According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Marijuana addiction appears to be very similar to other substance use disorders, although the long-term clinical outcomes may be less severe.” THC is a hallucinogenic compound found in marijuana that can cause addiction, and even though the effects are often less severe, coping with one’s addiction and recovery in the long term can be hard. Here are some tips to help you cope more easily with this issue and to create a life of recovery.

Seek Professional Treatment

Contrary to popular belief, there are professional treatment options for THC and marijuana addiction. The dependence and withdrawal syndromes specifically can be difficult to navigate, and going through processional treatment can help immensely.

Although there are no medications that are approved by the FDA to treat marijuana dependence and addiction, Ambien, BuSpar, and other sleep aids and anti-anxiety medications have been found to improve sleep and daily functioning in those who are struggling with THC withdrawal. These prescription drugs can make it much easier for an individual to get through the early stages of their treatment and recovery, so it is important to ask your doctor about the possibility of utilizing them or to find out from a local treatment center which medications may be used for your withdrawal symptoms.

The main treatments used professionally for marijuana addiction, however, are behavioral. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, contingency management, and motivational enhancement therapy have all been found to be beneficial for this specific type of addiction. If you decide to attend treatment for your THC abuse, it will often make withdrawal much easier to weather and allow you to cope with your other difficult side effects and symptoms.

Get Rid of Triggers

Motivational Enhancement Therapy is effective in treating THC addiction.

If you have a home full of triggering objects that will make you think of your time using marijuana, it is important to get rid of these. This can make it much easier to avoid relapse and the problematic issues that often cause it. By ridding your home of certain objects––and sometimes even vowing to spend some time away from certain people––you can create a safer, easier recovery for yourself.

Ask a Friend for Help

Don’t feel like you need to take the burden of this all on your own. If you have friends or family members who support your decision to recover from your THC addiction, ask them to help you through your recovery by staying with you for several weeks or splitting some of your daily responsibilities with you so you can better focus on your recovery. It can also help immensely to just have someone listen to you while you are going through this difficult time.

Distract Yourself

When you experience cravings for marijuana, do something to distract yourself. Take a bath, take a walk, do yoga, read a book, or do something else that makes you feel good. As long as your mind is occupied on another activity, it will be easier to avoid relapse and to cope with long-term cravings and other issues associated with quitting marijuana.

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