The Shocking Reality of Cannabis Addiction (Dr. Anna Lembke, Dopamine Nation)

Addiction to cannabis is a serious issue that can worsen psychiatric conditions, increase pain perception, and lead to anxiety and psychosis, and early recognition, education, and support are crucial for addressing and overcoming addiction 

Questions to inspire discussion

• What is the speaker discussing in relation to addiction?

  —The speaker will be discussing addiction in relation to cannabis, including its impact on psychiatric conditions, pain perception, and anxiety.

• What are the potential consequences of long-term cannabis use?

  —Long-term cannabis use can lead to increased pain perception, anxiety, and psychosis, and it is crucial to recognize and address these issues early.

• What are the withdrawal symptoms of cannabis addiction?

  —Withdrawal from cannabis addiction primarily involves psychological symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, dysphoria, and craving, and dopamine fasting is a potential method to restore the balance between pleasure and pain.

• How can giving up weed improve physical and mental well-being?

  —Abstaining from cannabis for four weeks can lead to significant improvement in physical and mental well-being, with about 80% of patients experiencing this positive outcome.

• What is the importance of living according to one's values in overcoming addiction?

  —The speaker discusses the importance of staying patient, humble, and living according to one's values in order to overcome addiction, and mentions that they no longer struggle with cravings except for occasionally leaving work. 

Key Insights 

Addiction and Recovery

• 🧠 "She's a physician of Psychiatry and happens to be the head of Stanford addiction medicine clinics or centers."
• 🌍 We are all vulnerable to addiction in our dopamine overloaded world, highlighting the need for understanding and support for those in recovery.
• 📊 Approximately 9% of cannabis users become addicted, highlighting the addictive nature of the substance.
• 💡 "How was something that once was helping me beneficial? Here I am, I smoked weed for 10 years never felt a problem and then one day I woke up and it was like a light switch went off."
• 💡 "One of my main missions is to educate them about what's coming down the road and to warn them and say listen while you're still young and have enough neuroplasticity to reverse these changes you know you need to do it."
• 😮 "Weed addiction may not be taken seriously by some, but it can be just as addictive as other substances."
• 🧠 "Addiction medicine is about the individual's impact from drug use versus the cultural narrative around that drug."
• 🤔 "We eventually get stuck in a chronic dopamine deficit state, needing the drug not to feel good, but just to feel normal when we're not using."
• 🧠 "Recovery really needs to start with restoring that homeostasis between Pleasure and Pain because as long as we're walking around with that balance tilted to the side of pain we're in a sub threshold or active state of craving our entire life's energy is going to be narrowly focused on just getting our drug to restore the balance."
• 😬 Continuing to abstain from cannabis can initially lead to feeling worse, but after about three to four weeks, most patients experience significant improvement in their overall well-being.
• 💡 Addiction can take advantage of past traumas, and it is important to recognize and address this connection in order to break free from addiction.
• 🚪 Trauma can be a doorway to addiction, with individuals using substances like cannabis to self-medicate, but substances do not actually heal trauma and can hinder the healing process.

Cannabis and its Effects

• 🙌 "I really appreciate you providing this perspective which I think is so needed when it comes to cannabis."

