Recovering from a substance use disorder is never easy. While addiction treatment programs make it possible to recover, sometimes the idea of complete abstinence is harmful for certain individuals. To explain, some people are not ready to give up all drugs and alcohol, and preaching that abstinence is the only way can prevent them from getting better.
With the rise of the California sober movement, you might find yourself wondering if cannabis can be part of your recovery journey. While traditional 12-step programs believe that smoking weed during addiction recovery means you are not sober, some recovery programs embrace the idea of using cannabis for harm reduction.
Cannabis is used medicinally to treat a wide variety of conditions, including physical problems like chronic pain and mental health conditions like anxiety. Keeping this in mind, sometimes marijuana use is necessary for individuals in recovery from addiction. Additionally, marijuana use can be a form of harm reduction, allowing people to continue using a substance that is way less harmful than the alternative.
In this article, you will learn:
- Can you use marijuana as a form of harm reduction?
- What are the benefits and risks of weed use in recovery?
- Can you prevent cannabis addiction when using it for harm reduction?
Can Weed Be a Form of Harm Reduction?
Marijuana is a mind-altering substance that can lead to a high characterized by euphoria, calmness, and more. While most addiction treatment programs prohibit the use of weed, some people believe cannabis use in recovery from addiction is a type of harm reduction.
In many states, medical cannabis is legal. Medical marijuana can treat a wide variety of conditions, including:[1]
- Chronic pain
- Multiple sclerosis
- Crohn disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Epilepsy
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Eating disorders
- Anxiety
- And more!
Some of these conditions can be managed using other medications that might be more harmful to recovery than marijuana. For example, chronic pain is often treated with opioids, while anxiety is managed with benzodiazepines. When compared to those medications, cannabis is the safer alternative for someone recovering from addiction.
Additionally, harm reduction believes in meeting people where they are. If you are not quite ready to give up all substances, using marijuana could be your safest option. Even though cannabis use is not without risk, you are not going to experience a life-threatening overdose when abusing it.
What are the Benefits and Risks of Using Marijuana in Recovery?
Using alcohol and other drugs can lead to a wide variety of risks, including life-threatening overdoses, an inability to function in your daily life, and long-term health risks. If you are trying to recover from addiction but continue to experience relapses, using marijuana as a form of harm reduction might allow you to remain clean from other substances.
The benefits of using marijuana in recovery from addiction include:
- Empowering yourself to choose your path in sobriety
- Managing co-occurring disorders like PTSD or anxiety with medical cannabis
- Using marijuana to treat chronic pain instead of opioids
- Curbing cravings for other substances and illicit drugs with marijuana, lessening your risk of relapsing
While there are benefits to using weed in recovery, there are also some risks to consider, including:
- Lacking clear boundaries for substance abuse, leading to a relapse on other drugs
- Masking underlying problems with the effects of cannabis
- Having an increased risk of experiencing psychosis, especially if you have underlying mental health conditions like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia
- Developing a cannabis use disorder
If you are considering using marijuana as a form of harm reduction, you should bring it up with your therapist or addiction counselor. Because they are familiar with your behavioral patterns and thinking processes, they will be able to help you weigh the risks and benefits to determine if cannabis use in recovery is right for you.
How to Avoid Marijuana Addiction When Using it as a Form of Harm Reduction
Using marijuana in recovery can be helpful in a variety of ways. It can alleviate physical or mental health conditions, making it easier for you to stay sober. You can also use marijuana to cope with cravings you experience for more harmful drugs.
That said, there are risks to using marijuana in recovery. Because you are more susceptible to addiction, your risk of developing a marijuana use disorder is increased.
Thankfully, there are ways to avoid developing an addiction to weed, including:
- Only using medical marijuana to treat a co-occurring physical or mental health condition
- Only use weed in moderation, and avoid using it simply to get high
- Informing your therapist or addiction mentor about your marijuana use and doing regular check-ins to keep yourself accountable
- Keeping a journal to track your cannabis use and your motivations for using it
- Attending support meetings for the California sober lifestyle
- Try using other healthy coping mechanisms before turning to marijuana use (in other words, use weed to cope as a last resort)
At Patrick’s Purpose, we consider ourselves to be a cannabis-friendly sober living program. We support individuals who engage in medical marijuana use by providing support meetings like our Go Green Meeting. In other words, we understand that cannabis use in recovery can be a form of harm reduction and recognize the importance of supporting the Cali sober approach.
Get Connected to a Marijuana-Friendly Sober Living Program
If you or a loved one uses medical marijuana in addiction recovery, you’ve come to the right place. At Patrick’s Purpose, we recognize the validity of the Cali sober approach to recovery. If you are looking for support during the transitional phase between addiction treatment and independent living, we are here for you.
Contact us today to learn more about our marijuana-friendly sober living program.
References:
- The National Library of Medicine (NLM): Therapeutic Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids