Many states have legalized marijuana and the medical marijuana industry has been growing in leaps and bounds. Although it is more easily accessible and socially acceptable, marijuana isn’t necessarily good for your health and well-being. In fact, the long-term effects and short-term effects of weed have been linked to serious problems. You may ask yourself, should I stop smoking weed? Drug addiction, health problems and psychiatric disorders are three important reasons you should stop smoking weed.
Short-Term Effects of Weed
Marijuana can be addictive, whether it is smoked, inhaled through vaporizers, or ingested in food or drink. People who develop marijuana dependence may find that day-to-day problems start to add up. Over time, marijuana abuse can cut you off from having a normal life of development and growth. If you find you are using marijuana despite negative consequences in your life, it is time to stop smoking weed. When you can’t perform at work or your home life is falling apart, it’s time to stop smoking weed. Ask yourself if you are experiencing any of the following:
- Loss of focus. Heavy marijuana use can impair your ability to focus, make decisions and think through everyday situations.
- Mood changes. People who abuse marijuana experience euphoria while high, but the high is quickly followed by low or depressed mood. Suicidal thinking has been associated with smoking weed.
- Nausea and vomiting. This is one of the physical symptoms caused by the effects of weed.
- Memory impairment. Marijuana use can impact cognitive function, making it difficult to remember things. Impaired memory can hurt your performance at work, school and at home.
- Accidents. Marijuana smokers have more accidents, potentially leading to arrests and jail.
- Paranoia and anxiety. Marijuana can make people feel nervous, jumpy and paranoid. It has been tied to anxiety and panic attacks.
Long-Term Effects of Weed
Over time, your brain and body can become permanently damaged. The effects of weed on long-term health can be a high price to pay. Young people especially may not think marijuana side effects can impact their lives into adulthood. But the symptoms of marijuana use can be devastating. Long-term effects of marijuana can include:
- Toxicity to the underdeveloped brains of teens
- Abnormalities in the brain for people ages 18-25
- Heart problems or heart attack because it raises heart rate
- Chronic depression and mood swings
- Ongoing lung infections and chronic coughing
- Psychosis
- Testicular cancer in adolescents
Although there is a concern that marijuana smoke can lead to lung cancer, the American Lung Association warns this must be studied further. However, it has confirmed the detrimental impact on lung health.
How Marijuana Treatment Can Help
In addition to all the other effects of weed, marijuana can cause your life to spin out of control. If you find yourself losing jobs and opportunities or having problems at home or in relationships, look at your patterns of marijuana use. Are you isolating and thinking all the time about finding the drug and using it? It may be time to stop smoking weed. If you use marijuana regularly, there’s a good chance you also use other substances. You may also have an underlying mental health condition. For example, marijuana has been known to cause temporary hallucinations and paranoia. These may not last for some people, but for someone with schizophrenia it can exacerbate the symptoms of the disease. Anxiety is another condition associated with pot smoking. Research shows people with social anxiety tend to be the most vulnerable to marijuana use. Identifying and treating a dual diagnosis of marijuana addiction and mental health disorders is a key to stop smoking weed. It can be difficult to give up drugs and alcohol on your own. Drug rehab treatment can help in some of the following ways:
- Exploring underlying trauma. Many people use marijuana in an attempt to cope with emotional pain or past trauma. Trauma can result from abandonment, abuse and loss. Working on these issues can help uncover the reason you got addicted to marijuana in the first place.
- Repairing the damage. The damage to the brain caused by chronic marijuana use can be significant and lasting. Strategies you learn in drug rehab can help you cope with effects like impaired memory and loss of focus. Inpatient treatment also gives your brain time to repair the damage of marijuana abuse.
- Learning to deal with triggers. Without new skills to manage triggers like drug-using friends, most people find themselves regularly craving and using drugs. But when you identify these issues in treatment, you can learn the best ways to cut triggers out of your life and manage stress.
- Learning to live in the present. Treatment for addiction can help you find your way to a healthier, more balanced life. You’ll develop mindfulness tools to stay in the present moment and cope with difficult emotions without using drugs.
If you need to stop smoking weed, you don’t have to go it alone. Marijuana addiction treatment through Inpatient drug rehab can help you get on the path of healing, renewal and better health.
