CBD is now becoming much more popular and more and more people are using it because they know what beneficial properties it can have for our body. For some people, however, the topic of CBD is still synonymous with taking a drug, and they associate it mainly with a strong addiction. How much truth is there in this? and whether we can actually become addicted to taking it CBD oil ? In today's article we will answer all these questions.

First of all, let's deny one very important thing. Nowadays, addiction can no longer be associated only with psychoactive substances. Addiction is a much more serious problem. If we want to understand it better, let's start with a general definition.

Addiction is the limit beyond which activities that contribute to the feeling of pleasure become compulsive. The source of all addictions pleasure and satisfaction are felt. This mechanism has evolved to encourage behaviors that are beneficial to the body. Pleasure is associated with the activation of the reward system in the brain, which is part of the mesolimbic system. It consists of two main structures:

Stimulation of this system leads to the release of dopamine, a pleasure neurotransmitter, in the septal nucleus. Dopamine plays an important role in the context of addictions. Studies have shown that people with lower levels of this neurotransmitter have a greater risk of addiction. Dopamine also regulates proper muscle tension, prolactin secretion and controls emotions and feelings in the mesocortical pathway.

Tolerance and withdrawal can be indicators that pleasure has already become pathological. Tolerance is the need to increase the intake of a given substance in order to maintaining euphoric experiences. This is related to the phenomenon of "up-regulation", where a higher concentration of neurotransmitter causes more receptors for this neurotransmitter appear. Stopping using stimulants triggers a chain of reactions that can lead to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Substance abuse and behavioral addiction have clear criteria and include symptoms such as:

Addictions can be divided into physical and psychological.

Physical addiction involves a strong desire for constant use of a substance, and discontinuation results in physical discomfort (sweating, diarrhea, vomiting, trembling, insomnia).

Psychological addiction does not cause unpleasant physiological consequences but leads to compulsive consumption or tolerance. Regarding addictive factors, distinctions can be made. These include alcoholism, addiction to opioids, psychostimulants, hallucinogens, nicotine, or specific activities such as sex, work, computer or smartphone use, shopping, gambling, and others.

As you can see, many things can lead to addiction. In the current world, where stimulating stimuli and ubiquitous temptations are everywhere, addiction is more than just excessive drinking or smoking.

YES. However, this is not just our opinion. International organizations share the same standpoint. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (a government institute in the United States) clearly states that "CBD is considered a safe substance, not causing any addictive effects."

The World Health Organization (WHO) also emphasizes in its 2017 report that "CBD has no potential for abuse or addiction." Of course, this applies to both CBD oil from hemp, CBD flower, and other CBD products. At the same time, we remind you that in Poland, hemp products are legal if they contain no more than 0.2% THC, and we also refer to such substances.

Here, our answer is also affirmative. Interestingly, this applies to various forms of addiction. It is worth noting that CBD significantly reduces, and sometimes even completely eliminates the so-called "high" effect caused by THC.

In this case, we have two scientific studies confirming that CBD can significantly help in treating addictions.

The first study involved a 19-year-old woman who had been smoking 4-8 joints daily since the age of 13. It's important to note that she did not use any other psychoactive substances, making her unquestionably addicted to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). She spent all her money on her addiction, and its consequences included problems with concentration, memory, and learning difficulties. The woman attempted to quit the addiction four times independently, but all her attempts were unsuccessful. She always returned to the addiction because she couldn't endure the lack of THC's effects. Interestingly, every time her return occurred between the 4th and 6th day after quitting. The typical withdrawal symptoms (sleep problems, irritability, anxiety, and loss of appetite) were so severe that she couldn't even reduce her addiction. During the CBD treatment (where she only took CBD), which lasted 12 days, it was observed that the withdrawal effects were much milder and completely disappeared after 5 days. After six months, scientists contacted the patient, and she had reduced her marijuana consumption by four times. Remember that the treatment lasted only 12 days. Perhaps if it were longer, it would be possible to completely quit marijuana.

It is worth noting that CBD also helps in other addictions such as excessive smoking. In 2013, a study was conducted on a group of 24 people, each smoking at least 10 cigarettes a day. They were randomly divided. One group received placebo inhalers, and the other received CBD inhalers. Each time they wanted to smoke a cigarette, they had to use the inhaler and then evaluate whether they still wanted to smoke. It turned out that in the placebo group, the number of cigarettes smoked per day did not change, while in the CBD group, this result decreased by 40%. As you can see, using CBD in addiction treatment can significantly help quit smoking or at least reduce it initially.

As you can see, the claim that CBD products can cause addiction is just a myth. Not only does CBD not cause any side effects, but also, unlike THC, it does not have psychoactive effects and does not lead to addiction.