What to do about my brother's addiction to marijuana

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26 Comments

I need help and advice please.my brothers who is 20 yrs old and still living at home, never had a job barely grsduated highschool plays x box and sits in his room all day, is very dependent on marijuana. if he doesn't have it he will stay up in his room and only come down to get something to drink. my family and I are very worried were scared he will hurt himself he says he feels buried. my brother is a great person he is sensitive and caring but can have a bad scary temper and will get set off easy so you can't say much or he will freak out! Well he has no motivation to get a job because marijua has taken over his life. he can't pass his written drivers test and he has bad anxiety. my mom who has had to deal with it all can't handle it anymore she is pretty sick and has a lot to deal with she is the best person ever and has dealt with a lot I wanna help him so she is happy and also I want him to feel he can live, go out and get friends and get over the fear of not having marijuana not having to depend on it. I want him to grow into an adult get a girlfriend, friends, a job, his license. a life! Please someone help me with this! Any advice will help. Thankyou

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Based on 47 votes (15 yes)
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Comments ( 26 )
  • shade_ilmaendu
    11 years ago

    Honestly it sounds like he's depressed. You can't be addicted to marijuana in the way you're addicted to heroin, but you can form a psychological dependancy on it as you can on anything. The good thing is that makes marijuana dependancy easier to kick.

    You say he has anxiety, but just based on what you said here he could have other issues as well. It would be really beneficial for him to go into counseling and start to put his life back together.

    It bothers the hell out of me when people get like that about weed.. I've been smoking for a few years but I'm not gonna freak out if I don't have any.. it's a nice thing, not a necessary thing.

    Getting him into counseling could be difficult is the only problem I could forsee, oftentimes pushing that kind of thing on people is a good way to put them on the defensive. I've had some issues in my life, I came to the decision on my own because I knew it was what I needed, I was coping with some serious trauma.

    Be grateful though that it's something relatively easy to get off of, and not something that will hurt him at all really. (It's *mostly* harmless ;P) I know a few people who do heroin, one of them, I'm worried she's gonna get herself killed one of these days. :x

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    • NeuroNeptunian
      11 years ago

      This.

      It sounds to me as well that most of his problems probably stem from a deeper psychological trouble and that marijuanna is just something that he uses to "self medicate" so to speak.

      It seems to me like the OP may be mistaking the symptoms for the cause.

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    • lincolnls90
      11 years ago

      Ya for sure that's what I was thinking too I hope he will try counseling but I can't see him trying to go but maybe my mom can get him too. the only thing wring with him doing it is he won't study to get his license get a job or grow up.

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      • shade_ilmaendu
        11 years ago

        Hmm, well true depression is a clinical thing, as are a few other psychological issues he could probably be considered a candidate for. It's caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, in which case he would need mood regulators to restore that balance. It's so hard to get someone to go into counseling, what he really needs is to want to do better for himself, BUT if he's depressed that'll be far from on his mind. >.O

        I wonder if I can find any articles about good subtle ways to nudge someone toward conseling..

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        • lincolnls90
          11 years ago

          Ya my mom asked him today what she can do to help him be happier and better, she asked if he would go talk to someone and he said no of course

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  • myboyfriendsbitch
    11 years ago

    You're focusing on the wrong thing. If marijuana is the only thing that gets him out of his room and socializing then it's probably just helping him cope with the real problem, which is likely like shade_ilmaendu said, depression. I also get the feeling his family treats him like a burden, which also doesn't help if that is true.

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      She didn't say it helps him be more social...

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      • lincolnls90
        11 years ago

        Ya it doesn't help him be more social

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        • myboyfriendsbitch
          11 years ago

          But you said he is the happiest and funniest person when he has weed. That sounds like ingredients for sociability to me.

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    • lincolnls90
      11 years ago

      Ya but don't know what he would be depressed about cuz when he smokes or even if he doesn't smoke if he knows he has some then he is happy and the funniest person. and its hard to talk to him because he will just walk away or ignore you or if he gets to mad start punching and throwing stuff.not sure what to do?

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      • VioletTrees
        11 years ago

        People don't have to have something to be depressed about to be depressed. Depression is an illness. Also, depressed people often have times when they seem happy. Check out this picture of Kurt Cobain: http://1.asset.soup.io/asset/1575/5297_886a.jpeg

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        • Antir0b0t
          11 years ago

          Aweee :3 Kuuurt. Thanks for sharing the cute picture, made me giggle with joy.

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        • lincolnls90
          11 years ago

          Haha thanks everyone for the advice

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  • MGBlueDream420
    11 years ago

    It's JUST as easy to be addicted to Cannabis as it is to be addicted to fruit roll ups (big fan of them both). Cannabis is a magical drug that can help cure hundreds of things, HOWEVER, from personal experience, your brother has depression and smokes TOO MUCH. When smoked in small amounts, marijuana raises your serotonin levels, kinda like Prozac, but in large amounts, it has a reverse effect. That is when it goes from medicating to drug abuse

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  • justhereonce
    11 years ago

    I agree with what has been said above, that he has to go see a therapist to help him out.
    I know that your mom has already attempted this, but maybe you should go with your mom alone to see a therapist. That might allow you to better understand what is really going on and give you ideas and help you to see a way to get him to come in to talk.

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  • notbnormal
    11 years ago

    He's self medicating with the marijuana. It's just a symptom of his problem, but it is probably not the problem itself and shouldn't be the focus.
    You said he has anxiety, and when he doesn't come out of his room this indicates depression. He probably needs to talk to somebody about it, but the marijuana seems to help a lot of people, so I doubt it is the cause of his problems, but more something that helps him cope with the problems he already has.
    Unless he is sick then he needs to be responsible for himself (ie. job, school, something), and if he is sick then he needs proper help to identify what the real problem is.

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    • lincolnls90
      11 years ago

      Thankyou that's a big help

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  • NeuroNeptunian
    11 years ago

    I agree with shade, his problems are most likely caused by some psychological issue that is much deeper than a simple unhealthy fondness for marijuanna.

    I would *highly* recommend that your Mother make an ultimatum with him that if he refuses to get help or otherwise do something constructive with his life (get a job, help around the house, go to community college, get a GED so on and so forth) that he will have his privileges in the house revoked or be evicted.

    Your Mother has to recognize that your brother is a grown man and needs to be help accountable for his decisions.

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  • lincolnls90
    11 years ago

    Yep that's what I told my mom best thing you can do

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  • holly123holly
    11 years ago

    get him to the doctor and they will put him on meds and it will be ok but the family has to have total support in him

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  • Terence_the_viking
    11 years ago

    AAAAARGH WALL OF TEXT BURNING EYES NEED TO KILL IT WITH FIRE>

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  • holly123holly
    11 years ago

    u cant be addicted to marry jane it may make him feel better but he can stop if he wants he just dont want to hes fine dont tripp he will stop sooner or later but for now it makes him feel better be luchy hes not on meth

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    • lincolnls90
      11 years ago

      Ya its more his depression we gotta worry about

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    Tell him to kick the pot and start acting like a fucking adult. He just sounds like an immature stoner to me.

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    • lincolnls90
      11 years ago

      Ya me an my sister have said that plenty of times and he is pretty big and will freak out bad so I just don't say anything anymore for my moms sake cuz she is really sick

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      • myboyfriendsbitch
        11 years ago

        Hmmm... maybe he is depressed about your mom being sick?

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