If you have heard of cannabidiol before, you might have read this headline and thought, ‘What? No way!’ But don’t worry, your eyes have not deceived you. That’s right, we’re going to talk about cannabidiol (CBD) as a potential aid to people suffering from addiction.
Hey Steemit! We haven't posted in a long time, but we are back on track and will be posting every week at least twice (once every Sunday for our weekly recap). This time we are we are taking a look at CBD and how it can help people with their struggles with addiction.
As the non-psychoactive cousin to THC, CBD is another compound found in the cannabis plant. It has had a long and complex history, from marijuana being used as a healing flower for centuries before it was made illegal in more recent history. And now, despite the fact that cannabis is still illegal in many municipalities and countries, CBD is gaining acceptance as a potential treatment for a vast range of conditions.
From anxiety and depression to chronic pain and nausea, CBD is being studied as a possible viable treatment option for things you wouldn’t have even considered. And one of these conditions is addiction.
In this article, we’ll take a look at why it is that CBD oil could be helpful to recovering addicts.
What is addiction?
Although it is a sad reality, addiction affects 1 in every 3 people. A survey by the American Addiction Centers states that as many as 21.5 million people aged 12 and above had a substance abuse disorder in 2014.
Basically, addiction refers to having no control over doing, taking, or using something that could harm you. Of course, when people hear the word ‘addiction’, they usually think about alcoholism and being dependent on dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin. The reality can be quite different because, although you can become addicted to substances such as these, you can also become addicted to more or less anything.
If an activity or substance causes some sort of mental stimulation, you can become addicted. This means that there are people out there addicted to gambling, shopping, and even cases where individuals are addicted to things like fake tanning!
Addiction can be extremely unhealthy. Often, sufferers of addiction can become depressed, anxious, stressed, and have the inability to lead a normal life. These unhealthy behaviors not only affect the individual, but also their friends and relatives. And unfortunately, when somebody tries to recover from their addiction, they undergo horrible withdrawals which make it hard to quit.
How are addictions treated?
Since addictions are so vast, their treatments are also extremely varied; Not only does the type of addiction vary, but also its severity.
Usually, treatments include a range of different therapies and medications. Thankfully, it is a treatable condition, but it requires a lot of hard work and courage to even start on the recovery process.
Often, addicts enrol themselves in rehabilitation centers so that they can manage their withdrawal symptoms whilst being away from the thing that they are addicted to, meaning that they won’t be tempted to relapse. It is important to talk about your addiction problem so that you can get the proper help you need.
Prescription medications usually come in during the withdrawal phase, as certain pills etc. can treat the symptoms you experience as a result of withdrawal, such as nausea, anxiety, and pain.
How might CBD oil be able to help with addiction?
Although it might seem counter-intuitive to treat addiction using a compound found within the cannabis plant, there is actually some science to back up this idea. As we mentioned above, part of the treatment process for addiction involves targeting the symptoms of withdrawal.
One of the most common – and most difficult – withdrawal symptoms is cue-induced cravings, also known as habitual cravings, in which the individual wants to return to the dangerous substance or behavior due to seeing or experiencing things they directly associate with their addiction.
In 2015, Neurotherapeutics published a study reviewing the effect that CBD has on heroin addicts. Subjects in the study were given CBD for three consecutive days, then tested for cravings seven days later; there was also a placebo group to control the study. The results showed that those who had taken the CBD had their cravings lessened when compared to the placebo group.
This suggests that cravings themselves could be curbed by ingesting CBD, but what about the other problems encountered during withdrawal. Anxiety, irritability, and sweating are all things that can occur for years after quitting something you are addicted to.
But why? Well, the symptoms of withdrawal are mediated by increased transmission of glutamate (a neurotransmitter) found in areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory. This means that any situation triggering your memory will increase production of glutamate, thus causing you to feel this way.
It turns out that CBD could help to mitigate these symptoms, too, even if it doesn’t entirely prevent cravings. A lot of research has been done on CBD’s ability to reduce anxiety and enhance mood. It interacts with the 5HT1-A serotonin receptor in the body to help balance mood, meaning that ingesting CBD might be a good way to reduce anxiety felt as a result of withdrawal.
What addictions could CBD help to treat?
Since studies linking CBD to addiction recovery are quite thin on the ground, it is impossible to give a precise list regarding which disorders CBD could help to treat.
The above study was done on heroin addicts, meaning that it might be beneficial to those addicted to hard drugs. But furthermore, University College London carried out a study* which gave a CBD inhaler to 24 cigarette smokers (they were split into two groups, with one group given a placebo). The subjects were told to take the inhaler whenever they craved a cigarette. At the end of the study, it was found that the group using the CBD inhaler smoked 40% less cigarettes, whereas the placebo group experienced no change. This is very encouraging for those addicted to nicotine, as CBD could be a promising way to wean yourself off tobacco.
An even more shocking study* was conducted on a 19-year-old patient in Brazil who was addicted to cannabis. The researchers found that synthetic cannabidiol reduced the patient’s withdrawal symptoms after just a few days. Yes, you read that right – CBD could even help with cannabis addiction!
However, the most encouraging study* related to CBD and addiction was carried out on rodent models and looked at the cannabinoid’s ability to lessen neurodegeneration that was caused by alcohol abuse. A 5% CBD gel was applied to rodents, which resulted in a 48% reduction in neurodegeneration. This suggests that, not only could CBD help to reduce the symptoms of withdrawal, but it could be beneficial in building up brain strength over time.
Final thoughts
There is much left to be desired when it comes to concrete evidence that CBD could be used as a widespread treatment for addiction. That said, there have been a few scientific studies that point to it as a viable option in the future for those suffering from alcohol, tobacco, and even heroin addiction.
With the potential ability to reduce cravings, settle anxiety and improve your mood, there is no wonder scientists are investigating CBD as a potential avenue. If signs that it could repair brain damage over time aren’t encouraging enough, then it’s ability to curb withdrawal alone should be enough!
But, as we talked about earlier in this article, treatment for addiction isn’t just about mediating the symptoms of withdrawal – you should also have a good network of support. It’s never too late to get help for addiction, and if you or a loved one is suffering, then you might even be able to point them in the direction of cannabidiol.
SOURCE
https://www.endoca.com/blog/can-cbd-treat-addiction/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23685330
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23095052
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305713002104
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