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I really can't understand it when people claim to be addicted to weed. From what I hear, it's not chemically addictive, so can it really be claimed so if the ad

by leke 13y ago

I really can't understand it when people claim to be addicted to weed. From what I hear, it's not chemically addictive, so can it really be claimed so if the addiction is placebic?

clint 13y ago
People probably are not actually chemically addicted to weed, but rather habitually inclined to keep doing an activity that gives them pleasure or has positive benefits in their life. Not too much different from what happens with "runner's high" and eating potato chips :)
zmic2 13y ago
I can safely claim that people can get addicted to weed because I've known people addicted to weed. And what does "not chemically addicted" mean anyway? Is there anything else inside a human brain except chemicals?
new_test 13y ago
>I really can't understand it when people claim to be addicted to weed. Well, I really can't understand how people can be addicted to gambling. Doesn't mean it's not a problem for some.
jarrett 13y ago
There are (arguably) different forms of addiction: Physical and psychological. Physical addiction is the more dangerous of the two, as it can induce truly horrifying symptoms during withdrawals. (Delirium tremens from alcohol withdrawals, for example.) Marijuana--and indeed almost anything--can be psychologically addictive. As our brains operate chemically, it's a bit misleading to say that psychological addictions have no physical component. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is a key player in many (all?) psychological addictions. But to further complicate matters, dopamine is also heavily involved in the withdrawal process of some harder drugs, such as methamphetamine. Because the line between physical and psychological addictions is so fuzzy, some professionals eschew the distinction. Still, it seems productive to discuss the nature and severity of withdrawal symptoms for each drug, even if we don't split the drugs into two camps. From that perspective, marijuana addiction is less severe than addiction to heroin, alcohol, and so on.
Zigurd 13y ago
Part of that is a kind of devil's bargain where "offenders" are put into a treatment program that's doomed to be quack medicine for most of the participants who have no addiction. Better than jail I suppose.
- leke 13y ago
  So if they say that they are addicted to weed, they skip jail and instead go to rehab? Makes you wonder.

by leke 13y ago

I really can't understand it when people claim to be addicted to weed. From what I hear, it's not chemically addictive, so can it really be claimed so if the addiction is placebic?

clint 13y ago

People probably are not actually chemically addicted to weed, but rather habitually inclined to keep doing an activity that gives them pleasure or has positive benefits in their life. Not too much different from what happens with "runner's high" and eating potato chips :)

zmic2 13y ago

I can safely claim that people can get addicted to weed because I've known people addicted to weed. And what does "not chemically addicted" mean anyway? Is there anything else inside a human brain except chemicals?

new_test 13y ago

>I really can't understand it when people claim to be addicted to weed. Well, I really can't understand how people can be addicted to gambling. Doesn't mean it's not a problem for some.

jarrett 13y ago

There are (arguably) different forms of addiction: Physical and psychological. Physical addiction is the more dangerous of the two, as it can induce truly horrifying symptoms during withdrawals. (Delirium tremens from alcohol withdrawals, for example.) Marijuana--and indeed almost anything--can be psychologically addictive. As our brains operate chemically, it's a bit misleading to say that psychological addictions have no physical component. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is a key player in many (all?) psychological addictions. But to further complicate matters, dopamine is also heavily involved in the withdrawal process of some harder drugs, such as methamphetamine. Because the line between physical and psychological addictions is so fuzzy, some professionals eschew the distinction. Still, it seems productive to discuss the nature and severity of withdrawal symptoms for each drug, even if we don't split the drugs into two camps. From that perspective, marijuana addiction is less severe than addiction to heroin, alcohol, and so on.

Zigurd 13y ago

Part of that is a kind of devil's bargain where "offenders" are put into a treatment program that's doomed to be quack medicine for most of the participants who have no addiction. Better than jail I suppose.

leke 13y ago
So if they say that they are addicted to weed, they skip jail and instead go to rehab? Makes you wonder.