While marijuana has long been viewed as a harmless drug and in fact has been decriminalized in many areas, users continue to become addicted to it, resulting in profound unhappiness. They may suffer a number of serious setbacks in their lives as a result of their addiction. The addiction treatment specialists at Brighton Recovery Center can help.
How Does Marijuana Affect Physical and Emotional Health?
Smoking or eating marijuana has the effect of temporarily altering brain function, affecting concentration, coordination and the perception of time. Users describe the “high” as pleasurable and they report feeling relaxed.
At our drug rehabilitation center in Sandy, we investigate all patients for underlying mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. After all, less than 10% of marijuana users become addicted. Oftentimes we discover the reason for marijuana addiction can be traced back to severe anxiety that prevents a patient from eating, sleeping and thinking clearly. Once this issue is treated with the proper medication and therapy, their compulsion to use marijuana is often greatly reduced if not eliminated.
Those who do not seek help and indulge in heavy marijuana use may suffer long-term effects which can include lung and heart disease, memory problems, behavioral issues and even cancer.