Marijuana Addiction among the Adolescents

Posted: January 4th, 2023

Marijuana Addiction among the Adolescents

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Marijuana Addiction among the Adolescents

Marijuana is an addictive drug, contrary to the belief of many people. Estimates from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) indicate that nearly 9% of users become addicted to cannabis (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). The number increases among those people who start at an early age to nearly 17% and among daily consumers to 25-30% (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). Most of the almost 7% of high-school students who smoke regularly are on their way to become addicts, if not already addicted, and may function less effectively in various areas such as in school or other areas in their lives (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). Often long-term marijuana addicts who try to quit show withdrawal symptoms, including reduced appetite, irritability, cravings, and sleeplessness, all of which derail the effort to stop marijuana (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). Although no medications are presently available to treat the withdrawal symptoms or addiction, interveners apply behavioral intervention approaches, including contingency management and cognitive-behavioral therapy, which prove to be effective in managing marijuana addition. The study pays considerable attention to cognitive-behavioral therapy and elaborates on how the therapeutic intervention equips adolescent patients with skills to manage and overcome marijuana addiction. 

Type of Intervention – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psycho-social intervention approach that aims to advance a person’s mental health. CBT pays attention to challenging and transforming unhelpful behaviors and destructive attitudes, beliefs, and thoughts (Steinberg et al., 2005). CBT aims at improving emotional regulations and practices and develops the personal coping mechanisms that aim to address some of the addict’s current problems. CBT initially helped patients who suffer from depression, but its applications have widened to cover the treatment of several mental issues, including addition and anxiety. CBT changes the addict’s destructive attitudes, images, thoughts, and beliefs that a person holds to, and transforms how these feelings relate to a person’s behavior as a way of addressing emotional problems. 

CBT combines behavioral therapy and psychotherapy, which makes the approach more effective in helping adolescent marijuana addicts. Behavioral therapy focuses on the connection between the addict’s thoughts, behaviors, and problems. (Gonzalez-Ortega, Echeburua, Garcia-Alocen, Vega, Gonzalez-Pinto, 2016) Psychotherapy, on the other hand, puts emphasis on the values of the personal meaning people put on various things and how thinking patterns and behaviors start in childhood. Most psychotherapists who use CBT tend to customize and personalize the intervention approach to meet the personality and specific needs of each patient. The therapists who help adolescents quit marijuana choose to apply various therapeutic methods regularly used by mental health experts. The Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is one of these approaches that focus on recognizing and mitigating irrational conduct. The therapists can also apply cognitive therapy that focuses on identifying and transforming imprecise or improper thinking patterns, behaviors, and emotional reactions (Gonzalez-Ortega, Echeburua, Garcia-Alocen, Vega, Gonzalez-Pinto, 2016). The therapists may also use the dialectical behavior therapy that adjusts the addict’s behaviors and thinking patterns and employs techniques such as mindfulness and emotional regulation. Therapists should acquire enough insight into how the approach functions to achieve the best outcome.  

Target Population

The study focuses on marijuana addiction during adolescence, which is one of the most rapid stages of human development. A person undergoes tremendous biological and psycho-social maturity at this phase as a result of the influence of the environment and individual characteristics. Younger adolescents may be vulnerable when their competence and capacities are still forming and developing, and they are starting to move away from the confines of their guardians and families (World Health Organization, 2020). The vulnerability pushes some adolescents to use marijuana, especially when they start interacting with peers who utilize the drug (Henderson, 2015). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) offers comprehensive and reliable information on drug use in the U.S. NSDUH’s 2013 survey for the 12-17 age group revealed that approximately 7.1% of adolescents were current users of cannabis (American Addiction Centers, 2020). The number of teenagers who used the drug varied depending on the age group; 1% of 12-13 years olds used the drug, while marijuana use increased to 5.8% in individuals aged 14-15 years old (American Addiction Centers, 2020). The rate of usage increased to 14.2% in the age group comprising of teenagers aged 16 and 17 years old (American Addiction Centers, 2020). Johnson (2018) asserts that cannabis is the widely used illegal drug among the adolescents in the U.S. and the main cause for entering drug abuse treatment. The exposure to marijuana use by such young users suggests that much need to happen to save the young population from suffering the adverse effects of prolonged use.  

The adolescents are at a considerably high risk of suffering the long-term effects of using marijuana, which makes it necessary to embrace effective intervening methods. Some people even argue that marijuana use affects adolescents more than adults (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2020). Marijuana use may affect brain development, which could cause a wide range of cognitive problems, mental health disorders, and low academic performance (Hadland & Harris, 2015). The use of marijuana by adolescents exposes them to more problems that hamper brain development, such as decreased quality of interconnections in the brain, inadequate blood flow to parts of the brain, and alterations to the structure of the brain. Also, adolescents are at a higher risk of becoming addicted to marijuana due to prolonged use. Addicted adolescents are unable to cease using the drug, using it even when they know it causes many problems and using the substance instead of taking part in other constructive activities with family and friends (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2020). Employing a suitable intervention approach would help addicts overcome the behavior that is dangerous. 

