Pot: addictive or not?

[elemental]

I've heard a lot about whether weed is addictive, physically or just psychologically, and I've always believed that it wasn't addictive. But I'm starting to wonder - the last few weeks I've been smoking 4 or 5 times per week, and I find myself wanting to get high every evening now. Take this evening: I feel I shouldn't smoke because I want a clear head tomorrow, but it's really hard to resist. I know I CAN resist, and I won't have any withdrawal or anything, but I'm still worried about how much I really want to smoke.
I smoke alone most of the time, btw, but don't consider that weird. I'm not that social a person, see, I've always been that way...I'm not sad about it or anything, it's just who I am (in fact I'm a bit tired of everyone assuming you need to hang out with friends all the time to be normal).
So am I addicted? Should I force myself to stop smoking for a week to break the habit?

[Me.]

It's all bullshit. And all in your head.
I smoke alone regularly but when I finish off a nice fat bag, I take a break. 1 week at max. Usually going on 2 or even 4. After the first couple days the urge to smoke subsides and I get on with my life just as if I were smoking regularly. I will turn down free weed if I am on one of my breaks.
People do argue the fact of psychological dependence but that is the person. Not the weed.
I feel I can stop freely anytime I please. And I do.

[SantaClawz]

Its not physically addictive.
It is in fact psychologically addictive, but anything can be psychologically addictive. So if you cant have any you will not show any actual ill physical effects. All in your head.

[evan1612]

On Topic: I think it's definitely all phycological, if it was physical you would get withdrawal symptoms that would be physical. I've never heard of anyone that have had withdrawal from weed. :jointsmile:


Off Topic: I'm new here, but I've been watchin these forums for a week or so and I've finally decided to join!

[Th3 sand m4n]

Im not saying that weed is physically addicting but what about all the people who when faced with having no weed to smoke at night they cant go to bed and have no desire for food? I used to not believe weed was physically addicting at all but last year their was a time when i smoked 4-5 times a day ( because i had a bunch of home grown :} ) for a month and then when i stopped for a week to clear my system i felt terrible from about 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm for the first 3 days and usually had to take aspirin i also felt mentally slower during those times like i couldnt think of things as fast or as well? but then after 2 weeks of not smoking all those symptoms were completely gone.

[SMOKIN A WHILE]

I have smoked for over 35 years on and off. More on. I've never suffered from a withdrawl. Biggest side effect is sleeping less. I've quit because I felt like it. I've quit because of drought. I often take a break from smoking because if you take 2 weeks off and then smoke it's like the first time you smoked or similar(nothings like the first). I don't think it's addictive in the sense you can't stop. I love to smoke because I enjoy it (physchological)and don't let it get in the way of what I what to do. If you plan around smoking and not what you want to do(anything)I think that's troublesome. sandman I've never experienced anything like you describe, you may want to get a physical. See if everything is OK

[elemental]

So I finally broke down and smoked :D
Heheh not really, I just looked at the reason I wasn't smoking and decided it was crap, so I piped a bowl.
Now I'm stoned :D

:D

^^See that makes sense to me. the second one. WHAT?

[tenajtimmad]

I agree of it being addictive... psychologically though. I know what you mean though.. you are like well i wont be doing such a bad things by just smoking, and i end up doing it anyway.. its mainly all in your head.. if you want a clear head in the morning then dont smoke as much and wake up with the attitude that your going to get things done.. if taking a shower and eating fruit helps you get the energy to normal then do what works.. but i feel fine in the morning after days I smoke

EDIT: oh i just saw you got stoned lol.. see, you dont really care about it anymore I bet? :cool:

[Th3 sand m4n]

nah this is the only negative side effects i have ever really experienced from smoking and it was probably because i was smoking about 6-7gs of widow a day :jointsmile:

[burnable]

People speak of this topic as if it's the weed alone that's acting upon you. It depends on the given person's predisposition for addiction. Some ppl can be addicted, craving it always and not seeming to be able to stop. I've tried a host of drugs and the only one I've wanted to do a lot is weed. Those other drugs are notoriously addictive, but not to me, cuz I didn't prefer them.

There are those who smoke enough that their bodies chemically adapt to the herb. This is called physiological dependence. it is not addiction in the sense that you crave it all the time. It simply means that your body is accustomed to the herb and it's used to a fix before being able to have an appetite or a good night's sleep.

I for one can easily resist the urge to smoke all day long, but I need a bowl if I plan on getting any sleep that night, since my body has adapted to cannabis.

[Unknown American]

Pot is not addictive. Caffeine is addictive.

I can go for weeks without pot. I cant do this with coffee.

[treefingers]

if you have a tendancy to become obsessed and or addicted to your hobbies, then weed is addictive indeeed.

[Th3 sand m4n]

since my body has adapted to cannabis.

that sounds like physical addiction to me.

