Almost everyone knows someone who is dealing with debilitating alcohol addiction. Seen as a harmless and social habit, drinking heavily every day brings a wide variety of health issues.

Having a few casual beverages on the weekend with your friends is relatively harmless, and can be a good way to socialize and interact with friends and family.

The problem with “casual” drinking is people who have addictive personalities struggle to limit their intake to a few beers here and there.

If you or a friend has an alcohol abuse problem that is spiralling out of control, cannabis may be able to help them fight their demons.

A New Way of Treating Addiction

Addiction to drinking alcohol is a serious problem.

Due to the fact it’s so easily available around the world, accepted and even glorified at times makes booze a very hard friend to keep at a perfect distance.

Many who struggle with alcohol addiction find that having a few drinks here and there isn’t feasible for them and cutting out the poison from their lives completely is the only option.

In a study done by the Unlimited Patients Group (UGP), it’s shown that about 50% of intakes at drug and alcohol treatment facilities relapse within the first 6 months. A 50 percent relapse rate is very poor, and an indication that different methods of treatment are needed for proper recovery from addiction.

Alcohol has very strong withdrawals that can lead to serious health issues for those who have been drinking heavily and daily for a prolonged period of time.

Withdrawal symptoms are vicious by product of abusing alcohol, leaving people with a dying need to consume alcohol to curb the craving and pain.

This is where marijuana can step in and make a giant impact.

A 2009 study performed by the Laboratory for Physiopathology of Diseases of the Central Nervous System found that injections of THC, the primary active chemical in cannabis, helped eliminate dependence on opiates such as morphine and heroin in test animals.

Using cannabis as a method to recover from addictions may seem like a strange concept, considering a lot of people still see marijuana as a drug.

But with more information coming to light and evidence that cannabis is not harmful when used in medical and casual situations, replacing a heavy alcohol addiction with a cannabis taper may be the right option for someone you know who is struggling cutting booze out of their life.

Deciding What’s Best for Each Individual

No 2 humans are identical, inside or out and what may work for some might not work for you.

Consulting a medical professional and weighing your options is always the best choice when starting a new routine that will have a large impact on your health.

Take the time to research what cannabis can do for you or the alcoholism of a loved one. With a bit of help from “alternative sources,” we can help ourselves overcome issues that are too heavy to deal with on our own.