How Do You Help Someone Overcome Marijuana Addiction?
• Do not make them watch anti-drug commercials. These often do not tell the truth about marijuana, making it sound like crack or heroin. In truth, the drug is not as potent; the only serious cases are with someone who gets high at least once a day, or by themselves often in which case you can probably convince your friend to look at that as an addiction. “Addiction is persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful”[1]; such as to family relationships, the ability to concentrate on complex concepts, holding employment and maintaining good work quality. • Smoking marijuana releases serotonin, a chemical in the brain that triggers a feeling of pleasure. When someone smokes regularly the brain becomes used to higher amounts of serotonin production, so when they quit and production drops they experience a mild mental withdrawal from the dependence on the previously increased levels of serotonin and the pleasure it brought. • While the physical manifestation of this
