Helping you to identify and resolve the root cause of your addiction
Dagga / cannabis / zol / marijuana / weed is the most frequently abused addictive drug in South Africa. Contrary to mainstream media hype “dagga” (as it is locally known) is responsible for wide range of identified addiction problems in patients.
Cannabis is usually consumed in dry, mix of the plants flowers, stems, leaves of the dagga plant also known as cannabis sativa. The drug is usually smoked in a cigarette or pipe.
Dagga addicts behavioural changes occur as they experience agitation, irritability, drug-seeking behaviors in the absence of the drug. With active use comes disorganisation, sometime disheveled appearance, loss of interest in once-pleasurable activities, shifting friend groups, risky behaviors, lowered inhibitions, legal problems, decreased occupational or scholastic achievements, distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty in clear thinking & problem solving, ongoing problems with learning due to memory and recall problems.
The vast majority of cannabis users experience an inability to stay focused, along with a range of short and sometimes long term memory lapses and concentration issues. Motivation takes it’s toll as cannabis “zoned out” state makes it easy to ignore the realities of day to day life. In the absence of the drug stress is a common problem. Users find it hard to “unwind” without the drug and may experience depression, mood swings and sometimes even anger when they are unable to “get their fix”.
Chronic dagga addiction problems in patients require clinical treatment services. The transformation from casual drug use to a pronounced dependence and detrimental substance abuse occurs less frequently dagga users than for opioid, amphetamine or cocaine users. However, as so many individuals use dagga, there is still a significant number of patients that get addicted to the substance. US stats claim that one out of every nine people who regularly used dagga will become dependent on the drug. Dagga use in early adolescence exponentially increases the risks of individuals being addicted to the drug. Specialized strains of dagga have been developed and new ways of refining the substance make modern marijuana far stronger and easier to get addicted to the substance than it was a decade ago.
What we have nowadays is not the same drug as was smoked even 15 years ago. Genetically modified strains of dagga have been in existence for the last 5 to 10 years and the strains active THC yields are getting more potent each year. Second to this fact that dagga users are finding ever more inventive ways to refine and take enriched THC resins, which in turn amplifies the potential of addiction. Hash oil or honey, wax or budder or shatter are concentrates so potent that their use has sent quite a few people to the emergency room.
So what is the net effect of these super strength strains of marijuana and the impacts on it’s users.
Helping you to identify and resolve the root cause of your addiction
Recovery Direct is a specialist addiction treatment service based in Cape Town, South Africa. We focus on the resolution of past traumas and establish positive personal growth in patients.