms arising from a cannabis addiction are purely psychological in nature.
Symptoms indicating you could be suffering from an addiction to cannabis include:

Anxiety
Depression
Irritability
Restlessness
Sleep disturbance
Reduction in appetite

If a cannabis addiction has arisen and you attempt to stop using cannabis, you will generally begin to experience some or all of the above symptoms within days.

Signs you could be addicted to cannabis include:

You spend a great portion of your time finding and then using cannabis
You spend a disproportionate amount of time recovering from your heavy cannabis use
You miss important events or activities due to your cannabis use
You struggle with relationships due to your cannabis use
You continue to use cannabis despite knowledge of the negative consequences of continuing to do so

Mental health problems due to cannabis addiction

Cannabis addiction gives rise to a number of highly negative mental health problems. This includes anxiety disorder, acute psychosis, depersonalisation, mania, suicidal ideation and chronic psychosis.

The causes and risk factors

Cannabis addiction arises following long term exposure to the drug. Cannabis addiction also arises when strains of cannabis with high THC content are consumed. Use cannabis during adolescence also increases the risk of developing an addiction to cannabis.

One of the hallmarks of addiction is increased tolerance to cannabis. Another hallmark is when you experience withdrawal symptoms when you attempt to stop using cannabis.

Long term cannabis addiction causes changes in how cannabis is absorbed, metabolised and excreted in the body (known as pharmacokinetic changes). Due to prolonged use, the body improves its efficiency in eliminating cannabis from your system and means the user must take greater quantities of cannabis to achieve the desirable effects.

Secondly, long term cannabis use reduces the power of cannabis to stimulate pleasure producing neurotransmitters located in the brain. In order to experience the pleasure initiated by cannabis consumption, the long term user will be forced to consume greater quantities of the drug. This is known as pharmacodynamics changes to the brain caused by exposure to drugs such as cannabis.

Currently, there exists no medication capable of effectively treating an addiction to cannabis. A number of ‘talking therapies‘ and cognitive models exist to help treat cannabis. This includes attending 12-step meetings help by Cannabis Anonymous or undergoing treatment via an inpatient or outpatient cannabis rehab centre.

For individuals who are seeking cannabis addiction help and are deemed to be in need of treatment then the most proven way to effectively treat cannabis addiction is by undertaking a cannabis rehab programme.

The programmes are offered by residential clinics based throughout the country including ourselves.

If you are in need of any cannabis addiction help and advice then please reach out whether that’s by contacting our team or attending a local Cannabis Anonymous meeting.

Get in touch today

Cassiobury Court’s admission team are here to provide cannabis addiction help to individuals suffering from the addiction. For a free assessment and evaluation of your likely treatment needs, get in touch today.

We offer free guidance and help. We also advise on the best possible residential treatment that’s absolutely tailored to meeting your needs during your cannabis rehab programme. Call us on 01923 369 161.