It’s not unusual to hear people use the word ‘addicted’ quite freely, often when talking about clothes or shoe shopping, alcohol, gambling, eating a particular kind of food like chocolate or cake, and of course cigarettes, but is this really true?

In most cases the easy answer is no. Eating, drinking and spending money may be fun things to do, but in general people make a conscious decision to indulge in them, even if they know that’s not a sensible idea at the time. Tobacco is slightly different because it contains nicotine, a highly addictive substance, but even then only around a third of cigarette smokers are thought to be physically addicted.

What causes addictions to form?

When you do something that makes you feel good, either physically, emotionally or both, it’s entirely natural to want to recreate those enjoyable feelings over again. Whether it’s smoking cigarettes, using drugs, eating, gambling, or pretty much anything else – if it feels good we are likely to do it again, and probably develop a regular habit.

So how is addiction defined?

When a habit crosses the line from being a rational choice to a compulsive necessity this is when addiction has kicked in. Basically if you are unable to take control of something you do, continue to do something even though it is hurting you, (and possibly others), or you actually want to stop but find it impossible, then it’s likely you have a true addiction.

Here’s an example which is pretty common amongst younger people – who find themselves unable to stop playing the latest online computer game craze. Addiction in this case may mean not eating or washing properly, missing work or college, disrupted sleep patterns and an unwillingness to socialize. If the need to do any one particular thing at all in your life dominates and disrupts your normal routines then it’s likely an addiction has formed.

Answering the question: Am I addicted to weed?

You may feel like you have your weed habit covered, perhaps limiting it to certain days, times or places, telling yourself that it’s only a social thing. It’s fun, but not smoking weed wouldn’t be such a big deal. Maybe you’re right, or maybe you are addicted and simply don’t realize. You can explore this possibility further by looking at the following statements, and thinking about how they relate to your situation as honestly as possible. How many do you agree with?

1. I look forward to using weed as it’s a reward for the tough things I’ve faced that day/week.
2. Most of my friends use weed.
3. I get on better with people who also enjoy weed
4. Most of my social life revolves around weed.
5. I cannot truly express myself without weed.
6. I avoid any kind of social event where I can’t get high.
7. I often fail to complete tasks I am responsible for.
8. Weed is the only way I feel truly relaxed.
9. I often smoke more at one time than I really wanted or planned to.
10. I am not sure I could stop using weed if I tried.
11. Not smoking weed for some reason makes me feel restless/irritable/angry etc
12. I smoke more weed now than when I started.
13. I smoke weed more regularly than I used to.
14. I prioritize buying weed over any other spending.
15. In a straight choice I would pick buying weed over food for dinner.
16. I have lied to or misled people about how much weed I use.
17. Weed sometimes interferes with my normal daily habits like washing.
18. I have tried to cut down or quit before but found it too difficult.
19. I have been warned at work or college because using weed made me late/incompetent.
20. I have tried to take a break from smoking weed but I couldn’t last more than a day.

If you said yes to numbers 1- 10 you are definitely in the danger zone, and the more you agreed with the closer you are to becoming addicted to weed.  Questions 11 – 20 are typical statements made by those with a clear weed addiction.

How do you know if you smoke too much weed?

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what ‘too much’ is, as what’s a lot to one person may be average to another, but there are some typical signs that act as red flags, so if any of these sound familiar chances are you are indeed overindulging.

• Smoking as soon as you wake up on a day off. That sounds more like addiction than enjoyment and starting early probably means the rest of the day will be wasted.
• You spend money meant for essentials like food, rent and utility bills on weed.
• Invitations to places you can’t easily smoke are automatically a no-no. The same applies to spending time with people who don’t smoke weed.
• Your smoking habit has cost at least one romantic relationship to end.
• You are on a warning from work for being late/making mistakes due to weed.

• If you don’t have a decent stash in you feel angsty, and not being able to connect with your supplier is a major incident.
• It takes longer to get high than it used to.
• Signs of memory loss and poor concentration are impossible to ignore.
• Casual habits have become essential rituals; say the odd smoke before bed has become needing to smoke to have a chance of sleeping.
• Personal boundaries with weed are being tested, leading to say you smoking before visiting family when you would never have one that before.

Becoming dependent on weed isn’t the end of the world because there are lots of ways you can break that habit, and take back control of your life, money, health and future. The trick is to be honest, and acknowledge that a once pleasurable pastime is no longer so much fun.