Culturally Responsive Practice Skills

The interveners should consider suitable, culturally responsive practice skills that would empower addicted adolescents to quit destructive behavior. Burlew, Copeland, Ahuama-Jonas, and Calsyn (2013) argue that the transforming ethnic composition of the country and the advancing requirements to apply evidence-based treatments require mental health practitioners to adapt to treatments and interventions that suit their clients. Using suitable, culturally responsive practice skills shall empower the affected persons emotionally and socially to transmit skills and knowledge and to change attitudes that drive them to substance abuse. The therapists should strive to form inclusion by telling the patient or the addict why the intervention is helpful to them. Promoting inclusion may entail grouping individuals who have similar problems and helping them understand why they need to quit. The interveners should establish a positive attitude in the addicts by letting them suggest the approach they prefer, and by offering clear assessment criteria and therapy goals. The therapist can apply culturally responsive practice skills by enhancing meaning through conning thing by real-world issues, asking patients to utilize their opinions and existing awareness concerning their culture to respond to intervention processes (Burlew, Copeland, Ahuama-Jonas & Calsyn, 2013). The therapist should take time to learn about the patient before proceeding with any intervention approach and may do this by interviewing them to gather relevant information. It may also be necessary to introduce other speakers to offer more encouraging words and to apply media that positively depict a wide range of cultural practices. Embracing suitable, culturally responsive practice skills will increase the possibility of arriving at a good outcome when helping adolescents to recover from marijuana addiction. 

Research on CBT

CBT started as an intervention strategy to prevent relapse when treating alcoholics, and later it was applied for cocaine-addicted persons. CBT strategies rely on the assumption that in the development of maladaptive behavioral patterns such as misuse of drugs, learning processes serve essential roles (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). Practitioners equip patients with skills to identify and mitigate harmful behaviors by employing a wide range of skills that can be applied to quite substance abuse and to address other related problems that often occur with prolonged use (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). A core feature of CBT is predicting possible problems and improving the patient’s self-control by enabling them to develop suitable coping mechanisms. Specific approaches entail considering and evaluating the positive and adverse effects of continued misuse, self-appraisal to identify cravings early enough and to recognize situations that put one at increased risk (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). The report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2020) further informs that the skills people learn through CBT remain after completing the treatment. Today, researchers are focusing on how to produce more powerful features by fusing CBT with pharmaceutical approaches for drug abuse and with other forms of behavioral therapies. A computer-generated CBT system is already in use and proves to be effective in assisting drug users in adhering to the treatment plan (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). Both therapists and patients should acquire enough information about how CBT works to experience little difficulty during implementation. 

CBT involves taking marijuana patients through a series of lessons and modules that would help them avoid further interaction with the drug. The therapist can begin by explaining the nature of marijuana and the chemicals it contains, such as (tetrahydrocannabinol) THC and cannabidiol (CBD), and then educate them on how they cause health effects (Henderson, 2015). The intervener should proceed to inform the addicts about the factors that make them vulnerable such as keeping bad friends and exposure at the family level. The therapist should continue to inform the patients how to identify symptoms of addiction to allow the take appropriate measures (Gonzalez-Ortega et al., 2016). The therapist, for example, may inform the patients that they can know about their addiction when it is difficult to quit even when they feel the lifestyle puts them at significant risk. The intervener can use the opportunity to inform the patient that despite the increased knowledge on the effects of medical marijuana and the increased legalization in many parts, it is wiser to restrain oneself from use because the habit has devastating health effects (D’Amico, Tucker, Pedersen & Shih, 2017). The intervener should schedule the next module to cover the benefits of intervention on the patients and those close to them. The session should address the importance of adhering to treatment and remind patients about the dangers of skipping the meetings and other treatment initiatives (Gonzalez-Ortega et al., 2016). The therapist should cover how marijuana use affects sleep patterns and interferes with a person’s sexual life, as well as offer adequate information about other health effects. A detailed CBT approach should educate the patients on how to manage anxiety, which is one of the significant symptoms for addiction. Equipping the patients with problem-solving techniques, and letting them know how to apply assertive communication skills form part of the CBT approach that plays essential roles in eradicating unwanted behaviors.

