According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, marijuana addiction is a complex disease and treatment is not very simple. Marijuana addiction treatment or rehab has so many dimensions and issues that need to be addressed to achieve complete recovery. Due to the popularity of medical marijuana, many people consider it as a safe drug, so is the number one drug abused worldwide. Almost half of the admissions to a drug rehab program are for marijuana addiction rehab. The rehab centers use a combination of therapies consisting of behavioral therapy and medications to get rid of the disease.
Marijuana Addiction Treatment Rehab: Cognitive Behavioral Treatment
Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT is generally known as coping skills training. The main aim of the program is to help the individual understand the triggers and learn skills to cope with them. Usually, the triggers can be either a person or a situation. In most cases, the triggers will be a part of everyday life and the individual may find it difficult to avoid it completely. The only way to overcome such triggers is by learning how to tackle them by generating a strong feeling for a drug free life in the individual’s mind. Marijuana addicts need weekly CBT sessions which may last for around 45 to 60 minutes. Moreover, the program I s conducted either in an individual or a group setting depending on the needs of the patient. Based on the severity of the psychological addiction to marijuana, the duration of treatment may range from 6 to 14 sessions.
Marijuana Addiction Treatment Rehab: Motivational Enhancement Treatment
This treatment focuses on encouraging the individual to stay away from negative thoughts of quitting and create a positive attitude towards a brighter future. A session of the treatment may last for up to 45 to 90 minutes. During the treatment, priority is given to strengthening the motivation to change. With MET, around one to four sessions will be enough to strengthen the inner mind and start the psychological part of the recovery process using a no-confrontational style of interaction. Moreover, the addicts are encouraged to prepare their own plan for the change which again makes he recovery process much easier.
Marijuana Addiction Treatment Rehab: Contingency Management
Contingency management or CM is a form of reward system in which a voucher program is used to encourage the individual to maintain the recovery. Verified marijuana abstinence is necessary to receive the vouchers. During the initial stages of the treatment, the individual may stay away from marijuana use to receive the vouchers. In course of time, as the body and mind becomes drug free, the person also loses interest in using the drug. A combination of all the three forms of psychological treatments has been found to be very effective in producing the best outcomes in marijuana abstinence.
Marijuana Addiction Treatment Rehab: Medications
Several medications are currently used to treat the withdrawal symptoms including buproprion, nefazodone, divalproex, and dronabinol. However, buproprion and divalproex is rarely used as the drugs can cause mood swings and sleep disturbances. Nefazodone is an antidepressant used in the treatment of muscle pain and anxiety is used in some rehab centers. Dronabinol is considered as the most effective medication for marijuana addiction treatment or rehab, and it acts by decreasing the side effects and cravings.
