this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
999 points (90.8% liked)
Memes
45649 readers
1316 users here now
Rules:
- Be civil and nice.
- Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Marijuana is absolutely physically addictive as much as people want to say it isnt. Mind you im someone who smokes the minute they leave work until they go to bed. So im not here to push any kind of anti-marijuana view point, but i do think we as stoners should be honest. Everyone i know who stops smoking weed has two very common side effects.
I understand that this is a side effect of lack of REM but you cant say these aren’t physical withdrawal symptoms. Research is needed, but just because we all want it to be legal, doesn’t mean we should ignore the facts.
I mean it scientifically isn't though. Physical addictions don't just give you psychological withdrawals, they are physical. Your body becomes dependent on them to maintain homeostasis.
Cold turkeying drugs like opioids and benzos can kill you.
Just because the withdrawal symptoms aren’t as bad doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I said this before, research is needed. Going off of whats been said over the last 50 years of prohibition seems silly to me. And i for sure use marijuana to keep me in homeostasis. We need to stop saying psychological withdrawal doesnt have roots based in brain chemistry. I think everything we have begun to learn about mental health shows what little we actually know.
And just because there are withdrawals, doesn't mean that it's a physical addiction. Some psychological withdrawals are physical in nature, anxiety can increase cortisol output which leads to the withdrawal symptoms people speak of.
This is not the same as a physical dependency, where a person can become dangerously ill if they don't ween off their substances.
No you don't, you may use cannabis to self medicate for psychological effects, but you aren't doing it to make sure you don't start vomiting and running a fever.
No one is saying that..... That's precisely why a psychologicaly addictive is considered psychological. Physical addictions effect more than just brain chemistry.
I think you are just underestimating the span and severity of psychologicaly addictive substances. Just because it is not physically addictive doesn't mean it's not bad, it just less likely that your body forms a physical dependency on it.