Legalization of marijuana led to a proliferation of pot shops. If you want to smoke weed, this is your time. But for some drug abusers, traditional cannabis intoxication isn’t enough. What are dabs, and are they dangerous?
What are Dabs?
A dab is a concentrate of THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. It’s usually a sticky patch that you heat up. As a result, you achieve a high that might be far stronger than traditional weed smoke. In other words, your high is faster, stronger, and lasts longer.
Is Dabbing Dangerous?
Therapists at our marijuana addiction treatment center in Worcester, Massachusetts, frequently work with clients who had terrible experiences. For starters, there’s the extraction process. You don’t know how the dab manufacturer created the concentrate. Some dabs contain chemical contaminants that cause serious health concerns.
At this point, there’s no oversight. Anyone with a garage lab can make dabs. For the end-user, this offers no protection or safety.
However, there are other concerns, too. If you’re someone who responds negatively to marijuana high, dabs become problematic. You may experience panic attacks, a racing heartbeat, and psychosis. There’s no way of dosing while dabbing.
Besides that, dabbing can boost your drug tolerance. Therefore, you need more THC to experience the high. Soon, smoking weed isn’t enough any longer. You now need dabs to feel the high.
Rehab Can Help With an Addiction to Dabs
One of the biggest lies you read on social media today is that THC doesn’t cause addiction. That’s not true. You can develop a chemical dependency on marijuana as quickly as on alcohol. Because pot’s a drug, dabbing can lead to addiction.
Rehab is the answer. Washburn House therapists work with you to figure out what made you reach for THC in the first place. For some, it’s a matter of underlying mental health conditions. For others, there’s a stress relief component.
Therapists customize an evidence-based treatment protocol. Examples of modalities include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy to pinpoint areas of dysfunction that you tried to numb
- Dialectical behavior treatment to embrace overwhelming emotions that you attempted to tune out
- Dual diagnosis treatment for depression, anxiety, and other underlying conditions
- Trauma treatment, which helps you process past situations that negatively affect you today
- Family therapy to include loved ones in your recovery
Relapse Prevention Training is a Critical Aspect of Care
Once you graduate from the drug rehab program, you feel comfortable with not using. You no longer have the intense cravings and urges you experienced before. Sure, there may be moments when you’d love to go back to dabbing. However, you know how to work through them.
Besides that, you understand what triggered you. You know what your stressors are. Therefore, you can address these situations with functional coping skills you learned in rehab. Almost all program participants benefit from meditation, yoga, and mindfulness training they practice at home.
Of course, before you can get to this point, you need to enroll in a good-quality rehab program. Connect with Washburn House if you need more information on what are dabs and what’s their addiction potential. If you or a loved one struggle with addiction to THC, there’s help. