Is Smoking Weed in Recovery a Relapse?

And though cannabis has many potential therapeutic uses, anyone can take too much and land in a tailspin, especially those new to cannabis or have a low tolerance. Consider reaching out to a vocational rehabilitation counselor or career coach to help you update your resume, practice job interview skills, and locate jobs that match your skills getting sober without aa and experience. Having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder your recovery. It’s important to develop a structured daily and weekly schedule and stick to it. The symptoms involved in PAWS can be a barrier to recovery if you’re not careful. In addition to being able to recognize them, it’s important to know when to seek help.

The Gray Area of Medicinal Marijuana and Sobriety

Even splashing cold water onto your face can help make you feel calm, decrease your heart rate, and ease your mind. Listen to your favorite podcast, put on a light and familiar TV show, open a coloring book, or make a pot of tea — something easy that will help distract you from a sudden bout of cannabis-induced anxiety. By shifting your attention from how high you are to an enjoyable activity, you can ground yourself in the present and let time pass more comfortably. Depending on how much you’ve consumed and the type of cannabis product, a weed high can last anywhere from 1 to 12 hours. It’s a wide range, but everyone responds to the effects of cannabis differently.

Sober Isn’t Boring If You Smoke Weed

With so many options, it’s always a good idea to talk to professionals. They can help you decide what treatment methods are right for you. Search our rehab directory to find the nearest treatment center to you. Three months later, I relapsed, but “only” for a couple of weeks. I got another 90 days under my belt when Florida’s medical marijuana law went into effect. I had taken my psychiatric diagnoses over to the marijuana doctor and got a “recommendation” that I use about 250 mg of THC a day.

Deal With Mistakes

Even if they’re not recovering alcoholics themselves, those you talk to are likely invested in your wellbeing and will work with you to resist temptation and lessen the likelihood of relapsing. Another challenge for someone in the early stages of recovery is the pink cloud. This refers to the confidence gained from early success in your recovery journey. It can lead you to assume you can handle milder drugs because you stopped using harder drugs.

This isn’t an uncommon thought, and it’s okay to ask yourself this question. We all have questions about recovery, and it’s important that we make informed decisions in the right direction. Recovery from alcohol or drug addiction is a personal journey, and no two people’s paths will look similar.

• The more tools you have for identifying triggers, coping with stress, and managing your new sober life, the easier you’ll prevent relapse.
• Bear in mind that dealing effectively with relapses isn’t just about bouncing back after each setback – it’s equally vital to continually refine strategies based on lessons learned from previous experiences.
• Half of those Canadians said that cannabis was no worse to consume than alcohol, and another 26% thought cannabis represented the better choice.
• If left unchecked, anger can have a negative impact on your health and your lasting sobriety.
• Interventions are a common method used by families to encourage their loved ones to seek help for addiction.

This article discusses the meaning of sobriety and arms you with information and strategies to smooth—and stay on—your path to wellness. The trend towards holistic recovery methods has opened the door for a more comprehensive approach to sobriety, integrating physical, emotional, and even spiritual dimensions. In some holistic models, controlled use of marijuana, particularly for medicinal purposes, is not necessarily a deal-breaker.

• I had taken my psychiatric diagnoses over to the marijuana doctor and got a “recommendation” that I use about 250 mg of THC a day.
• After all, getting permission makes us feel less responsible if smoking weed eventually leads to relapse.
• Despite the fact that many people think weed is harmless, weed is psychologically addictive.
• For many years, the accepted options were to send folks to 30-day inpatient treatment or told them to go to AA.
• If you are recovering from addiction and want to avoid any addictive behavior, talk to your doctor so that they administer other alternatives that are non-addictive.

For someone looking to stay sober, this could be a dangerous risk to take because you may end up replacing your drug or alcohol with marijuana addiction. Also, it is a known fact that marijuana addiction increases the risks of psychosis, impaired memory, anxiety, and depression. Trust me, you don’t want to deal with this list of problems while battling another addiction. Besides, there are no scientific or long-term studies to confirm that marijuana use can help those in recovery adjust to sobriety. Ever since the state of California legalized the medical use of marijuana in 1996, its use has grown quickly, and more states are approving it.

Find support in a different group

But after seven years of trying, I had just about tried everything. I got into this whole drinking and drugging business because I was also an adrenaline junky, and I lived a fascinating life. How was I supposed to go from that life to one where I was paranoid of “people, places and things,” something made up in rehabs. And whether or not your drug https://ecosoberhouse.com/ of choice was alcohol, drinking in recovery is a big no-no. Most people believe that marijuana is neither harsh nor addictive; therefore, it can be used by severe addicts who are not ready for full abstinence. Contrary to this belief, many regular marijuana users develop marijuana use disorder, and some of them become dependent on the drug.

• But the temptation drives us to search for sanctions that allow us to circumvent our instincts.
• As a historic touchstone of human interaction, alcohol has enjoyed more legal acceptance than marijuana ever will.
• Your journey is uniquely yours and may come with its own set of recovery challenges.
• Call us today to learn about how you can begin your recovery journey.

How common is relapse?

This means that they crave it, and they experience withdrawal if they don’t use it. That’s bad news if you’re trying to stay sober, because it means that you’re risking a lot of psychological discomfort if you don’t give up weed. If you question whether it’s okay to smoke weed in recovery, consider why you are asking that question to begin with. But the temptation drives us to search for sanctions that allow us to circumvent our instincts. After all, getting permission makes us feel less responsible if smoking weed eventually leads to relapse.

Bring a partner or friend if you want company or are feeling distracted or confused. The soothing sensation of water on your body can turn a bad high into a good one. Think of it as a form of mental hydration, a hygienic way to wash away the ills of too much THC.