CBD for Opioid Addiction

In the United States, we are going through an epidemic. Opioid addiction is at an all-time high, with opioid overdoses tripling since 1999. In 2014, over 60% of overdose deaths were from opioids, and more than 90 Americans a day die from an opioid overdose. This epidemic is killing our people and pouring buckets of money into the dumpster. It’s estimated that 78.5 Billion dollars are spent yearly on opioid dependency with paying for health care, treatment, getting the criminal justice system involved and lost productivity. We have been drowning in these statistics - but finally, there is hope.

CBD Curbs Opioid Dependence

It's true! Research has revealed massive amounts of evidence that Cannabidiol (CBD) can help curb opioid dependence. Studies show that CBD inhibits drug-seeking behavior and can promote a general feeling calm wellness. As one customer puts it, "hemp oil hugs your brain," and helps you get better, even with diseases like drug addiction.

Opioids are painkillers like

• Morphine
• Methadone
• Buprenorphine
• Oxycodone
• Heroin
• Fentanyl

These drugs can be prescribed to you as long as you are in pain. They are meant to be taken for only a short period of time, however, the way that it works in our brain makes it very difficult to stop taking them. This is what we call, addictive.

The Addicted Brain

How opioids work is they flood the reward system with dopamine, that neurotransmitter is known for making you feel good. We already have this chemical naturally, but synthetically pushing it into our brain’s pathways is how we feel things like “Euphoria” and “No Pain”. This overstimulation of your reward system is one of the causes behind drug addiction because it makes you want to chase the high.

Our brain uses the reward system to train us. This system is why we enjoy eating, sleeping, and having sex because our instincts drive us to live healthily and repopulate the way nature intended. When your reward system is activated, your brain takes a look around and takes notes on what’s happening so you can do it again. And again. And again. Addicts chase that false reward feeling in spite of the many dangers associated with deadly narcotics.

Drug addiction is a chronic relapse disorder with the compulsive desire to do drugs and a loss of control over consumption. It is possible to fight this sickness; however, it is just as challenging as fighting depression or anxiety. Addiction being a struggle against brain chemistry is why many people find themselves in methadone clinics instead of just quitting cold turkey. Quitting cold turkey can also kill someone who is heavily addicted to opioids, and the methadone clinics don’t always work for those who seek help.

But CBD has been showing us it’s incredible potential to help our nation get clean.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is found in the cannabis plant much like the well-known THC chemical. They have a lot in common, like having the ability to help our bodies heal. But they also have a huge difference; you cannot get “stoned” from CBD because it lacks any psycho-active properties (the 'mental stone' from marijuana consumption).

CBD interacts with a system called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), which is our body’s regulator. The ECS oversees so many things in your body, including regulating your reward system. CBD uses proteins and receptors to communicate through pathways in our brains. The most popular today are CB1 and CB2.

CBD Helps with Drug Addiction

Your reward system is filled with CB1 receptors that regulate dopamine in your system is activated. Having such a big role in the reward system helps with one of the hardest parts in addiction recovery, relapse.

We often find that people relapse because they still have cravings or the want to do the drug for months after getting clean, and even years. Your brain is craving dopamine, and it isn’t getting it. You’re craving euphoria and the only way your brain knows how to get it is the drug you are trying to stay away from.

CBD medications help calm cravings, unlike many treatment options for addiction. When studying the reward effects of morphine, they found that they were partially blocked by CB1, revealing that CBD inhibits opioid reward and can truly help patients with opioid addictions.

If you can’t power through your body urging you to do something that it thinks is helping it survive, relapse is inevitable. But if you take the craving out, if your brain decides that it doesn’t need that drug to live, quitting drugs is a lot easier and your quality of life while going through this battle will improve.

CBD Can Help You Through Withdrawal

Hemp oil doesn’t just curb your cravings, it also has other benefits that you might find interesting as someone going through some of the worst mental and physical turmoil of your life.

A primary reason people find themselves addicted to painkillers is for their pain (go figure!). When someone has chronic pain, which is a severe pain that lasts for long periods of time, their tolerance builds as they continue to take their medication and their dosage increases. To stop taking their pills would mean to let the pain come back, and many aren’t ready to do that. Luckily, CBD is known for its amazing ability to stop the pain in its tracks to help put you on a path to recovery.

CBD medications come in all shapes and sizes for all comfort levels. If you are so over your addiction you don’t want to see another pill in your life, come to our shop and try the CBD honey, it’s just as good and with the benefit of tasting delicious.