Cannabis Blog

People ike to argue that cannabis is addictive and should be kept illegal because it's so bad for people. Sometimes, these same people are going out on weekends and get black out drunk, leaving a trail of destruction and vomit in their wake. It's definitely not fair that cannabis users are looked down upon so much more then alcohol users, considering that there are a lot of stoners that don't drink at all. As said above, people like to say that cannabis is addictive but let's look at the differences between the withdrawal from alcohol and the withdrawal from cannabis.

 

Cannabis;

According to a study that was done by Duke University where 496 adult cannabis users were asked to quit smoking, 95.5% experienced at least one symptom of withdrawal when cannabis was taken away from their normal routine. 43.1% of the smokers reported more then one symptom. It seemed, however, that symptoms were linked to usage and those who smoke more experience more symptoms when they no longer have access to cannabis. The following symptoms may be experienced when a person stops smoking;

        - A craving for marijuana was mostly reported in the early days of no cannabis use. People just really wanted to smoke. In one study, 75.7% of smokers said that they had extreme cravings for the plant. Apparently, addiction is most commonly thought of as having an extreme craving, even though the physical withdrawal symptoms of cannabis are minimal.

        - Irritability also follows a stoner who stops smoking. This is the second most commonly reported withdrawal symptom of cannabis. Feelings of anger and depression get even worse if the stoner is being forced to quit smoking, like for a job or probation. For most stoners, these symptoms seem to vanish within the first three days of removing marijuana from their routine but the study reported that these symptoms can last up to three months.

        - Even though marijuana is supposed to be an upper, not a downer, there are a lot of people who use the plant to get a good night's rest. And when people stop smoking, sleep is greatly effected. Those who try to quit have an extremely hard time falling asleep and staying that way. The sleeping issue can persist for months after quitting and seems to be the most negative effect of absence of cannabis. It was also reported that smokers quitting tend to have extremely vivid dreams that sometimes become nightmares, seeing as marijuana has an effect on the REM cycle of sleep.

        - Headaches are probably one of the only physical symptoms that effect those stoners trying to quit. And not everyone experiences this; it varies from stoner to stoner. For those that do get headaches, the symptoms usually vanish within a few weeks, although most stoners report that the headache goes away after about three days, similar to the quitting of cigarettes.

        - There are other symptoms that were reported as well. These included night sweats, loss of the sense of humor, decreased sex drive, weight gain, digestion problems, or shaking/dizziness. But more often then not, the mental part of stopping marijuana is more difficult then the physical.

 

Alcohol;

While cannabis withdrawal results in slight discomfort and maybe a headache, alcohol withdrawal can be life threatening. The effects of this process can last months or years after the person decides to quit drinking. According to Web MD's take on the topic, these symptoms can begin as little as two hours after the person ingests their last drink. If you believe that someone is in the arms of alochol withdrawal, it's extremely important that you take them to the hospital right away, as this situation escalates quickly and there is no at home remedy. The following at the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal;

        - Seizures and delirium tremens (DTs) are an effect of the absence of alcohol. These fits of rage are extremely dangerous not just to the person suffering but to those around the person as well. A DT can kill a person and the rate of death from these attacks is small but present, somewhere between 1% and 5%. DTs are characterized by a rapid heartbeat, fever, and confusion.

        - Regular alcohol consumption suppresses the activity of a bodily substance called glutamate, with is a neurotransmitter that produces feelings of excitement. In order for the body to maintain some sort of balance in it's chemical structure, the production of glutamate is increased immensely, throwing off the balance when alcohol is no longer in the system.

        - The neurotransmitter that produces the feelings of calmness and relaxation (known as GABA) is also greatly effected by alcohol. The drink enhances these positive feelings at first but with chronic use can lead to suppressed GABA activity so that more alcohol is needed to get the desired effect (also known as tolerance).

        - Other symptoms include sweating, shaky hands, nausea, headaches, anxiety, and insomnia. There is also the possibility of visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations, lasting up to 48 hours after the last drink is had.

 

So after seeing the difference between these two substances and the withdrawal symptoms associated with it, it's easy to see that marijuana is far less life stopping when it's taken away from a user. A person can smoke all day, every day, and still be able to quit with a minor annoyance. Those who are drinking constantly can suffer greatly when alcohol is removed from their daily motions. The next time that someone even hints at the idea of cannabis being addictive, you can kindly remind them of the terrible effects of the legal liquid courage known as alochol.