Many people ask if CBD can be used for addiction once they hear of its many valuable characteristics. This is very understandable because drug addiction and the risk of overdose continue to be a serious problem worldwide. In the US, for example, deaths associated with drug overdose rose to a record high in 2017. This has gotten so problematic that life expectancy in the US has been lowered.
One of the things that drive addictions is the intense cravings that come with taking these drugs. Since these drugs affect the brain’s pleasure center, people need to take more of them to avoid experiencing withdrawals.
This is what usually causes people to relapse and puts them at risk of overdosing. They end up having to take more and more of the drug to get the same great feeling they experienced initially. Most methods found effective with addictions find a way to curb that craving.
Recently health professionals are starting to look into how CBD can be used to treat addiction. CBD has already been treated as a “magical drug” for a variety of reasons. One of those is because of how it can stimulate the endocannabinoid system. This system maintains balance and function in the human body.
Studies like this one from 2019 also show that CBD might help to reduce cravings. How does it do this, and are there any side effects from CBD itself? We discuss this and lots more in the paragraphs below.
What Is CBD
CBD, also known as Cannabidiol, is a compound that is produced from the Cannabis Sativa plant. This extract is nonintoxicating and has been found useful in lots of conditions. Some of these include allergies, anxiety, pain, PTSD, and addiction.
How Does It Work
In 2015, a review showed that CBD has been found to have therapeutic properties in treatments for addiction. The addictions in this study included cocaine, cannabis, tobacco, opioid, and addiction to psychostimulants. CBD was also shown to help for those with cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
The way that CBD does this depends on the addiction in question. For opioid addiction, for example, CBD reduces its reward facilitating effect. It also reduces the cue-induced behaviors that cause people to relapse. CBD has a therapeutic effect and helps to reduce the number of cigarettes smoked for tobacco addiction.
CBD has been shown to be of benefit for cannabis or THC addictions too. It helps with the intoxication phase, withdrawal and also helps to prevent relapse. Taking CBD has been shown to help with wanting and even liking cannabis, which is beneficial for solving addiction.
Now there is a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo explaining the exact way that CBD works for addictions and cravings. The easiest way to put it is that CBD affects the neural mechanisms related to these disorders. It normalizes it where necessary and inhibits reuptake and hydrolysis too.
CBD also has an effect on the pharmacokinetic properties of substances of abuse. These are the absorption, metabolism, distribution of the drug, etc. CBD also does all of these while remaining safe for use in both humans and animals.
Is CBD Addictive?
Current research shows that CBD is not addictive. Taking CBD does not lead to abuse or dependence. This is because although extracted from the cannabis Sativa plant, it does not have THC in high amounts. THC is the psychoactive compound that produces the high that marijuana is associated with.
On the other hand, CBD has an excellent safety profile, according to research. Doses between 600 to 1500mg are well tolerated. Also, while some CBD products may contain THC, it is mandated by law to be less than 0.3% which does not cause any form of harm. Labels also indicate which products include these.
Is CBD Oil Safe To Use For Someone In Recovery?
Recovery can be a terrifying time for people who have suffered from drug addiction. Withdrawal symptoms can be hard to navigate, and their mental health most times suffer. CBD Oil is not only safe but can be very useful for people in situations like this.
CBD has been shown to have antianxiety, antidepressant, and even anticonvulsant properties. CBD is also great at helping people manage chronic pain. This is the type of pain that most times leads to relapse, and using CBD oil during recovery can help to avoid this situation.
Where It Could Help?
Official studies on the use of CBD for reducing addiction and cravings are still in preliminary stages. CBD has, however, been shown to have effects on some aspects of addiction in substances like psychostimulants (Cocaine), opioid, and cannabis. Please note that with psychostimulants, this help was noticed in the relapse aspect of recovery.
How Can CBD Reduce Cravings?
In 2019, a study showed that CBD could help to dampen cravings in people who formerly abused opioids. This breakthrough research discovered that patients that received CBD showed lower feelings of anxiety too. When exposed to psychological cues such as videos of people using, they were not triggered.
