Marijuana Withdrawal and Detoxification

Clinically Reviewed by Matt Hawk ICAADC, CACII, Written by Karen Hadley

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When someone who uses marijuana on a regular basis decides to quit, they can experience withdrawal symptoms as their body adjusts to functioning without the drug. A 2020 analysis of multiple studies found that approximately 47% of ​frequent cannabis users experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using the substance.

Cannabis withdrawal symptoms can be mild for some and this, coupled with its use in popular culture, has led many people to think that marijuana is not addictive. However, the presence of withdrawal symptoms is an indication that the body has become physically dependent on the drug. The most frequently reported symptoms are sleep difficulties, irritability, and anxiety. Generally, withdrawal symptoms peak during the first week after quitting and begin to improve within two weeks.

Typically, these symptoms aren't always dangerous and don't require medical care, unlike withdrawal from substances like alcohol or benzodiazepines. However, some long-term marijuana users may develop Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), a condition that causes severe, cyclical vomiting episodes and can require emergency medical treatment for dehydration.

Marijuana is also psychologically addictive. Some people believe that cannabis helps them cope with stress, anxiety, or sleep problems, making it difficult to function normally without it. However, research shows limited evidence for cannabis's effectiveness in treating these conditions. Studies have found there is no evidence that cannabis improves sleep in the general population, and also that there is no compelling evidence for using any form of marijuana for mental health treatment. In some cases, cannabis can actually increase anxiety and worsen symptoms in the long term. This psychological reliance can make quitting challenging.

What Is Marijuana Addiction?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, addiction occurs when signs like these are present:

• Using more cannabis than was intended or for a longer time.
• Having an inability to cut down or control their cannabis use despite intending to.
• Devoting long periods of time to acquiring marijuana, using it or recovering from its effects.
• Having strong cravings for more marijuana or other cannabis products.
• Continuing to use this drug despite relationship, work or school problems.
• Abandoning important activities or goals.
• Having physical or mental problems resulting from cannabis use but not discontinuing it.
• Needing greater quantities or higher potency cannabis to get the effect a person wants.
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when drug use stops.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 15 million people use marijuana daily or nearly daily. The frequency of marijuana use is associated with a greater chance of addiction.

Some rehab programs teach that addiction is a “chronic, relapsing disorder,” or that it is a brain disease. Six decades of experience at Narconon drug rehab centers have shown that addiction does not have to be either chronic or relapsing. A person can recover fully from this problem and go on to live a stable, sober life.

A thorough and drug-free method of marijuana detoxification and withdrawal at the beginning of one’s rehab program sets a person up for a successful recovery from addiction.

What Is Marijuana Detoxification?

The word detoxification refers to the body's process of clearing itself of harmful substances that have been consumed. In drug and alcohol rehabilitation, detoxification also refers to a stage of treatment that may include medical services provided under a doctor's care. While not everyone needs medical assistance, professional detox programs can help support the body's natural detoxification efforts and manage withdrawal symptoms safely.

When someone who regularly uses marijuana decides to quit, their body must adjust to functioning without THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis). During this adjustment period, withdrawal symptoms may occur.

Marijuana withdrawal symptoms can include:

• Irritability and aggression
• Nervousness and anxiety
• Sleep problems, including disturbed dreams
• Sweating
• Abdominal pain
• Headaches
• Depression
• Loss of appetite
• Restlessness
• Cravings for marijuana

Symptoms typically begin within 24 to 48 hours after stopping marijuana use, with severity usually peaking around day three. According to research from the University of Michigan, 59% of people using medical cannabis for chronic pain experienced moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms were more severe in younger people, those with mental health problems, and those who had been using cannabis for a longer time or more heavily.

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While the body can gradually remove some drug residues associated with chronic marijuana use, many users face persistent post withdrawal effect due in part to toxic residues left in the body after withdrawal and detoxification have ended. For marijuana users, research shows that lipolysis (fat breakdown) can increase the release of THC that was stored in fat back into the blood, suggesting the possibility of 'reintoxication.' Studies conducted with animals showed that stress or food deprivation may raise blood THC levels after animals are chronically exposed to the drug.

The Narconon New Life Detoxification program is designed to relieve these symptoms by reducing the amount of drug residues in the body.

What Do People Say About Their Marijuana Withdrawal?

A list of marijuana withdrawal symptoms may not make it clear what the actual experience is like. These statements from individuals withdrawing from marijuana without good support make it clear that this withdrawal experience is tough.

• “My worst detoxes have all involved concentrates (shatter, wax, live resin) …after about 48 hours of sobriety, I could not eat some things without becoming violently ill… Along with the nausea and what I would call flu-like symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, body temperature irregularity), there was intense anxiety and a huge desire to smoke to alleviate the symptoms.”
• “I start experiencing the most lucid dreams that I have ever had… These dreams can be extremely vivid and seem so realistic that I have woken up in panic filled with fear… depression and anxiety often plague me in the early days of detox.”
• “I thought there would be some discomfort and general unpleasantness. I experienced major headaches, body aches, insomnia, and just a general feeling of, ‘I can’t do this.’”

