Medical marijuana is now legal in over 25 states and 7 states have legalized recreational marijuana use.  While marijuana is still federally illegal, many more states are considering decriminalizing or making medical and recreational marijuana use legal. For the recovering addict, marijuana may not be a beneficial aspect to your recovery. Like alcohol, just because marijuana is becoming more accessible, does not mean that it is a positive activity for the recovering individual.

Marijuana can affect your mental health. Studies have shown that marijuana use can lead to psychotic, depressive, and anxiety disorders in some people. These risks increase the younger the user is. The brain is still developing until you reach your mid-20’s and marijuana use can cause impairments to brain functioning. While these adverse effects may not be the case for everyone, being predisposed to addiction, having an addiction, or having underlying mental health issues can increase your risks.

Marijuana is used for the psychoactive effects. You cannot drive or be intoxicated in public during or after using marijuana. Marijuana affects your judgement, ability to drive, and using it does impair you. If you are in recovery, you have worked tirelessly to wake up sober everyday. Marijuana use can set you back in your recovery.

Be honest with yourself. What do you really think about using marijuana? If you are in recovery from drugs or alcohol, does using marijuana sit well with you? For some people, marijuana can be a catalyst to return to using other drugs and alcohol. If this is true for you, using marijuana could prove detrimental to your recovery. You really should ask yourself if using marijuana is worth the risk of returning back to your substance of choice.

Talk to your support system and see what they think. Chances are that you have a sponsor, mentor, therapist, family, or sober friends. There is no harm in seeing what they think about it. Your mentor or sober friends may have had similar thoughts about marijuana, and they can provide you with support.

One of the arguments for marijuana use is that it helps to calm cravings for other drugs and relieve anxieties. While this may be true for a small percentage of people, marijuana is addicting. Withdrawals from marijuana include irritability, cravings, restlessness, and trouble eating and sleeping.

Marijuana is dangerous for a person in recovery. Using marijuana means that you are risking all of the progress you have made in recovery. If you have been wanting to use marijuana and you are in recovery, please talk to a counselor today.

The Kimberly Center can help you navigate recovery and make it through the Holidays. Call us now at 855-4-KCENTER. We are committed to putting you and your recovery first. At the Kimberly Center, you are in safe place.