Addiction

[Free Falling]

hey guys, ive read stuff about addiction, ive heard that weed is 'mentally addictive' is that so different from addictive? surely all adiction is a mental one? or am i being ignorant?

[slipnslide087]

physical addiction is different bc you wont almost kill yourself without using the drug after a while. some poeple say take one 80mg oc. they pass out. someone whos been taking them for a while could take like 2 80's and be normal. its bc now theyve reached a point where they cant really get up without it.

[kr1Nx01]

"mental addiction," or psychological addiction as it's most commonly called, is when you're inclined to crave a substance because you "like the effects" and whatnot, simply put. marijuana can be psychologically addicting for many people.
physical addiction, on the other hand, is coupled with actual physical withdrawl "sickness" (read: symptoms) when the drug isn't present in your body; when your body needs the drug in order to preform functionally, basically. cigarettes and heroin are an example.

something along those lines.

[Nullific]

physical addiction is different bc you wont almost kill yourself without using the drug after a while. some poeple say take one 80mg oc. they pass out. someone whos been taking them for a while could take like 2 80's and be normal. its bc now theyve reached a point where they cant really get up without it.
I think you're mixing physical addiction with tolerance. They do relate because with some drugs the higher your tolerance the worse your physical withdrawals will be (heroin for example) but not all drugs cause life-threatening withdrawals. Heroin withdrawal may get pretty bad, but they wont kill you. Benzodiazepine withdrawls can be life threatening if the addiction got that bad.
kr1Nx01 has the right idea, virtually any activity can be psychologically addictive.
Heroins physical withdrawal symptoms include the runs, nausea and vomiting, muscle aches...these do not develop immediately after one stops using the drug but may start a day after initial use and peak on the third day before they go away.

Physical withdrawals are not easily developed and even with drugs such as Heroin take a good while of consecutive use before appearing. There are many misconceptions about the addictiveness of drugs.

In fact, a sizeable percentage of heroin users consume only occasionally, without becomming heavy users (Zinber 1979), and measuralbe withdrawal symptoms from opioids rarely occur until after serveral weeks of regular administration (Jaffee 1991: 67). Drug War Crimes: The Consequences of Prohitibtion

[ermitonto]

I think what they mean is that weed won't produce any physical side effects once the addiction is not fulfilled, and there is no chemical reason why you want more; you just can't get enough of it because the effects are so awesome. I'm pretty sure I've got a psychological addiction but I don't care since I keep up on it. :D But in theory, you can be psychologically addicted to practically anything that gives you pleasure: that's why there are all sorts of sexaholics, workaholics, internetaholics, foodaholics...I'm a cannabaholic I guess.

[Darkneon420]

I liked the way you put it ermitonto :D

:( Sadely I am Mentally addicted to Cannabis. I hate every moment im sober (Exept fridays when im gettin freaky).

[Nullific]

I have noted 'withdrawal' symptoms from marijuana as have several others. After smoking every day for an extended period of time and stopping suddenly I loose my appetite (eat very little unless i am stoned), may get stomach discomfort and difficulties falling asleep.
These are very mild and insignificant.

[Mojavpa]

I used to smoke about three times a day for about three months, then I stopped suddenly. I lost 5 pounds, and I couldnt sleep for a week, even though I wasnt craving it "psychologically", as in missing the feeling of the high. I only smoke two or three times a week these days, and only in the evenings. Now I notice that if I stop for any reason, I dont get any horrible withdrawal symptoms. This is just my personal experience, but I believe pot can be physically addictive, just like nicotine.

[ermitonto]

If that's true, then nicotine is a bad analogy. That stuff is more addictive than heroin. Pot addiction is much, much milder.

[Nullific]

^This is similar to what I get, its easy to live without the feeling of being high because I realized that even when im stoned I still feel pretty normal anyways.
I usually smoke on and off as in a will smoke everyday or nearly everyday for an entire month or longer and then be forced to stop because my debt gets too high and go a few days to a week or so without or cut back to a couple times a week.
According to my doctor I have lost 10 pounds in the past year despite growing substantially.

[Mojavpa]

I dont think its a bad analogy in terms of physical symptoms, because when I quit cigarettes a while ago, I experienced the same symptoms, hot flashes, restless nights, etc except I gained 5 pounds instead of losing 5. I suspect that the reason most people start smoking cigs again after trying to quit is because its relatively socially acceptable and you really cant see its damage in the short term, and people dont care what happens to them twenty years down the line. And some who successfully quit still say that it feels like they lost their best friend, which wouldnt be an issue if cigs were just physically addictive. But I would put this question to the smokers of both substances: would it be harder for you to give up tobacco forever or pot? Of course, then it becomes a question of psychological dependence, and you're probably right, because of the reasons I mentioned, that nicotine is much more addictive. But I cant see how people can do a scientific study seeing if heroine or cigs are more addictive. You cant say that cigs are more "addictive" just because most people cant quit. There are so many more factors involved.

[Kramerica]

Lately Ive only been able to smoke periodically because I havent been able to find it. I miss it, but life goes on and Im not aware of any physical withdrawal syptoms.
This is coming from a guy who used to smoke everyday, multiple times a day!

[Dick Justice]

ahahahaha, "Kramerica"

Nice