It is difficult to envision a recovery meeting without caffeine and nicotine. The constant companions of many individuals in recovery, including people escaping “harder” intoxicants, and as many recovering alcoholics can attest, switching from alcohol to sugar is almost inevitable.
Recovering addicts achieve sobriety when they abstain from “the recreational use of ‘mood-altering’ substances,” as writer Katie MacBridge recently observed in Rolling Stone. Purists may ask why it is alright for an addict to contaminate his brain with a steady flow of stimulants. However, there’s a larger problem at hand than denying someone a caffeine buzz.
Like the rest of society, alcoholics and addicts require drugs, too. As MacBridge points out, addicts with a real need for treatment for an underlying medical condition such as anxiety or chronic pain are left with a hard choice. Should they find a way to bear life while suffering the pain? Should they try to take something for it and gamble with slipping back into chemical dependency? The third option could be to use non-psychoactive cannabis.
Marijuana is not accepted by addiction researchers or 12-step program sponsors. They will point out that the point of using cannabis is to get high, which leads to poor decision-making and they may slip into old habits. There’s also the real fact that marijuana may may also be addictive. One of cannabis’ largest selling points is cannabidiol, or CBD, which is the chemical associated with treating epilepsy in children, without getting them high. Though the major review of marijuana’s stance in the medical industry released showed limited evidence for its adequacy in treating conditions like PTSD and anxiety. Individuals suffering with those disorders swear by CBD as a tonic. When faced with a choice between highly addictive medicines like Valium or Xanax, common sense indicates weed is the safer option.
MAPH Enterprises, LLC | (305) 414-0128 | 1501 Venera Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33146 | new@marijuanastocks.com
