What is greening out? Though this term is unfamiliar to many people, the experience it describes can be extremely distressing.
If you or a loved one are struggling with substance abuse, call us today or verify your insurance online!
Our team is ready to help guide you on the path to recovery.
What Is Greening Out?
Greening out is a slang term for a particularly unpleasant set of symptoms that can result from using cannabis (marijuana). It can occur when someone uses too much marijuana, or consumes a strain that is more potent than their body can handle. In other words, greening out is a form of overdose.
Symptoms of Greening Out
Now that we’ve given a general answer to the question, what is greening out, let’s get a bit more specific. What does greening out feel like when it happens to you?
The experience won’t necessarily be the same every time it happens, and it can vary from one person to the next, but common symptoms of greening out can include:
- Racing heart rate
- Confusion and disorientation
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Difficulty standing or moving
- Blurred vision
- Disrupted ability to hear clearly
- Mild hallucinations
- Inability to focus or concentrate
- Nausea and vomiting
- Anxiety
- Paranoia
- Panic
Causes of Greening Out
As we alluded to earlier in this post, greening out occurs when a person’s marijuana use exceeds their body’s ability to effectively process the drug. There are a variety of reason why this may occur.
First, cannabis has become much more potent over the past few decades:
- According to one report, in 1995 a typical marijuana sample contained about 4% THC (which is the primary psychoactive ingredient in the drug).
- By 2014, the average potency had increased to 12% THC.
- Today, many legal dispensaries sell marijuana that contains more than 30% THC.
Also, as more states have legalized marijuana, companies have begun to offer more ways to consume the drug. This includes edibles (such as cookies, brownies, and gummies), vapes (which involve heating a liquid that contains cannabis extract), and a concentrated version known as wax.
If a person hasn’t tried one of these methods before, it can be easy for them to ingest more than they can handle.
For example, when someone takes an edible, they won’t feel its effects as quickly as they would from smoking marijuana. This can prompt them to take multiple edibles in a short period of time. By the time the first effects begin to set in, they may have consumed much more than they can handle.
Wax concentrates pose a different risk. This version is often more potent than even the strongest traditional marijuana, which means that a person only needs to use a small amount to feel powerful effects. Someone who doesn’t realize this – or who ignores advice to take it slow – may quickly find themselves in danger of greening out.
Tour Our Georgia Addiction Treatment Programs
How to Avoid Greening Out
The following can help you minimize your risk of greening out:
- Know how marijuana affects you and what your limits are
- Be aware of the potency of the cannabis you are using
- Understand how quickly you can expect to feel the effects, depending on which method you are using to ingest the drug
- Only use marijuana in moderation
Of course, the only way to eliminate your risk of greening out is not to use marijuana at all. Unfortunately, for some people, this can be extremely difficult.
Signs of Marijuana Addiction
Contrary to a persistent myth, you can become addicted to marijuana. The clinical term for this condition is cannabis use disorder.
Symptoms of cannabis use disorder include:
- Using cannabis in larger amounts or for a longer period of time than you intended
- Spending significant amounts of time using or recovering from the effects of marijuana
- Experiencing powerful cravings for cannabis
- Failing to meet your responsibilities at home, in school, at work as a result of your marijuana use
- Continuing to use marijuana even after you’ve incurred some type of harm as a result of your prior use of the drug
- Giving up important activities due to your marijuana use
- Using marijuana in ways that are particularly dangerous, such as by combining it with alcohol or other drugs, or driving while under the influence of marijuana
- Developing tolerance, which means you need to use more (or more potent) marijuana to achieve the effects that you’re seeking
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you abruptly stop using marijuana
- Wanting to stop using marijuana, but being unable to stop
Treatment Options for Marijuana Addiction
Once you’ve developed an addiction to marijuana, it can be difficult to stop using the drug on your own. Thankfully, marijuana addiction is a treatable condition. With effective care and a concerted effort on your part, you can end your use of this drug for good and live a healthier life in recovery.
Depending on a variety of personal factors, you may benefit from the following options:
- Detoxification
- Individual psychotherapy
- Group therapy
- Family counseling
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Holistic therapy
Given the range of options available to you, it’s important to find a provider like The Retreat of Atlanta that will assess the full scope of your needs and develop a customized treatment plan just for you.
Learn More About Marijuana Addiction Treatment in Atlanta
The Retreat of Atlanta offers medical detox and personalized residential treatment for adults who have become addicted to marijuana. We also offer dual diagnosis programming for patients whose struggles with addiction are accompanied by anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns.
When you choose our marijuana addiction treatment center in Atlanta, Georgia, you can expect to receive focused care and compassionate support from a team of skilled and experienced professionals. We understand the may ways that marijuana addiction can disrupt your life, and we’re here to help you find your path toward the healthier future that you deserve.
To learn more about how we can help, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
