Substance Addiction is a condition that 23.5 million Americans suffer from. That means that about 1 in every 10 people over the age of 12 suffer from addiction. Imagine that in a room full of just 10 random people 1 of them is likely to be addicted to a substance. Going through addiction is extremely challenging for most people, not only is it taxing on the body it also alienates people from society in many ways. People that don’t suffer from addiction typically can’t understand what compels someone who is addicted to a substance to continue taking that substance. Not to mention the way our country approaches substance abuse is outright punishment which leads to even more problems. Hopefully someday we will change our collective minds about addiction and put an emphasis on healing people that suffer from it instead of punishing them.
A great way to start the healing process from addiction is to get CBD into your system. CBD has been shown to provide a leg up to those suffering from addiction by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system. The way it does this is through reward and brain plasticity, both functions combining to deliver powerful results quickly. For those looking for a scientific explanation, “CBD acts on the ECBS as a weak inverse agonist on CB1 receptors, stimulates the TRVP1, and alters the hydrolysis of AEA by inhibiting fatty acid amine hydrolase.14–16 CBD has been shown to be an agonist of 5-HT1a serotoninergic receptors and to regulate stress response and compulsive behaviors.” Russo EB, Burnett A, Hall B, Parker KK. Agonistic properties of Cannabidiol at 5-HT1a receptors. Neurochem Res. 2005;30(8):1037–43.
THC and CBD have been shown to have a synergistic effect on addiction when combined. It is important to note that THC can have some mildly addictive properties, but surely not as many as prescription opiates. So, it makes sense for someone who is suffering from withdrawals to consume marijuana that is high in both THC and CBD, to ease their suffering. Some symptoms of withdrawals are sweating, nightmares, nausea, pain, and body temperature irregularities, just to name a few, all of which can be helped with a combination of THC and CBD.
CBD and the other major cannabinoid THC have both been proven to be effective treatments for addiction. Those suffering from addiction know better than anyone else the fear and the hopelessness that come with being hooked on a drug, and the feeling of having their lives taken over completely. But now there’s hope on the horizon with these powerful cannabinoids, a regiment of CBD and THC when taken daily has been proven to help immensely with recovery from substance abuse and addiction. We hope that anyone suffering from addiction would give CBD and THC (if it’s legal in your state) a try, it could make a world of difference in the fight against your substance of choice.