Weed, also known as marijuana, cannabis, or pot, is one of the most commonly abused substances by people around the world. In fact, about 4 million suffer from marijuana addiction in the United States alone. If you or a loved one struggles with it too, here is something you can actually do through hypnosis: quit weed.
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What is Weed Addiction?
Weed addiction is one’s incapacity to stop smoking weed despite the negative consequences. People who suffer from this condition develop a tolerance for the substance: they must increase the dosage every time to feel the effects.
The level of addiction varies, but many people end up seeking help to overcome it. Here are the symptoms of weed addiction:
- You crave it constantly
- You experience withdrawal symptoms without it
- You are always hungry
- You have lost interest in daily activities
- You can’t complete simple tasks
- You have strained relationships with your loved ones
- You spend too much money on it
- You are struggling with quitting
How Does Smoking Weed Affect You?
Marijuana, a psychoactive drug extracted from the cannabis plant, stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain. As a result, your brain releases neurotransmitters known as dopamine. This is a “reward” that makes you feel good and relaxed.
The same process takes place whenever you exercise, laugh, and eat food that you crave. Since these acts release dopamine and make you feel good, you become more motivated to repeat them. However, things that make you feel good are not necessarily good for your health, such as smoking pot.
Short-Term Effects of Weed on Your Health
The short-term effects of smoking weed vary for every person. These can be pleasant, uncomfortable, or both. Here is a list of them:
- Euphoria
- Relaxation
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
- Confusion
- Anxiety
- Panic
- Paranoia
- Red eyes
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Sleepiness
- Drowsiness
- Hunger
- Dry mouth
- Nausea
- Reduced body temperature
- Increased blood pressure
- Fast heart rate
- Vomiting
Although your chances of dying from smoking weed are slim, it can lead to a trip to the ER.
Long-Term Effects of Weed on Your Health
Smoking weed regularly has long-term effects on your health, too. Just because it’s herbal, it does not mean it is harmless. In fact, research shows that being dependent or addicted to weed creates long-term or even permanent changes to your mind and body.
Brain: It can physically alter your brain and affect your ability to learn, remember things, and stay alert. It can also lower your I.Q.
Lungs: it weakens and damages your lungs, which is accompanied by symptoms like wheezing, phlegm buildup, coughing, and acute bronchitis.
Immune System: It weakens your immunity, which could leave you susceptible to diseases.
Pregnancy: If you are pregnant, it can interfere with your child’s brain development and affect his memory, problem-solving skills, and concentration.
Alarmingly, although marijuana has been around for hundreds of years, little is still known about its effects on people with pre-existing medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and multiple sclerosis.
What You Should Know About Hypnosis
Being under hypnosis is a similar feeling to daydreaming. Also known as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, it is an induced trancelike state of mind in which you are too calm, relaxed, and focused to notice anything that is going on around you.
Traditionally, hypnosis is done with the guidance and support of a trained therapist. Thanks to today’s modern technology, however, you can now do it on your own as long as you have the right tools.
How Hypnosis Works
According to a study conducted by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, “distinct sections of the brain have altered activity and connectivity while someone is hypnotized.”
During a hypnotic trance, there is a decrease in activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate. This is part of the brain’s salience network, which controls what a person pays attention to.
Then, there is an increase in connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (brain) and the insula (body). This brain-body connection allows the brain to understand and control what is happening inside the body.
Finally, there is a decrease in connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the default mode network (medial prefrontal and the posterior cingulate cortex). This creates a disassociation between what a person does and his awareness of it, which is why we easily follow verbal cues while under hypnosis.
The entire process is a powerful way to change how the mind perceives things and controls the body. In fact, studies have shown its effectiveness in improving issues like sleep quality, PTSD, and chronic pain
How Hypnosis Can Help You Stop Smoking Weed
Build Neural Pathways
Our brain consists of billions of neural pathways of brain cells that communicate with each other. Each pathway results in a feeling, thought, or action. For instance, your reaction to a particular childhood memory, your perception of yourself, and your addiction to cannabis all have their own neural pathways.
A pathway becomes stronger every time it is activated. The resulting feeling, thought, or action then becomes your default response and, over time, part of you who are. This is why creating change takes time and consistency.
With the help of hypnosis, however, your brain can create a new neural pathway that leads to recovery. The old pathway, which is addiction, starts to weaken over time until it is lost. And this may happen instantly or gradually.
Ease Withdrawal Symptoms
Hypnosis also helps you respond better to withdrawal symptoms. These can include restlessness, anxiety, and nausea. The desire to smoke weed then becomes easier to overcome as compared to dealing with the addiction without this method.
However, hypnosis does not work on its own. As with any method, it requires your participation, commitment, and willingness to heal from your habit or addiction. Ultimately, the decision to stay away from this substance is still completely up to you.
Quit Smoking Hypnosis App to Help You
If you or anyone you know needs help with overcoming weed addiction, download a free mobile app like Quit: Hypnosis to Stop Smoking. It provides hypnosis audios that you can listen to and offers a personalized hypnosis plan according to your specific needs.
The app can also help you track your progress in terms of how long it has been since you’ve last smoked, how many joints you have avoided, and how much money you have saved by quitting this addictive behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does hypnosis help you quit smoking weed?
Yes, hypnosis is a powerful tool that can help you stop smoking weed. It helps your brain build new neural pathways to weaken weed addiction.
2. Are there side effects of using hypnosis audio to quit smoking weed?
There are no known side effects when using hypnosis to quit smoking weed. Listening to hypnosis audio is a completely safe process that feels more like daydreaming and puts you in a relaxed state.
3. Can you combine hypnosis with other treatments?
Hypnosis is safe to combine with other treatments. In fact, it has been used to help improve other treatments for conditions like depression, anxiety, and sleep disorder.
