Is there any reserach into the idea of using cannabis to cure alcoholism? If so, what’s the general consensus?
Most sober alcoholics I know that use what is known as marijuana maintenance eventually go back on the bottle. It is like 2 different medications. If the MJ satisfies what he is looking for in those cases it might very well work. I got sober 23 years ago and used MJ sparingly for a couple of years and it did seem to help in my particular case, but I don’t think I was ever a true alcoholic.
Alcoholics long ago were treated with morphine.
That didn’t work so well.
Trading one addiction for another is not a great idea.
~VOW
I have a friend that gave up alcohol because of an abusive use behavior. He moved away from his home, got a new education and took up a couple sports with a vengeance. He self describes as an alcoholic, but AA wasn’t for him and he quit cold turkey on his own. His addiction was cut off before it developed fully I would say, but he can be very obsessive in behaviors.
He will occasionally smoke pot in the off season from his bike racing, when he has nowhere to drive, no responsibilities left in the day and is not planing a big day following. It is not a treatment, and does not replace his use pattern with alcohol, it is a very occasional ‘treat’.
Other full blown AA alcoholics I know would never touch the stuff and would consider it no different for their health than having a drink. An ex girlfriend switched from AA to NA because she saw a lot of people at AA replacing their alcohol consumption with pot and knew after a short time that it was the exact same behavior with a different substance.
Alcoholism is much more a behavioral disease than a physical disease. The behavior can easily be transferred to almost anything else. Once an addict, always an addict. The doctors at Betty Ford quip that it takes extreme dedication to become physically addicted to alcohol. the physical addiction only really sets in after the alcoholism is very advanced.
I will also add that despite all the glurge to be found, there are lots of chronic cannabis users, and Persistent Use Despite Adverse Consequences with pot. Its physical damage and use schedule might be less severe but there is still plenty of addictive behavior with it.
I had never heard this before re the weight given to behavior vs physical addiction. I assumed alcoholism necessarily incorporated a physical need for alcohol in chronic alcoholics.
Just so I’m clear, you are saying is not the case until alcoholism is very far advanced. That most “alcoholics” are *not *physically addicted to alcohol?
That’s interesting.
Agreed. It’s like quitting smoking by instead huffing paint for relaxation.
That is correct.
It’s not uncommon for a large percentage of alcoholics to be physically addicted to it at one point or another in their lives, but the diagnosis of chronic alcohol dependence does not require it, nor does it occur with the majority of alcoholics.
Just as a diabetic doesn’t have to go into ketoacidosis to have the diagnosis of diabetes be valid.
Alcohol dependence is defined as a maladaptive pattern of use associated with three or more of the following:
- Tolerance
- Withdrawal
- Substance taken in larger quantity than intended
- Persistent desire to cut down or control use
- Time is spent obtaining, using, or recovering from the substance
- Social, occupational, or recreational tasks are sacrificed
- Use continues despite physical and psychological problems
So we see that physical dependence (defined by the presence of withdrawal) is only one possible indicator of the disease.
BTW, I agree that substituting one mood altering drug for another is generally not a good way to a drug dependency.
“I need the medical marijuana because of my alcoholism.”