This is because CBD helps to dampen the signals in the body that are responsible for triggering cravings and anxiety. It also lowers stress levels and heart rates in patients. All of these lead to a reduction in cravings. This can last for over seven days from a single dose.
What Does The Research Say?
As you can see from above, CBD is being seriously looked into for help with addiction and cravings. Research has looked into CBD helping with addiction and recovery from substances like opioids, cannabis, tobacco, cocaine, etc. Preliminary findings suggest that CBD could be a great help and does not pose any risks of addiction itself.
Why choose Hempika?
Here at Hempika, we understand how CBD can be a life-changing alternative for people. It’s one of the reasons why we make sure that our products are of the highest quality. We’re organic certified and are licensed to produce CBD Oil.
One of the reasons people trust our products is that they are tested at a third-party lab. This means that not only are you getting products to offer you relief, but you’re getting them at the best possible quality. This applies whether you’re investing in our CBD drops, CBD paste, spray, or any other product.
Frequently Asked Questions About CBD For Addiction
Is CBD Good for addiction?
For patients trying to recover from addiction, CBD can be very helpful. Depending on the stage you are at and also what drugs are involved, you could get significant results. CBD could have positive effects that last over a week.
Does CBD relieve withdrawal symptoms?
CBD has been proven to have antianxiety, antidepressant, and anticonvulsant properties. These are very significant as they present during withdrawal and can be problematic. They could even cause a relapse. CBD also helps to reduce cravings which are very important at this time.
Is CBD oil good for alcoholics?
While there is no current research supporting CBD Oil for use in alcoholic addiction, there are other valuable benefits. Patients may find that the antianxiety, antidepressant, and anticonvulsant properties can be very useful. CBD Oil could also help with the symptoms of withdrawal.
Does CBD help with cravings?
Yes, CBD has been proven to help significantly with feelings of cravings. It does this by dampening those signals in the body that trigger cravings when activated. It also helps to lower stress levels and anxiety, which come as a result of cravings.
Does CBD boost serotonin?
While CBD doesn’t necessarily boost serotonin, it increases the levels of anandamide in the human brain. This is a cannabinoid that helps in the regulation of serotonin in your brain. In other words, CBD improves the way your brain responds to serotonin.
Is CBD good for mental health?
CBD is great for your mental health. Apart from helping with serotonin, CBD also helps to regulate dopamine in the brain. These are its antidepressant qualities which are excellent. CBD also helps with anxiety, stress levels and reduces the heart rate.
Does CBD help repair the brain?
The answer to this depends on perspective. In the case of low serotonin levels, which are linked to depression, CBD works. It does this by producing anandamide which, as mentioned earlier, helps the brain’s chemical receptors better respond to serotonin and dopamine.
Does CBD potentiate opioids?
CBD contains cannabinoids that potentiate the efficacy and also reduce people’s tolerance to opioids. It is especially loved because it is non-addictive. CBD is great for people trying to reduce using higher doses of opioids for their chronic pain.
Final Words
Although research is still preliminary, CBD has shown significant help with addiction and cravings. People in withdrawal and trying to prevent relapse can also benefit significantly from CBD in their process.
CBD is an excellent alternative because it is not addictive and falls in the safety profile. However, as with other products, you have to ensure that you only use CBD of the highest quality.
That’s why we make sure that every product is of the highest standard here at Hempika. CBD is also great as an antidepressant and has antianxiety properties, which could be very helpful for cravings.
Author: S. O.
Source(s):
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01605539
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4444130/
https://doi.org/10.4137/SART.S25081
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/can.2016.0034
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/14/2583
https://www.who.int/medicines/access/controlled-substances/5.2_CBD.pdf
https://www.verywellmind.com/cbd-addiction-can-you-get-addicted-to-cbd-5211798
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/can-cbd-reduce-heroin-cravings#The-bottom-line
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cbd-oil-may-help-limit-cravings-anxiety-heroin-users-study-n1007856
https://www.verywellmind.com/cbd-vs-thc-differences-benefits-side-effects-legality-5071416