Cannabis withdrawal & detox
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This Page was last reviewed and changed on October 10th, 2023
If you are considering undergoing a cannabis detox, you may be worried about experiencing unpleasant cannabis withdrawal symptoms such as depression, anxiety, or irritability, but don’t panic – this is perfectly normal. Although cannabis withdrawal symptoms aren’t pleasant, they do pass, and you can regain optimum health. This page will explain everything you need to know about cannabis detox, including psychological and physical withdrawal effects, how best to alleviate symptoms, and how cannabis rehab can offer you invaluable tools to seek life-long recovery.
What is a cannabis detox?
Cannabis detox is a process that involves the body flushing out all remnants of cannabis metabolites from your system. This occurs after a period of abstinence but is accompanied by several unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms are your body’s response to the lack of cannabis it has grown used to and become dependent on. Thankfully, after a few days, the withdrawal symptoms ease, and your body adapts to a cannabis-free system.
Cannabis withdrawal symptoms
While detoxing from cannabis isn’t as severe as doing so from other substances such as cocaine or alcohol, it can still be accompanied by unpleasant physical side effects, depending on your level of reliance. Some known side effects of cannabis detox include:
- Insomnia
- Decreased appetite
- Sweating and chills
- Depression
- Headaches
- Tremors
- Irritability
Due to the reactions in the brain caused by THC, many neurological functions are altered. THC typically reacts with cannabinoid receptors in the regions of the brain that deal with time and sensory perception (thoughts, pleasure, memory and concentration). As a result, you could experience psychological cannabis withdrawal symptoms too.
The psychological marijuana withdrawal symptoms
If you have become dependent on cannabis, there will likely be psychological withdrawal symptoms that flare up when you attempt to quit. These psychological effects include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Insomnia
Cannabis withdrawal can be an unpleasant experience which can cause you to relapse if proper care isn’t taken to reduce the severity of the symptoms. If you’re worried about this and want to detox without such discomfort, seeking medical advice before undergoing cannabis detox is the best measure to take to ease the symptoms. Furthermore, it’s key to note that when we’re not feeling good physically, we’re likely to suffer mentally; the cannabis withdrawal symptoms may be too uncomfortable and thus trigger people to resume intake of cannabis. Therefore, it’s recommended that people detox from cannabis with the help of experts.
What are my options for cannabis detox?
There are NHS drug help services in virtually every county in the UK, via which cannabis detox can be undertaken by residents free of charge. However, these programmes are mostly outpatient based, which means you will need to visit a clinic to receive treatment before returning to your home. It’s important to note that inpatient programmes (where people stay at a clinic for the duration of their treatment) tend to have a more successful recovery rate than outpatient. This is because temporarily residing in a cannabis recovery centre can offer you respite from your current routine and prevent any triggers or distractions from disrupting your recovery process. If you want to receive a clinical referral to any NHS rehab service, you can speak with your GP to see if you qualify. Be aware that waiting lists are quite long, which could delay your treatment.
How long does a cannabis detox last?
Usually, the first few hours to a few days can be the most turbulent of the cannabis detox phase, as this is when the withdrawal symptoms peak. After several days, the effects will begin to wane, but psychological withdrawal symptoms (like cravings and depression) may still be present.
For people with mild cases of cannabis abuse, withdrawal may not be severe and might last only a day or two. However, for those who have smoked cannabis for a long time or abused it in conjunction with other harmful substances, detoxing from cannabis may be more difficult.
How UKAT can help you detox from cannabis
If you’re interested in experiencing a thorough marijuana detox with UKAT, we’ll do everything we can to help you beat your reliance on cannabis by guiding you through a thorough cannabis detox that’ll cleanse your body of all THC toxins. We believe the best way to successfully recover is to undergo a professional detox under the supervision of professionals in an inpatient facility. Our team of fully trained experts can give you the physical and emotional support you need to persevere with the detox and offer you help and guidance to maintain a successful recovery. We also have eight private CQC-rated centres located throughout the UK so we are confident we can find one best suited to your needs.
Myths about cannabis detox
Much information is circulating about detox ‘shortcuts’ for cannabis, which bear promises that can evict every trace of THC from your system in a concise amount of time. Unfortunately, these methods are mere hoaxes and will leave you disappointed, which could result in resuming cannabis use.
Let’s expose some of these unhelpful myths:
- If I drink large amounts of water days prior to my drug test, all traces of cannabis will be gone…
Drinking an influx of water will do you little to no good, as water doesn’t have any effect on the accumulated THC in fat cells.
- If I drink vast amounts of cranberry juice, it will flush cannabis from my system…
As a diuretic, cranberry juice only makes you urinate more without affecting cannabis THC residues in your body.
- If I consume large quantities of vinegar, it will immediately cleanse my system of cannabis…
Taking excess vinegar is also unpleasant and very risky, as it comes with several health issues.
- Taking Niacin to detox from cannabis will be easier than getting professional help…
Niacin isn’t a quick miracle solution as it’s sometimes touted to be. What’s more, too much consumption can result in liver failure and other serious health risks.
Some valuable tips for a cannabis detox
The human body will adjust to the cannabis detox in its own time and method, but you can take some measures that will help:
- Take warm baths.
- Get out in nature to bring some peace and harmony to your thoughts.
- Stay hydrated by drinking enough water. This will enable you to feel healthier in your mind and body.
- Take plenty of rest, you may be feeling worn out and your body will feel fatigued which is why it’s vital you get lots of rest and sleep.
- Be kind to yourself – you’re bound to be feeling lots of emotions. Let them come and go and give yourself appreciation for breaking a habit that no longer serves you.
- Participate in light exercises, such as walking or gentle stretching to help you relieve any physical tension.
