What Are the Negative Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Effects of Cannabis Addiction?

Addiction Recovery Publishing Addiction Recovery March 1, 2025

The iconic yogi and spiritual teacher B.K.S. Iyengar famously said, “Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” Unfortunately, this “gate” often remains closed when one is excessively using cannabis or has a cannabis addiction. This is just one of the negative physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual effects of cannabis addiction. The good news is there are many effective means, methods, and modalities to help one recover from cannabis addiction at the cellular level.

What Does It Mean to Heal at the Cellular Level?

Ultimately, what does it mean to heal at the cellular level? It means to heal all aspects of the capital “S” Self – the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. This is holistic healing (holistic meaning “whole”). Healing at the cellular level is also about getting to the underlying issues of one’s addiction, rather than just focusing on the surface-level issues.

However, healing at the cellular level doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of work and a lot of focus. The good news is that, here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we have the tools necessary to help one recover in the long term.

Now, the fact of the matter is that the recovery industry is now worth billions of dollars. While this is positive in that there are more means for people to recover, there are also many bad actors who are no longer looking out for their clients. These treatment centers are more concerned about their financial bottom line than they are about their client’s well-being. Many of these places even have a skewed concept of what addiction is.

Better Understanding Addiction

Millions of people struggle with addiction every day. This is especially true in the United States where many people stigmatize addiction as some type of moral failing or choice. However, addiction has more in common with other chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes than it does with a “choice.”

This is because, without some type of professional intervention, addiction almost always gets worse, never better. Also, this is true with all addictions, including cannabis addiction.

Better Understanding Cannabis Addiction

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Approximately 3 in 10 people who use cannabis have cannabis use disorder. It is estimated that people who use cannabis have about a 30% likelihood of becoming addicted.” Also, “The risk of developing cannabis use disorder is greater in people who start using cannabis during youth or adolescence and who use cannabis more frequently.” It is also important to understand that cannabis addiction affects all different types of populations. This includes young people, older people, and all genders – including women.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “For the first time in 2023, 19-to-30-year-old female respondents reported a higher prevalence of past-year cannabis use than male respondents in the same age group, reflecting a reversal of the gap between sexes. Conversely, male respondents 35 to 50 years old maintained a higher prevalence of past-year cannabis use than female respondents of the same age group, consistent with what’s been observed for the past decade.” While the statistics may vary among different populations, the negative effects that cannabis can have are often similar across the board.

The Signs, Symptoms, and Negative Effects of Cannabis Addiction

Excessive cannabis use and cannabis addiction have some very distinct signs, as well as some of the more universal signs of all addiction. While they may vary based on the individual, the following are some of those signs of cannabis addiction:

Smelling like marijuana (especially if one smokes it)
Experiencing physical ailments such as headaches, body aches, and gastrointestinal problems
Feeling anxious, nervous, or overly “stressed out”
Isolating away from family and close friends
Experiencing trouble at work or school
Having feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness
Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
Loss of appetite and a lack of care regarding physical appearance and wellbeing
Trouble breathing (especially due to vaping or smoking marijuana)
Exhibiting excessive mood swings
Causing harm to oneself or others
Having suicidal ideations

Many people can minimize cannabis use and cannabis addiction. However, as one can see, these signs and symptoms are significant and can even be deadly. This is why reaching out for professional help as soon as possible is vital. Doing so could mean the difference between short-term side effects and long-term consequences. It will also help one to get the root/core causes of their addiction.

Recovering From the Effects of Cannabis Addiction: Underlying Issues

The effects of cannabis addiction run a lot deeper than the vape, pipe, or gummy. It is often about the underlying emotions related to why one is using cannabis in the first place. Often, these emotions are related to some type of trauma or post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD).

Many people don’t realize just how prevalent trauma is. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Medicine, “General population studies have shown that a large proportion of people in developed countries have been exposed to at least one TE [traumatic event] in their lifetime (estimates from 28 to 90%), with the most common events being the unexpected death of a loved one, motor vehicle accidents and being mugged. Much more limited evidence for less developed countries suggests that fatalities due to injuries and accidents are more common in low and middle-income countries than in high-income countries….”

PTSD is also more common than many people may realize. According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the National Center for PTSD, “About 6 out of every 100 people (or 6% of the U.S. population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives…. About 5 out of every 100 adults (or 5%) in the U.S. has PTSD in any given year. In 2020, about 13 million Americans had PTSD.” The good news is that with the right type of care, these underlying issues can be fully addressed. However, this care must be individualized and comprehensive.

Recovering From the Effects of Cannabis Addiction: Individualized and Comprehensive Care

As previously mentioned, many recovery centers are only in it for financial gain. These are the types of recovery centers that only offer overarching “one-note” recovery plans that have no chance of addressing one’s individual needs.

This is not the case here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab. We focus on the individual from the very start. This may even include an intervention process because we have intervention specialists who are licensed to work in all 50 states. It also includes a comprehensive and individualized take process that looks beyond the addiction and also focuses on family dynamics, genetics, biology, and one’s long-term goals.