A subjective look at what it’s really like to withdraw from marijuana makes it clear that a drug rehab must offer exceptional support and care during withdrawal.

Getting Through Marijuana Withdrawal Successfully

Many people who choose a Narconon drug rehab describe their experiences differently. Some people say that their withdrawal at Narconon was far more tolerable than any other they have been through. From the first moment a person arrives, generous vitamin and mineral supplements begin to calm the body’s symptoms. Narconon staff work with each person around the clock to focus their attention on the present. Gentle assists further calm the body and mind.

These techniques have helped those addicted to all kinds of drugs. Tens of thousands of people have benefited from this approach.

If someone needs a medical detox advised by a medical doctor, this will be done before they come to Narconon to start their rehab program. Once they begin this program, their health will be monitored and regular medical care is available, but this is not a medication-based program.

We're here. We're ready to help you.
Call us at 1-800-737-5250 to get help now. or learn more about the Narconon Drug Rehabilitation Program

Relief from Cravings

At a Narconon drug rehab, a successful withdrawal is followed immediately by the New Life Detoxification. This unique step combines sweating in a low-heat sauna combined with moderate exercise and targeted nutritional supplements including vitamins, minerals and oils. The combination has been shown to help flush out and reduce old, stored drug residues from the body.

As these residues leave the body, it is very common for a person’s outlook to brighten, and for them to feel more positive. For many, their cravings gradually cease. Other symptoms like anxiety and bad dreams are often relieved. Many people also talk about feeling more alert and energetic. This is the perfect start to a new, sober life.

Learning to Live in the Present Again

Any kind of drug or alcohol abuse drives a person right out of the present. They are not in touch with what is going on around them. The next step in the Narconon rehab program helps each person get back in touch with, and in control of, their present time environment.

This step is called the Objectives and consists of carefully planned, guided techniques. A series of routines gradually assists each person in learning to focus on the present and control their own thoughts and actions. This new level of self-control helps each person start controlling their own life and the desire for drugs.

Learning to Build a New, Sober Life

A person in recovery doesn’t automatically know how to stay sober in the future after rehab is done. They need to learn the most important skills that will keep them on a sober path. The next section of the Narconon program teaches those life skills in three modules:

• Overcoming Ups & Downs in Life: If you don’t know who to trust, life can be so chaotic. You may end up associating with people who don’t care if you live or die, like a drug dealer. It’s vital that each person in recovery learns how to identify if people are truly friends or enemies and how to deal with each successfully.
• Personal Values: Years or decades spent in addiction damage or destroy a person’s self-respect. They compromised their own values when they were addicted, but here they can repair their self-esteem and pride. On the Personal Values course, they learn how to restore their own integrity and trust in themselves and how to take responsibility for their past actions and relationships.
• Changing Conditions in Life: It’s essential to know how to resolve problems that show up. Otherwise, upsets or setbacks can drive a person back to drugs for relief. The Changing Conditions in Life teaches the formulas for improving situations in all areas of life.

What Makes Narconon Drug Rehab Different?

There are many things that make the Narconon drug rehab program different from other programs:

• No substitute drugs are administered during withdrawal or at any point in this program.
• It is not a 12-Step program. The basic principle is that recovery from addiction is possible, not that each person will “always be an addict,” or that addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease that requires indefinite medication.
• The approach of this program is to restore to each person control of their life so they can cease all drug or alcohol use and move forward with the certainty and tools for a sober and drug-free future.
• This evidence-based program has six decades of success, making it one of the oldest and most established programs that continues to get results.
• It offers a solution to reduce the cravings that make recovery so difficult to maintain.
• Life skills are a big part of the program, and one discovers why they started drug or alcohol use in the first place and how they can overcome these factors.

A New Kind of Long-Term Residential Drug Rehab

The Narconon rehabilitation approach was started in 1966 using methods developed by L. Ron Hubbard, American author and humanitarian who also founded the Scientology religion. The Narconon program, however, is wholly secular and does not teach any religion or religious principles.

Mr. Hubbard’s research and techniques have guided Narconon’s methods since the program began. Tens of thousands of people have graduated from Narconon. The program is designed to be drug‑free and does not use substitute medications to treat dependence.

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Call us at 1-800-737-5250 or Get Help Now.

An International Network Dedicated to Recovery

In more than 30 centers around the world, Narconon drug rehab centers provide a drug-free, holistic, long-term program that enables each person to address the harm they have suffered.

Drug abuse does physical, mental and emotional harm, and addicts need help in each area. Because this program is also residential, those on the program have a chance to focus fully on their sober futures, away from alcohol-using friends. The program has no set time limit. What is important is that each person achieves the full benefit of each phase of this program.

How To Get Help for Someone?

It’s very simple. Have a confidential conversation with a Narconon representative today. Get all your questions answered. The person can be on their way to lasting sobriety in just days.