How Marijuana Detox Helps with Withdrawal
One of the difficult aspects of marijuana addiction is that many people don’t believe in it. It can be nearly impossible to get the people around you to understand the serious consequences of your chronic marijuana use and the severity of your dependence upon it.
Detox is a resource that will not only take what you have to say seriously, it will do its best to help you eliminate marijuana from your body and help to prepare you for structured, formal drug rehabilitation.
A variety of rehabilitation and detoxification models have been developed and implemented in recent decades. There are detox programs that are specifically designed to treat marijuana detox and you can count on a professional staff invested in your abstinence from pot.
If you know that you need to stop using marijuana, then you need detox, the first step in rehabilitation. What follows will be a discussion of the ways that detox can help you with your withdrawal, but you can get even more information by simply calling Withdrawal.org and speaking with an expert. Call 888-602-1971(Who Answers?) to get your questions answered and to find recommendations for detox facilities that can get you on the road to recovery.
Marijuana Withdrawal
Apprehension and edginess are common marijuana withdrawal symptoms.
Before getting specifics of detox, it is important to clearly state the withdrawal symptoms that the detox will need to relieve.
If you are using a lot of marijuana or hash, you know that your drug of choice contains a lot of THC. When you detox from marijuana, your withdrawal symptoms are caused by your system’s diminishing levels of THC. In the past, medical science was firmly of the opinion that there are not THC withdrawal symptoms, But, more recently, experts have begun to acknowledge THC specific withdrawal symptoms.
THC abstinence syndrome, a fancy medical way of saying marijuana withdrawal, sets in within 24 hours after your last intake of pot. Some users do not experience any withdrawal symptoms, but heavy users generally do and the more chronic your usage the likelier you are to have symptoms and the more severe they will be.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognizes the following popular side effects of withdrawal.
- Apprehension
- Edginess
- Bad temper
- Trouble sleeping
- Alterations in appetite
Symptoms experienced less frequently are:
- Uncontrollable shaking
- Heavily perspiring
- Rapid heart rate
- Gastrointestinal disorders: nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
A structured, professional detoxification program will utilize a number of approaches to help manage these symptoms and others that may develop.
Medication
In general, clinicians aren’t able to prescribe a marijuana specific medication, as they would with opioid withdrawal, because there aren’t any. However, many programs do dispense medications to combat specific aspects of withdrawal. For example, Trazadone may be given to patients who are having trouble sleeping. Buspirone may be prescribed for persistent generalized anxiety.
Education
If you attempt to detox at home, the amount of information you have to operate with will be limited. Yes, you have the internet, but you don’t have years of withdrawal specific medical background. The facility will.
SAMHSA recommends detox programs educate the patient on the withdrawal process as a way to increase engagement and recovery. Learning about your symptoms has been shown to keep you participating in detox and more likely to continue recovery when it is finished. The literature states: “Providing information concerning withdrawal symptoms may reduce discomfort and the likelihood the individual will leave detoxification prematurely.”
Dual Diagnosis
Many marijuana users have another psychological condition in addition. Among those who entered marijuana treatment, a study in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse discovered:
- 28.8 percent had anxiety disorders
- 37.7 percent had depression
- 74 percent had a conduct disorder
- 77 percent had ADHD
A professional detox program will make sure that your detox doesn’t increase the difficulties you face from concurrent disorders. The facility will make sure that your treatment applies to both disorders and will ensure neither situation become worse during your time there.
In addition, your professional detox will involve in-depth assessments and your treatment program will be designed specifically to meet your needs. That level of care is more likely to result in success. To find a program that will guide you through detox, call 888-602-1971(Who Answers?) today.