#MentalHealth #Addiction #Cannabis

Clips 

• 00:00 🌿 Addiction to cannabis is a serious issue, with approximately 9% of users becoming addicted, even with evening use, and daily use being a strong indicator of addictive behavior.
  • Dr. Anna Lemke, author of "Dopamine Nation," discusses the importance of her book on addiction and expresses gratitude for the positive impact it has had, with a focus on cannabis.
  • People in recovery from addiction are incredible individuals who have transformed their lives and become modern-day prophets, navigating a drugified world and teaching us how to navigate a dopamine overloaded society.
  • Addiction is defined as a matter of life and death, with hard-earned wisdom from those who have overcome it, and the speaker will be discussing addiction in relation to cannabis.
  • Addiction is characterized by continued compulsive use of a substance or behavior despite harm to oneself or others, and while the diagnostic criteria do not include quantity or frequency, the more a drug is used, the higher the likelihood of addiction.
  • Approximately 9% of cannabis users become addicted to it, even if they only consume it during the evening hours, and this addiction is supported by clinical observation, epidemiologic studies, and brain studies.
  • Cannabis can be addictive, even though it may not cause physical withdrawal symptoms, and daily use is often a strong indicator of addictive behavior, with withdrawal symptoms including increased anxiety and intrusive thoughts.
• 08:19 🚫 Long-term cannabis use can worsen psychiatric conditions, increase pain perception, and lead to anxiety and psychosis, emphasizing the need for early recognition and education about potential consequences.
  • There is no reliable evidence that cannabis helps with any psychiatric condition, and while it may provide short-term relief, regular use can worsen psychiatric conditions over time.
  • Chronic cannabis use can potentially lead to increased pain perception, similar to opioids, as it resets pain thresholds and individuals with chronic pain who use cannabis may experience more discomfort over time.
  • Using substances like cannabis or opioids can lead to a neuroadaptation in the brain where we need more of the substance to achieve the same effect, and over time, it can actually cause the opposite effect and result in pain or other negative symptoms.
  • Long-term cannabis use can lead to neuroadaptation, causing the substance to have the opposite effect of its initial benefits, emphasizing the importance of educating and warning individuals about the potential consequences.
  • Long-term marijuana use can lead to significant problems later in life, such as anxiety, psychosis, and increased pain, and it is crucial to recognize and address these issues early while there is still enough brain plasticity to reverse the effects.
  • The sudden betrayal of weed as a trusted coping mechanism can feel terrible, but it actually happens gradually over time.
• 17:03 🚫 Educate younger people about the potential negative effects of weed addiction and encourage them to make changes early, as it can lead to serious addiction and have damaging long-term effects on the brain's motivational systems.
  • People in their 40s often realize that weed is no longer working for them and can make them feel worse, so it's important to educate younger people about the potential negative effects and encourage them to make changes while they still have the ability to reverse them.
  • Dr. Anna Lembke discusses the benefits of doing something earlier.
  • Weed addiction can be serious and should not be dismissed as not being a real drug, as it can be a significant part of someone's recovery process and can lead to addiction.
  • The perception of cannabis as a safe drug and medicine has led to increased use, highlighting the impact of individual experiences versus cultural narratives in addiction medicine.
  • Cannabis may be perceived as less harmful due to its sedating effects, but it can have damaging and pernicious long-term effects, ranking high in terms of harm.
  • Cannabis addiction hijacks our motivational systems, driving us into a dopamine deficit state and causing a prioritization of obtaining and using the drug over other activities, as pleasure and pain are co-located in the brain and the brain seeks to restore balance.
• 23:37 🌿 Quitting cannabis and other dopamine-inducing substances for 30 days can restore dopamine levels and alleviate craving, improving outcomes for addiction recovery.
  • Addictive substances release dopamine, causing a shift towards pleasure, but the brain adapts by accumulating "Gremlins" on the pain side of the balance, leading to a chronic dopamine deficit state where the drug is needed just to feel normal.
  • Withdrawal from cannabis addiction primarily involves psychological symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, dysphoria, and craving, and dopamine fasting is a potential method to restore the balance between pleasure and pain and alleviate the sub threshold state of craving.
  • Quitting cannabis and other dopamine-inducing substances for 30 days can help restore dopamine levels and improve outcomes for individuals trying to overcome addiction.
• 26:54 🌿 Quitting weed can be challenging, but after four weeks of abstinence, 80% of patients experience significant improvements in physical and mental well-being, highlighting the potential for addiction and withdrawal symptoms when using cannabis to treat anxiety.
  • Giving up weed can be overwhelming for people as they may experience withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety and increased physical pain.
  • Abstaining from cannabis for four weeks can lead to significant improvement in physical and mental well-being, with about 80% of patients experiencing this positive outcome.
  • A young woman seeking help for anxiety was informed that quitting cannabis could potentially improve her condition, despite her initial skepticism.
  • Using cannabis to treat anxiety may provide temporary relief, but it can lead to addiction and withdrawal symptoms, as demonstrated by a patient who experienced vomiting during the withdrawal process.
  • Using cannabis initially helped with anxiety, but after a period of abstinence, the person realized that the initial positive effects may not be true anymore, leading to a reevaluation of the impact of cannabis.
• 31:20 🚫 Addiction and trauma are often linked, but they should be addressed separately in therapy; cannabis may be used as self-medication for trauma, but it doesn't actually heal it and can hinder the healing process; addiction is its own brain disease and must be treated separately; rationalizing drug use with trauma narratives hinders healing and personal responsibility; quitting drugs doesn't guarantee a pain-free life, but facing reality and supporting each other can bring solace.
  • Addiction and trauma often go hand in hand, but it is possible to separate them and address them individually in therapy.
  • Trauma can lead people to use cannabis as a form of self-medication, but substances like cannabis do not actually heal trauma and can hinder the healing process.
  • Addiction is its own brain disease with its own driving force, separate from external risk factors, and must be treated separately in order to solve the problem.
  • Using trauma or victim narratives to rationalize drug use can hinder the healing process and personal responsibility in addiction recovery.
  • Chasing pleasure may lead to more pain, and it is unrealistic to expect a life free of pain and discomfort when quitting drugs, which is actually healthy.
  • Being a human is difficult, but it's important to face reality and show up for our lives instead of numbing ourselves with substances, as we can find solace in knowing that others suffer too and we can support each other.
• 37:33 🔑 Staying patient, humble, and living according to one's values is crucial in overcoming addiction, as it involves giving up the desire for rewards and finding joy in the present moment.
  • Life is a mysterious and awe-inspiring journey with both joyful and difficult moments, and the key is to keep moving forward and facing new challenges.
  • The speaker discusses the importance of staying patient, humble, and living according to one's values in order to overcome addiction, and mentions that they no longer struggle with cravings except for occasionally leaving work.
  • The speaker discusses the difficulty of giving up one's drug of choice and the desire for a reward that is often missed after quitting.
  • Our culture revolves around rewarding ourselves, but it's important to consider a world without any anticipated rewards to understand the psychological shift that occurs.
  • Being fully present in the moment and finding joy in the interaction without relying on external rewards can lead to a shift in perception and mindset.
• 43:11 👉 Education is key for both pro-cannabis and anti-cannabis individuals to understand the potential consequences and avoid future trouble with cannabis.

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