As far as comprehensive care goes, here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in the multi-angled approach. This means that we utilize as many modalities as needed when creating our individualized recovery programs. Now, this includes holistic healing methods like yoga therapy and mindfulness meditation, experiential therapy like nature immersion therapy and art therapy, and especially psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

Recovering From the Effects of Cannabis Addiction: Psychotherapy

There is a reason why many people utilize psychotherapy as the foundation of their recovery plan. This is because most psychotherapies are evidence-based, which simply means that they have been proven effective in many trials. Psychotherapy tends to be particularly effective because it helps get to the underlying issues of addiction.

CBT is also particularly effective because it makes the individual an “active participant” in their own recovery. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Consistent with the medical model of psychiatry, the overall goal of treatment is symptom reduction, improvement in functioning, and remission of the disorder. In order to achieve this goal, the patient becomes an active participant in a collaborative problem-solving process to test and challenge the validity of maladaptive cognitions and to modify maladaptive behavioral patterns…. Although these strategies greatly emphasize cognitive factors, physiological, emotional, and behavioral components are also recognized for the role that they play in the maintenance of the disorder.”

DBT also offers its own set of specific benefits including essential acceptance and change. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychiatry (Edgmont), “[T]he therapist continually seeks to balance and synthesize acceptance and change-oriented strategies in the most effective possible manner. Within each session, the therapist works to provide a balance of acceptance and validation with problem-solving/behavior-change strategies. In suggesting solutions or skills, he or she often suggests both acceptance-based (e.g., radical acceptance, tolerating distress, being mindful of current emotional or other experiences) and change-based (e.g., solving the problem, changing behaviors, changing environments and reinforcement contingencies, changing cognitions) solutions.”

Recovering From the Effects of Cannabis Addiction: Experiential Therapy

Besides psychotherapy, there are also many types of therapies that focus on a more natural approach. This includes nature-based therapies like nature immersion therapy. Nature has been shown to have many positive effects. According to the U.S. National Park Service, “Being in nature can boost your mood and improve your mental health. Researchers at Stanford University found that spending time outdoors reduces stress, calms anxiety, and can lead to a lower risk of depression. When you spend time in nature, you can slow down and use your senses – taking in the sights, smells, and feelings around you.”

Nature immersion therapy also offers many other benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Besides improvements to physical and psychological well-being, exposure to natural environments has been shown to bring about positive impacts on cognitive functioning…. While cognitive restoration and physiological well-being are the prominent and renowned benefits of nature exposure, there is one important construct that is often overlooked in environmental psychology research studies – that is, the human-nature relationship; also known as connectedness to nature (CN).” This “CN” can also be found while surfing the Pacific Ocean.

Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we have one of the best surf breaks in Hawaii a mere 15-minute journey from our luxury property. Surf therapy also offers many benefits. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Carefully planned water activities tailored to the needs of the individual can contribute to correct psychosocial and cognitive development. The International Surf Therapy Organization summarizes the benefits of adequately indicated surf therapy as follows: improved physical health and mobility; improved mental health, including reduction of specific symptoms, such as posttraumatic stress and depression; improved well-being (strengthening of trust and confidence, encouragement of independence, resilience and protective coping strategies) and improved social skills.”

Recovering From the Effects of Cannabis Addiction: Holistic Healing Methods

B.K.S. Iyengar also said, “As animals, we walk the earth, and as bearers of divine essence, we are among the stars. As human beings, we are caught in the middle, seeking to reconcile the paradox of how to make our way upon earth while striving for something more permanent and more profound.” Mindfulness meditation and yoga therapy can help one to have this profound experience. Yoga was once only practiced religiously and/or spiritually, but it has since moved into the realm of recovery.

The benefits of yoga therapy are vast and varied in combatting the effects of cannabis addiction. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions. Yoga therapy involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent reduce or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional, and spiritual pain, suffering, or limitations. Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.”

Like yoga, meditation also offers many essential benefits for those looking to heal from the effects of cannabis addiction. According to the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “Meditation, as described in the ancient Vedic texts, is an exercise of consciousness that results in the expansion of consciousness beyond the day-to-day experience of duality. It is an experience of unity, which reduces stress and brings increased creativity and efficiency to the functioning of the inner faculty…. The process of meditation goes beyond the mind to the deepest level of the inner Self.”

Recovering From the Effects of Cannabis Addiction: Working With Others

Working with others is also crucial for recovering from the negative effects of cannabis addiction. Recovery is not meant to be a solo experience. Working with others allows people to relate at the deepest level. It also allows one to take their lowest moments, reframe them, and fashion them into tools to help others recover.

Working with others in recovery is so crucial that there is even a chapter entitled “Working With Others” in the primary text of 12-Step recovery (most commonly referred to as The Big Book). The chapter states, “Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends – this is an experience you must not miss. We know you will not want to miss it.”

Healing at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab

Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” This is why all of our recovery plans are individualized and comprehensive with a focus on the future. It is the way to combat the effects of cannabis addiction and heal at the cellular level.

B.K.S. Iyengar also said, “Spirituality is not some external goal that one must seek, but a part of the divine core of each of us, which we must reveal.” We are all divine beings who deserve to recover.

Recovery is waiting. It’s time to go out and grab it.

Many people don’t realize how cannabis can harm an individual holistically (meaning in every aspect). Yet, this is the ultimate reality. The good news is that there are many effective means, methods, and modalities that can help one recover from excessive cannabis use and cannabis addiction at the cellular level. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about the dangers of cannabis addiction, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.