Given CBD is usually taken on a daily basis, it’s a common worry to be concerned about whether or not you will experience withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop taking it. If you stop taking cannabis you will experience withdrawal symptoms, and so due to CBD’s close relationship with cannabis people often assume you’ll also get withdrawal symptoms from stopping taking CBD. This is an incorrect assumption and you will not experience withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking CBD. Withdrawal symptoms and addiction are not something you need to worry about with CBD, and we’ll give an in depth explanation as to why in this post.
What Is CBD?
Describing what CBD is provides a good place to start in order to determine if it can cause withdrawal symptoms. CBD, which is short for cannabidiol, is one of over 100 different cannabinoids found within the cannabis sativa plant. CBD products are usually made by extracting CBD from the hemp variety of the plant, as the hemp plant contains a large amount of CBD and smaller amounts of the THC cannabinoid. In order for CBD products to be legal within the UK they must contain less than 0.2% THC.
CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system by indirectly impacting the CB1 and CB2 receptors that are located throughout the body. A key point to make is that it does not bind to these receptors. Ultimately this works to control important biological functions such as body temperature, pain perception and inflammation.
What Are Common Withdrawal Symptoms?
Withdrawal is the name given to the effects experienced when someone stops using or reduces their intake of a given substance or drug.
Every drug creates different withdrawal symptoms and some people will experience different withdrawal symptoms to others. However withdrawal symptoms can either be classified as physical or mental. Physical withdrawal symptoms cover things like headaches, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, twitches, aches and sweating. Mental withdrawal symptoms cover issues related to sleep, depression, anxiety and cognition. Marijuana is known to produce more emotional withdrawal symptoms.
CBD vs THC
As we touched upon, CBD products can contain small traces of THC and so it’s necessary for us to describe what THC is, as well as how it differs from CBD itself.
THC, which is short for tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive substance within marijuana.
It attaches to CB1 and CB2 receptors and can ultimately affect memory, pleasure, movements, thinking, concentration, coordination, and sensory and time perception. The difference here is that THC binds to the receptors whilst CBD indirectly impacts them without binding to them.
Excessive and frequent use of THC can result in addiction, and withdrawal symptoms are common if regular users stop using.
Is CBD Addictive & Can It Cause Withdrawal Symptoms?
CBD is a non-addictive substance meaning it cannot cause withdrawal symptoms should you stop taking it.
In order to explain why we must refer to the difference in the way each substance works with the cannabinoid receptors. When THC binds to the CB1 receptor, it results in a dopamine rush which people associate with please and reward. CBD on the other hand does not cause a dopamine rush and users do not feel a reward. Instead, CBD regulates the endocannabinoid system and keeps dopamine levels at the optimum point.
As CBD does not result in an excessive dopamine rush, users therefore do not become addicted to it.
Can CBD Actually Help Withdrawal Symptoms?
So we’ve established that CBD cannot cause withdrawal symptoms, but could it actually help withdrawal symptoms people experience from certain drugs? There have been a number of studies over the years which have looked into CBD’s use for treating addiction and withdrawal symptoms, we’ll cover a few of these below.
CBD For Heroin Addiction
Early research has been positive regarding CBD and heroin addiction. A study from the Recovery Research Institute found that, compared to those who received a placebo, those who took CBD showed lower cravings for heroin and reduced anxiety.
CBD For Alcohol Addiction
CBD has been found to help alcohol addiction, although early studies have only been carried out upon rats and they must be carried out on humans in order to confirm the findings. One study found that CBD helped to reduce alcohol intake, prevent relapse, and reduce motivation to consume alcohol.
CBD For Nicotine Addiction
Although research in humans is limited in determining whether CBD can help nicotine addiction. One study found that using a CBD inhaler for a week reduced cigarette usage by 40%.
CBD For Marijuana Addiction
Although it might seem confusing, one 2015 study found that CBD was able to cut out the addictive use of marijuana for the participant. The participant also reported being less anxious, as well as settling into a regular pattern of sleep.
Final Thoughts
So, we’ve established that CBD oil is not addictive and you can therefore enjoy it’s benefits daily without the worry of becoming addicted or experiencing withdrawal symptoms if you stop. We would actually recommend you using CBD products daily in order to improve their effectiveness. Given what we have discussed in this post, it’s perfectly safe to do so. So what are you waiting for, why not buy CBD oil today!
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