Is your loved one using ganja? Maybe you’ve noticed a change in their lifestyle ever since they started smoking weed, and it has you concerned. Believe it or not, ganja addiction is very real. And if left untreated, it can consume your loved one’s life.
At Sana at Stowe in Stowe, Vermont, we understand the struggles your loved one faces with a ganja addiction. That’s why we offer comprehensive, compassionate weed addiction treatment in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains. With our help, your loved one can overcome the root causes of their struggles and reclaim their lives. But this journey starts with identifying addiction symptoms in your loved one and encouraging them to seek professional treatment.
Key Takeaways:
- Using ganja, also known as marijuana, can eventually lead to a ganja addiction, especially due to the drug’s high THC content.
- Ganja addiction occurs when the brain develops a chemical dependency on the dopamine that the drug provides. Addiction is also rooted in the lingering effects of unresolved past trauma.
- Symptoms of a ganja addiction include using more of the drug than intended, craving the drug, failing to stop using it, experiencing withdrawal symptoms, and more.
- Achieving long-term sobriety requires seeking professional help in a ganja addiction treatment program.
What is Ganja?
In a broad sense, “ganja” is another word for marijuana, similar to “pot,” “weed,” “grass,” “reefer,” “cannabis,” and so on. So if someone smokes ganja, then they’re essentially smoking marijuana.
“Ganja” is also a word derived from the Sanskrit word “gañjā” in India, making it one of the oldest words used to describe smoking marijuana. Consequently, ganja also has unique cultural connotations today. In many contexts where marijauna is referred to as ganja, the drug is used for more traditional, spiritual, and medicinal purposes than merely recreation. It’s commonplace in Jamaican and Rastafarian culture today, for example. Ganja may also be used to describe a more “natural” version of marijuana cultivated via traditional methods.
However, ganja can also refer to the particularly potent preparation of marijuana, shares Britannica. This means the marijuana comes in a more concentrated form, derived from the cannabis plant’s flowering tops, stems, and leaves, which contain significant resin. In other words, it’s a type of high THC weed. But why is ganja addictive?
Is Ganja Addictive?
Yes. As mentioned previously, ganja or weed addiction is very real. It can become a drug that you depend on to function, so much that you use it compulsively. For some, what starts out as a recreational or even spiritual practice can spiral into a total ganja addiction.
With that said, why is ganja addictive? It all starts in the brain. When your loved one smokes ganja or uses edibles, dabs, or other cannabis products, the brain releases a chemical called dopamine, indicating the experience is pleasurable and rewarding. That means they want to do it again.
Eventually, as your loved one smokes ganja on a regular basis, their brain develops a dopamine tolerance. Consequently, the pleasurable effects aren’t as strong. So your loved one needs to use ganja more frequently and in greater quantities to get that same dopamine rush. This increased ganja usage can cause the brain to develop a chemical dependency on the steady dopamine supply, leading to a ganja addiction. And because ganja is a more potent form of marijuana with higher THC content, the risk for addiction is greater, too.
The Root Causes of Ganja Addiction
Because ganja addiction is tied to the brain’s chemical dependency on dopamine, you can’t quit a substance use disorder through mere self-discipline or healthier habits. Your brain and body have become conditioned to equating ganja as necessary to survival. Unpleasant withdrawal symptoms (more on this later) can occur when you try to reduce your ganja usage, let alone quit. These symptoms often drive people back into substances just to find relief.
Beyond the chemical dependency, however, there is often a deeper issue involved when your loved one is using ganja so much that they get addicted to it. As with many addictions, the root cause of ganja addiction is often untreated past trauma.
Perhaps the trauma came from your loved one’s adverse childhood experiences decades ago. Maybe the trauma happened recently or is more complex and ongoing. Whatever the past trauma, its effects can linger and still negatively affect your loved one’s life today.
Because of trauma’s ongoing impact, many people seek out ways to cope with any negative feelings, stress, or difficult circumstances that arise. For some, that may mean addictive substances like ganja that make them feel good in the moment. And if there’s a mental health disorder like depression or anxiety in the mix as well, then the person may be even more likely to self-medicate. Therefore, if your loved one wants to achieve long-term sobriety from ganja addiction, they need to heal their addiction’s root causes, not just the symptoms themselves.
Ganja Addiction Symptoms: What to Look Out For
If you feel like something is off with your loved one’s ganja usage, it certainly might be. That’s why it’s important to learn how to recognize ganja addiction by its classic signs and symptoms. As with many addictions, there are common physical, mental, and behavioral patterns to look out for, including:
- Using more marijuana than intended
- Trying and failing to quit or reduce marijuana usage
- Spending a lot of time using marijuana
- Marijuana cravings
- Continued use of marijuana despite the problems it causes
- Neglecting work, school, or personal responsibilities to use marijuana
- Giving up important activities with friends and family to use marijuana
- Using marijuana in risky situations, such as while driving
- Needing more marijuana to get the same high
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when trying to cut back or quit, including insomnia, anxiety, irritability, anger, restlessness, depressed mood, headaches, tremors, nausea, and decreased appetite
SOURCES: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Cleveland Clinic
How to Achieve Long-Term Sobriety
If you think your loved one may be struggling with ganja addiction, they need to get professional help in order to heal. The longer they wait, the more likely their addiction will get worse if left untreated. This means the next step is to help your loved one enroll in a marijuana addiction treatment program.
At Sana at Stowe, our marijuana addiction treatment program offers detox and withdrawal management, as well as a 35-day residential rehab program. These first steps of addiction treatment are critically important, as they allow your loved one to move past the physical symptoms of addiction and focus on their sobriety in a safe, structured, and supportive environment.
As a luxury rehab center, we take a trauma-focused approach to substance abuse treatment. That means we help your loved one finally overcome their addiction’s root causes. Combining evidence-based treatment with holistic services, we focus on restoring your loved one’s sense of safety, connection, and dignity. By doing so, they can reclaim their inherent worth, recover their awareness, and ultimately heal from the past trauma driving their addiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How common is ganja addiction?
According to the CDC, approximately 3 in 10 people who use ganja will develop a cannabis addiction. In other words, people who use marijuana have a 30% likelihood of becoming addicted.
Who’s most at risk of developing a ganja addiction?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, people at greatest risk of getting a marijuana addiction include those who:
- Use marijuana before age 18
- Use high THC marijuana
- Use marijuana daily or weekly
- Have depression
- Are male
- Use or misuse other substances, such as alcohol, nicotine, or hallucinogens
What if my loved one doesn’t want to get treatment?
If your loved one has denial in addiction or doesn’t want to get better, then holding an addiction intervention may be a healthy next step. At Sana at Stowe, we can provide referrals to qualified addiction interventionists across the country.
True Healing Awaits
With our comprehensive approach to ganja addiction treatment, your loved one can experience long-term healing in their mind, body, and spirit. We even provide dual diagnosis treatment to address any co-occurring mental health disorders simultaneously, too. That means true, lasting sobriety is finally within your loved one’s grasp. To learn more about our treatment programs, call us today.
