Challenges in Marijuana Addiction Recovery

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Data gathered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2007 lists marijuana as the most widely used illegal substance within the U.S. and Europe. Easy accessibility combined with marijuana legalization efforts stand to further increase addiction rates among the young and old alike.

While marijuana addiction recovery programs can offer effective treatment options, for some people, certain challenges make it difficult to maintain abstinence on a long-term basis. Skepticism regarding marijuana’s actual ability to cause addiction no doubt have helped fuel the legalization efforts behind the drug. For someone predisposed to addiction, mixed messages surrounding the use of marijuana may be all the justification needed to, at the very least experiment with the drug. Marijuana’s role as a popular secondary drug opens up a whole other set of challenges for marijuana addiction recovery.

治疗Effectiveness

Many marijuana users relapse because they don’t believe the drug is addictive.

For the most part,大麻成瘾恢复计划依赖行为治疗方法，以帮助恢复成瘾者仍然无毒。与用于治疗阿片类成瘾的药物辅助治疗不同，鉴于迄今为止，没有开发任何药物处理以在大麻成瘾恢复过程中使用。这意味着所使用的任何行为方法都必须解决身体和驾驶大麻成瘾的心理因素。

根据这一点U.S. National Library of Medicine，大麻成瘾恢复成功率在九至29％之间，取决于行为治疗的类型。最有效和常用的行为治疗包括 -

• Motivational enhancement therapy
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Contingency management

Even in cases where all three treatment approaches are used, studies show participants were only able to maintain abstinence for an average of two weeks before resuming drug use.

Also at issue is the increasing potency of marijuana as the use of “new and improved” chemical additives work to increase not only the strength but also the duration of marijuana’s high effects, according to theNational Institute on Drug Abuse.

怀疑论

Within the medical field, skepticism as to marijuana’s addiction potential questions whether marijuana actually causes physical dependency in users. After a decade and a half of research studies, certain key marijuana effects have become evident:

• Like other addictive drugs,ongoing marijuana use creates a withdrawal syndrome in users who stop using or reduce their dosage amounts
• Within marijuana addiction recovery,戒断综合征症状在排毒阶段期间遵循可预定的课程
• Marijuana’s effects onthe brain’s built-in cannabinoid system drive the addiction process

In spite of conclusive proof of marijuana’s addiction potential, skepticism still prevails within the medical community as well as for many recovering addicts considering marijuana addiction recovery.

Secondary Drug Use

Over the years, marijuana’s label as “a gateway drug” has rung true considering the large numbers of people who abuse marijuana along with other types of drugs. People entering marijuana addiction recovery with multiple addictions pose a difficult challenge for drug treatment facilities. As addiction behaviors stay the same no matter what types of drug is used, marijuana addiction recovery programs must address any and all addictions a person has in order for treatment to be effective and lasting.