Researches by various scholars suggest that CBT is a suitable intervention for marijuana addicts. Gonzalez-Ortega et al. (2016) perform a randomized clinical trial to assess whether CBT as a way for regulating cannabis use is associated with positive results that conventional treatment approaches, and to substantiate whether the approach improves psycho-social functioning and reduces symptoms of the psychotic disorder. The research that incorporates first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients who are regular marijuana users finds that CBT is appropriate in regulating the mental effects that occur from marijuana use (Gonzalez-Ortega et al., 2016). The researchers learn that the approach allows the patients to understand their disease, and provides them with skills and tools to manage symptoms and possible relapse. 

Resistance

The patients could be resistant during the application of the CBT framework, which requires the interveners to apply strategies that would make them more participative and willing to offer information. The patients may show discomfort in disclosing personal information regarding substance use or may be embarrassed about the suggestions to change substance abuse behaviors (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). Other patients could show resistance in the way they are argumentative, upset, or fails to honor referral for more evaluation (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020). The therapist should not become stricter or angry because of such resistance but should understand that the addict lives in denial because of their tribulations, which mainly revolve around the inability to quit substance abuse (Alcohol Rehab, 2019). The intervener may help the patient understand that the resistance is likely to occur, and encourage the victim to attend regular sessions besides spending time with individuals who have successfully battled addiction (Alcohol Rehab, 2019). Addressing resistance may be difficult if the therapist does not employ effective mechanisms to overcome them, which requires additional effort to be conversant with how the process works. 

Conclusion

CBT provides a fitting structure to help adolescent marijuana addicts to quit the behavior that puts many users at a higher risk of experiencing a wide range of health problems. Many adolescents are vulnerable to marijuana when they get the freedom to do things without the watch of their parents and guardians, and some become addicts after prolonged usage. CBT allows the users to go through a series of lessons that adjust their behaviors by enabling them to identify the dangers of marijuana use, and equipping them with enough skills to manage adverse symptoms. Therapists must be conversant with some of the culturally responsive practice skills that would enable them to achieve cohesion with the patients as well as to attain the desired goals and objectives. The study presents a valuable insight that could help to improve the present and future interventions aimed at assisting adolescents in quitting marijuana. Proper development of CBT programs and enforcing mechanisms to apply them in clinical settings would promote more effective handling of health resources. Besides enriching the current intervention mechanisms, the study offers insight into effective ways of standardizing CBT to benefit all patients. Emphasizing on CBT allows the government and other groups that promote health and well being to reduce financial investment in purchasing drugs, which makes it possible to develop other areas. Future researchers should offer more awareness on how to use CBT to meet the patients’ health and social needs considering that people become addicts because of different socio-cultural reasons. Health promoters, educators, and health institutions should encourage the applicability of CBT because the approach proves to be effective in reducing the effects of prolonged marijuana use among adolescents. 

References

Alcohol Rehab. (2019). Resistance to recovery. Retrieved from https://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-recovery/resistance-to-recovery/

American Addiction Centers. (2020). What to do when your child is using marijuana. Retrieved from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/marijuana-rehab/child-using

Burlew, K., Copeland, V., Ahuama-Jonas, C., & Calsyn, D. (2013). Does cultural adaptation have a role in substance abuse treatment? Social Work and Public Health, 28, 440 – 460. doi: 10.1080/19371918.2013.774811

D’Amico, E., Tucker, J., Pedersen, E., & Shih, R. (2017). Understanding rates of marijuana use and consequences among adolescents in a changing legal landscape. Current Addiction Reports, 4(4), 343-349. doi: 10.1007/s40429-017-0170-y

Gonzalez-Ortega, I., Echeburua, E., Garcia-Alocen, A., Vega, P., Gonzalez-Pinto, A. (2016). Cognitive behavioral therapy program for cannabis use cessation in first-episode psychosis patients: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 17(372), https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-016-1507-x

Hadland, S., & Harris, S. (2015). Youth marijuana use: state of the science for the practicing clinician. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 26(4), 420-427. doi: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000000114

Henderson, J. (2015). The effects of cannabis use during adolescence. In T. George & F. Vaccarino (Eds.), The effects of cannabis use during adolescence (pp. 5-15). Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. ISBN 978-1-77178-261-6

Johnson, J. (2018). Elucidating the impact of adolescent marijuana use. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(2), 129-130. doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.06.002

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/

Steinberg, K. L., et al. (2005). Brief counseling for marijuana dependence: A manual for treating adults. Rockville, MD: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.integration.samhsa.gov/clinical-practice/sbirt/brief_counseling_for_marijuana_dependence.pdf

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2020). Risks of adolescent marijuana use. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/substance-use/marijuana/risks/index.html

World Health Organization. (2020). Maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/adolescence/development/en/