Marijuana addicts, and drug addicts in general, have options for dealing with their treatment and addiction issues, although these options are somewhat limited, and often shrouded in red tape. This is not meant to be discouraging, just realistic. That being said, let’s review some of the means people often seek treatment for marijuana addiction.

Those with health insurance are in the best position to seek full time rehab. Many if not most health insurance plans provided through your employer will offer some form of in person rehabilitation for drug addiction. There are no hard and fast rules on how this works however; acquiring those details will require calling the insurance company for more information or speaking with your company’s HR representative who deals with such questions. Often though, it works something like this: the insurance company first requires a visit to a drug addiction specialist, who will then essentially approve or confirm that there is a legitimate need for marijuana addiction treatment. At this point, the insurance company will pre-approve the rehab treatment and the patient can seek treatment. The details as to what specific drug treatment programs are covered, the length of their stay, and the specific treatments available that are covered are going to be specific to each insurance plan and is not something we can specify broadly.

Live-in drug treatment rehab is not necessarily an appropriate or necessary option for everyone.Outside of attending a full time or live-in marijuana addiction treatment program, which is an unrealistic option for many due to either lack of insurance coverage, an inability to leave the job for extended time, or the need to keep the problem a secret for fear of the social/career/political consequences, what other resources our at their disposal for seeking help?

Some people find much success in simply going cold turkey with the support of their family, friends, and loved ones, as well as professional counseling for a drug addiction specialist. Often this means getting emotional support from other people who have also suffered from an addiction problem at some point in their lives. To this end, it can mean seeking out a support group, such as Marijuana Anonymous, a kind of philosophical sister organization to the more well known group Alcoholics Anonymous. The internet provides a virtual support system for many addicts seeking help, although ideally in person meetings will be the best route to go, but this option is few and far between for many outside of major cities in the United States and Canada. Attending such meetings can help an addict deal with their addiction in ways not possible when trying to deal with it alone. Additionally, a drug counselor can provide a perspective and a personal game plan that will often prove to be a critical component of an addicts drive to quit smoking marijuana.

So in summary, here are some of the options available for professional marijuana addiction treatment:

• Marijuana Addiction Treatment – Attending an in person, live-in drug rehabiliation center.

• Drug Addiction Counseling – Similar to rehab, but doesn’t involve overnight stays.

• Support Groups – Support groups such as Marijuana Anonymous, either in physical meetings in person or seeking kinship and support through online emotional groups.

If you have any experience with marijuana addiction treatment, such as those items listed above, please leave a comment with your experience. What  type of marijuana treatment did you do? What was it like? Were the results successful in quitting marijuana?

These tips are not professional medical advice from a drug counselor. Rather, these are real life tips I want to share with you from my research into marijuana usage, addictive behavior, and from all the “marijuana addiction stories” I’ve learned over the years in the course of my work. Read this with an open mind and take it for what it’s worth.

1. Understand Why You Want to Stop Smoking Pot

It’s vital that you’re desire to stop smoking marijuana is intrinsically tied to a gut-level reason for wanting or even needing for quitting marijuana. I suggest taking out a paper or opening up a Word document on a computer and start adding your thoughts on why you want to stop smoking weed.

As an example, you might want to stop smoking marijuana because you’re about to have a son or daughter. Or you might want to stop smoking because you’ve swear you do not want to miss another job opportunity because of the drug test. Or maybe your reason for quiting is that someone you love died of lung cancer from smoking all their lives, and you’ve seen the toll this had on their family, and you never want to risk putting your family through the same thing.

These are all examples I’ve made up. I hope they don’t offend anyone. The point is – you need a reason to quit that hits you in the gut. You need a reason to quit that makes maybe upsets you or makes you tear up. Quiting a drug or an addictive behavior is tough, and having a “reason to believe” will increase your chances of not giving up when life gets rough and you want to solve the problem by getting high.

2. Commit to Quiting But Understand Mistakes Happen

Perfection is not realistic. I’m not saying that the second point here is to give yourself an excuse for using again. But what I’m saying is that it happens to the best of us, and before you throw in the towel forever, realize that THAT is just another excuse – the truth is, if you make a mistake, dust yourself off and move on.

Really what this point is about is accepting that you are human and that making a mistake once just means that you made a mistake – but it doesn’t mean you’ve given up on your commitment to quit smoking weed.

3. Get Support From Family and Friends

This is a tough one for many. Sometimes it’s friends and family who are threatened by your actions when it comes to trying to stop smoking pot. For them, you are a reminder that maybe they should look at their actions. Nevertheless, it’s very important to establish support where you can get it. If this is from family, great. If this is from your current friends, awesome.

However, if your family and friends won’t support you, then seek out new people in your life who will. This could mean going to drug abuse groups like Marijuana Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous. Or it could just mean trying new activities and meeting new people and never making drug use the focus of the social activities.

Some level of social support is practically mandatory here – get it where you can.

4. Consider Exercising, Taking Up a Hobby, Joining a Club, etc.

Often times when trying to end one habit, a trick to help is to replace it with a new habit. For our purposes here, doing something like joining a gym and establishing a daily exercise routine can be incredibly beneficial as part of your overall plan for how to stop smoking weed. But it doesn’t have to be this – it could be a hobby you’re passionate about or some kind of club you participate in.

I hope you’re reading this nodding your head and understanding how this can apply to your own life and your own goals in relation to marijuana. Marijuana addiction is something you don’t have to live with your whole life. You can quit. I hope this article point you in the right direction from how to stop smoking weed.