[Th3 sand m4n]

I think the type of addiction marijuana causes is mainly a psychological one how ever some very small elements of the addiction in extreme cases are physical

I got this from wiki

"The medical community now makes a careful theoretical distinction between physical dependence (characterized by symptoms of withdrawal) and psychological dependence (or simply addiction). Addiction is now narrowly defined as "uncontrolled, compulsive use"; if there is no harm being suffered by, or damage done to, the patient or another party, then clinically it may be considered compulsive, but to the definition of some it is not categorized as "addiction". In practice, the two kinds of addiction are not always easy to distinguish. Addictions often have both physical and psychological components."

[tenajtimmad]

that sounds like physical addiction to me.

not to me..
all he is saying is he cant/has a hard time falling asleep without just a small bowl, maybe even a big hit.. thats not physical if it deals with internal sleeping schedules

[JohnnyII]

It is physically IMPOSSIBLE to become physically dependent on marijuana. In saying that, cocaine and amphetamines aren't physically addictive either (no physical withdrawl symptoms), however, they leave a very strong psychological "craving" to smoke (psychological addiction). Your body never needs marijuana to function, while your body does NEED nicotine and alcohol in order to keep functioning (which is why alcoholics can die from withdrawl alone). Nicotine and alcohol, as everything else, does have a possibility of psychological withdrawl. Opiates are also known for their strong physical addictions (as well as psychological).

Another thing, lack of sleep, loss of appetite, depression, etc, are signs of psychological dependence. Physical dependence would be nausea, intense pain, twitching, death, etc.

If you are experiencing psychological "withdrawls" (not really a withdrawl) from marijuana, you should stop for a few days (as in run out and don't buy any more) and take some time to see how your life is going. If you like it, fine, keep smoking. If not, change your hobbies, work ethic, etc. You can still be very productive and be a cannabis consumer at the same time. You'll notice this if you go off to a good university.

[Storm Crow]

Women's Guide to the UofC
Women's Guide to the UofC (http://wguide.uchicago.edu/9substance.html)

Cannabis Basics
Erowid Cannabis Vault: Basics (http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_basics.shtml)

10 Things Every Parent, Teenager & Teacher Should Know About Marijuana (4th Q)
Erowid Psychoactive Vaults (http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_flyer1.shtml)

Marijuana Myths, Claim No. 9
Erowid Cannabis Vault : Exposing Marijuana Myths (http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_myth9.shtml)

Granny:hippy: (toking for 40 years)

[Sir Bliss]

Nah. It's not addictive. I've have smoking for a long time now. I take breaks all the time. Anywhere from a couple days to a couple months. It's quite easy, really. Just gotta except it and you'll be fine.

[silkyblue]

The United States made juaba addictive !!

Partnership for a drug free America; circa 1990 can bite my ass

smack on jack and blue on black !

The stuff was not addictive in 1973 !

:thumbsup:

[silkyblue]

unkown american I LOVE your avatar!!

:jointsmile:

[WaZ]

All about personal dispositions.

Some people can keep a fat stash and not be itching to smoke all the time. I think a lot of it has to do with your attitude, because a very strong "I'm not smoking tonight, that's the end of it, let's find something else to do" conviction will probably mean you're not smoking that night, if you're serious about it..

As Sir Bliss said, just gotta accept that you're not always gonna be smoking...

[miraz]

I'm not gonna lie... im 17 smoked every day the past year and a half, and would consider it pretty hard to stop. But I think thats because i have no reason to b/c im still in my youth.

[Ifrit369]

It's not physically addictive at all. The reason I smoke a lot when I've got weed is that I'm bored.

[GanjaMan7]

Anything can be addictive. My friend who just got arrested for paraphernalia can't smoke anymore, and he's had some trouble with getting to sleep and eating. It'll pass in a week or two.

[Solarian13]

I find it mentally addictive. At the beginning of this month, I decided to quit smoking for all of October, for a few reasons.

I was smoking too much, my memory and smarts were deteriorating somewhat, I was getting lotsa verbal shit from friends because I smoked all the time, my tolerance was too high, I needed to clear my head for a while, etc...

It's been over three weeks now and I've accomplished all that, but damn, it's so hard to resist a smoke!

I think about getting high all the time, and I'm getting really fuckin' excited that the month is almost over. I'm arranging to get myself a half this weekend :thumbsup:

I consider myself totally mentally addicted to it.

I'll post what it was like to get back on it after so long, I had a very low tolerance before I started smoking all the time, so I expect the first while back on the grass to be extremely good :D

And listening through Paranoid simply isn't as fulfilling or satisfying if you aren't blazed!

[Mohksha]

At what point do you separate something as being psychologically addictive instead of just so enjoyable that you want to do it frequently?