The overwhelming number of people in need of drug and alcohol treatment can often admit their use of hard drugs start with marijuana is well recorded and documented. It’s quite rare to find someone going from “never smoked so much as a cigarette” to “opiate addiction and frequent cocaine use every 2 hours.” They are indeed out there, but the vast majority of people start with that often misunderstood drug.
There are all sorts of myths surrounding marijuana, some true and some….well not so much. We’ve heard everything from marijuana not causing cancer (which is proven to be untrue, as marijuana has 22 more known carcinogens than tobacco), to assertions that it’s actually good for you (see the bit about carcinogens a few words earlier). As a California drug rehab facility, we have heard some interesting claims about this drug in particular. It’s usually at this point that the advocate or pot-smoker says, “You’re just buying into all the mainstream media propaganda. I got some stuff you really should read. It totally proves you’re wrong,” at which time we point towards numerous studies from a variety of highly-regarded institutions and organizations qualified to comment on such matters.
Before the inevitable comment arises that somehow 449 Recovery stands to benefit, we are going to let you in on a little secret. Every place that deals with drug addicts and alcoholics, whether they are an Orange County drug treatment center or a state-run methadone clinic, dreams of the day in which the services of their organization are no longer needed.
The truth is, marijuana can help people, and there are drugs that carry far greater consequences from use, but the fact remains that those two components do not equal healthy or safe. Those people suffering from ailments that only marijuana alone can relieve are extremely few and far between. In a majority of cases, most people with medical marijuana prescriptions have options for whatever ailment they are claiming, but choose not to for the simple fact that it means they can smoke marijuana. And for the record as one of the leading Orange County Rehab centers, we aren’t judging them nor or we saying marijuana may not be helping whatever malady they may be afflicted with. What we are saying is pretending marijuana is harmless in all cases would be a gross underestimating of its effects. Saying Marijuana is beneficial in all cases would be an outright lie.
Frankly, there is nothing wrong with drugs in and of themselves. Think about it; the reason people become drug addicts and alcoholics is because they love drugs and alcohol, if anything. The issues arise when people begin trying to legitimize their actions and their addictions by using a scapegoat to justify continuing their dysfunctional lifestyle. Just because marijuana doesn’t necessitate a full blown Orange County detox regiment that heroin or opiate addiction have, doesn’t mean it isn’t a serious or real addiction. If anything, the mental deception an addict or an alcoholic performs on themselves makes it more dangerous for that reason.
If any of this sounds familiar, 449 Recovery in San Clemente is Southern California’s premiere drug and alcohol treatment center. Using both traditional and cutting edge, innovative methods to help addicts and alcoholics find recovery; 449Recovery is rewriting the rules as to how we look to stop the addiction cycle.