Am I a Marijuana Addict?

If you find it difficult to control your marijuana use, if you think about using marijuana even when you are not, or if you have broken promises to yourself or others about limiting or stopping your use, you may be an addict. Only you can decide. No one in Marijuana Anonymous will decide for you.

What is Marijuana Anonymous?

We are a group of men and women who have lost the ability to control our marijuana use and have problems that relate directly or indirectly to marijuana. We share experience, strength, and hope with each other so that we can recover from our addiction to marijuana, as well as help others to recover. Our programme is adapted from the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

How can MA membership help me with my marijuana use?

In MA, we know what it is like to lose control over marijuana and not be able to stop using, despite pledges, pleas, and promises. Our only qualification for helping others is that we have stopped using ourselves. If we can do it, you can do it too! It is the support that MA members offer each other that is the backbone of the programme's success.

Dangers of Cross Addiction

As stated in the third tradition, the only requirement for membership in Marijuana Anonymous is a desire to stop using marijuana. There is no mention of any other drugs or alcohol. This is to adhere to the “singleness of purpose” concept, but many of us have found that the only way we can keep our sobriety is to abstain from all mind and mood altering chemicals, including alcohol.
When we give up the drug of our choice, a void is created. The initial struggle to abstain from marijuana use often leaves us vulnerable. To fill this void we may start to use, or increase the use of, other substances such as alcohol, cocaine, pills or other self-prescribed drugs. Although we may not now be addicted to these substances, their use can lower our inhibitions, leaving us open to repeating old patterns of thinking and behaving that can lead back to marijuana use. The fact that we became addicted to marijuana reflects a tendency towards behavior that may lead to cross addiction or substitution addiction to these substances.

To reiterate, the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using marijuana. It is important, however, to recognize the potential to create one problem as we strive to recover from another.


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