One of my readers sent me this where a well known Dr. debates the credibility of marijuana withdrawal in her 2002 article, Does Marijuana Withdrawal Symptom Exist? The self-professed cannabis gurus from Marijuana Passion skip the debate and claim outright that withdrawal from the drug exists and offer tips on quitting. The DSM-IV, however, doesn't list withdrawal from marijuana as a syndrome.
Between this Dr and the folks at Marijuana Passion, the symptoms of quitting marijuana are correspondent, if not exact; irritability, physical tension, anxiety, appetite loss, nightmares, anger, depression, etc. These are all symptoms of marijuana addiction too. Do a Google search for “marijuana withdrawal” and thousands of hits come up, all with similar information. Those are the facts and science, but as I believe: never let science get in the way of a good story.
How to beat marijuana withdrawal
While in college, a friend of mine introduced me to the pot culture in America. Jake was a stereotypical pot-head; self-made tie dyed shirts, hemp accessories on every limb, Jesus-sandals, and a perpetual good mood dampened only when he ran out of Doritos and chicken. He smoked weed multiple times a day, for years.
When Jake eventually decided to quit smoking weed, he became Mr. Hyde overnight. He was restless, anxious, irritable, plagued by nightmares when he finally got sleep, and lost his appetite. It took Jake nearly a month to settle back into his normal life. When I asked him about it for this article, he stated: "I didn't think then, that you could get withdrawal from marijuana." According to DSM-IV, you can't; but hey, what do non-reefers know anyway?
Now in my opinion if you are going through withdrawal from marijuana there is professional help available to you but you must take action to get it. One great way to stop smoking weed is to do a marijuana detox. This can be done either at home or in rehab where you will be given medications to help with the marijuana withdrawal symptoms.
