Marijuana is commonly being regarded in a positive light as several countries legally recognize the plant’s potential benefits. While it’s no longer seen as a gateway to harder drugs, cannabis can still pose a threat to people seeking sobriety.
Cannabis may not be as addicting compared to other drugs. However, statistics show that nine percent of users get hooked, especially younger users, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Moreover, smoking puts patients in a situation where temptations are too high.
Some people are willing to bend the rules if they feel like smoking once in a blue moon won’t make them stray from sobriety, but there is still a chance that even medical marijuana can turn into a full-fledged addiction.
How Medical Marijuana Can Be a Threat to Your Sobriety
More countries and their respective states are recognizing marijuana for its role in herbal medicine. Although its legality is spreading worldwide, people in recovery need to question whether it’s safe to use.
Unfortunately, even the most casual marijuana smokers can put their sobriety in danger since getting high can often lower one’s inhibitions, which will take a blow to a recovering addict’s decision-making skills. Some negative effects marijuana can have on your mindset include the following:
- Creates a false sense of security or confidence in your ability to resist temptation
- Using marijuana as a stress-reliever, which paves the way for other substance abuse tendencies
- Smoking instead of talking about the challenges of recovery
- Opting to skip recovery programs altogether
Seeing as cannabis can relax the senses, it can also make it harder to steer away from your old habits since getting high can reduce a person’s capability to manage emotions. Keep in mind that relapsing can push recovering individuals to an even lower point in their lives, especially since relapsing can be destructive to your mental and physical health.
It’s better to stay away from marijuana to avoid developing a new addiction and join support groups that can help you create healthy coping strategies without risking your sobriety.
Fentanyl Laced Marijuana
In addition to the downsides listed above, there have also been recent cases of people overdosing on fentanyl laced marijuana. So while marijuana might not be addictive to most people, there are serious dangers to consider when thinking about smoking.
The Bottom Line: The Dangers of Smoking Marijuana in Recovery
For those in recovery, the unpredictability marijuana brings can be too risky, especially since getting high can be a detrimental relapse trigger. There’s no doubt that marijuana can be a health booster for other medical needs, but there’s no safe space for it for people in recovery.
That’s why there are relapse prevention plans that can not only help you stay on track in your recovery but also provide solutions that can ease the burden that comes with staying sober for life.
How Can We Help You Achieve Lifelong Sobriety?
Fully committing to your substance abuse recovery is never a straightforward journey, but joining substance abuse treatments can make it all possible. Here at American Treatment Network, we offer a unified approach to treatment in caring for patients, allowing recovering addicts to lead a healthier lifestyle.
We also offer immediate access to care and assessment, so get to know our client-centric treatment programs to see how we can help you become the best version of yourself.
