Therapy can help whether your goal is to cut down, to stop, or to understand what cannabis does for you.
What this covers
Cannabis is a Class B drug. Many people use it without difficulty. For some, it stops being a choice: heavy users often crave it and struggle to stop, even when it is causing problems with their health, their mood or their relationships.
Signs use may be becoming a problem
- Using more often, or for longer, than you meant to
- Craving it, or finding it hard to get through the day without it
- Feeling irritable, low or unable to sleep when you stop
- Using to cope with stress, anxiety or boredom
- Less motivation, memory or interest in other things
Risks and what to expect if you stop
Cannabis can affect motivation, memory, mood and sleep, and may bring on depression, anxiety, panic or aggression. In some cases it causes hallucinations, or hours or days of anxiety and paranoia. People with psychotic illnesses can have a serious relapse, and use that starts in the teenage years, especially with a family history of mental illness, may raise the risk of developing schizophrenia.
When heavy users stop, they may feel moody or irritable, feel sick, have trouble sleeping or eating, sweat, shake or have diarrhoea. If you are low or having thoughts of ending your life, call Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24 hours).
Mixing cannabis with tobacco also risks nicotine dependence, and driving after using can double the chance of a serious crash.
Support you can get alongside therapy
Therapy sits alongside medical care, not instead of it. How to get treatment without going through your GP, and where to find helplines.
What therapy can offer
- Working out what cannabis does for you (calm, sleep, switching off) and what else could do some of that work
- Practical strategies for cravings and the first weeks without it
- Support with anxiety, mood and sleep
Confidentiality
Worried about your job or your driving licence? What I report, and what stays between us.
If it is someone you love
It can be hard to know how much to worry about someone’s cannabis use, especially when they say it is harmless. Support for families and loved ones.
Short answers to common questions
Can you really be addicted to cannabis?
Heavy users often crave it and struggle to stop even when it is causing problems, and there can be withdrawal symptoms when they do. Whether or not you call it addiction, if it has stopped being a choice, it is worth taking seriously.
Will I feel worse when I stop?
Possibly for a while. Moodiness, irritability, poor sleep and appetite are common in heavy users who stop. We can plan for that together.
Can cannabis cause paranoia or psychosis?
It can. FRANK says heavy use can cause hours or days of anxiety, paranoia and hallucinations, which may not settle when use stops. It can cause a serious relapse in people with psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia, and may raise the chance of developing schizophrenia, especially with a family history or if use starts in the teenage years. If this is happening, speak to your GP.
Is skunk stronger than weed or hash?
Generally, yes. FRANK describes skunk as a strong strain with high THC and little or no CBD. Hash may contain more CBD, which is thought to reduce the anxiety and paranoia THC can cause. You cannot tell the strength or the THC and CBD balance from how cannabis looks or smells.
Can I drive after smoking cannabis?
It is not safe, and it is illegal to drive if you are unfit because of drugs or have certain levels of illegal drugs in your blood. GOV.UK lists a minimum one-year ban, an unlimited fine, up to six months in prison and a criminal record. FRANK says driving when stoned can double the chance of a serious or fatal crash.
Is vaping cannabis safer than smoking it?
Possibly, but only in some cases. FRANK says vaping is generally less harmful to the lungs than smoking, as long as the product has not been mixed with other harmful substances, which you cannot check with illegal THC vapes. Smoking cannabis can cause wheezing, breathlessness and coughing, even without tobacco, and long-term smoking is likely to carry many of tobacco’s risks.
My son or partner smokes cannabis every day; what can I do?
Daily use is worth a calm conversation, not a confrontation. FRANK says heavy users often get cravings and find it hard to stop, and that irritability, poor sleep and low appetite can follow when they try, so expect some difficulty. Listen more than you lecture, and look after yourself too. FRANK’s helpline is 0300 123 6600, and there is support for families and loved ones. FRANK: concerned about a friend