Can You Become Physically Addicted to Marijuana

A man by the name of Joseph felt a bit depressed after a death in his family and he thought that smoking some pot would make him feel better. However, this was not the case; Joseph ended up smoking marijuana daily which made him sleep into a constant state of paranoia as he became more and more concerned with how others saw him. There were even days where he did not show up to his house, shower, or even eat anything healthy.

“I always thought (marijuana) would bring down my anxiety, but it just made it that much worse,” Joseph said.

He continued to tell a story about how he had gotten so intoxicated one time that he began pacing around and eventually started “freaking out” after seeing his own lean appearance. His brother ended up taking him “to a Rosecrance drug treatment center in Rockford, where he entered an inpatient program.” As a result, Joseph was able to stop smoking till he finished high school final exams but then began smoking once again. Later on, he wound up feeling suicidal and went back to the treatment center and continued to join a 12-step program. Joseph is now 19 with seven months clean while still in a treatment center.

Those who smoke marijuana will call stories such as this “Reefer Madness.” Studies show that the majority of marijuana users do not actually become addicted and eventually quit as they grow older. However, the National Institute on Drug Abuse predicted that 9% of smokers will become addicted; that number may even rise depending on the age that person began smoking marijuana.

“I think we’re entering a critical time because it gives people a license to say, ‘I’m going to use this for a medical reason,'” stated director of the Center for Addiction Medicine for Amita Health at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Hoffman Estates, Linda Lewaniak. “It opens the door to a lot of potential abuse.”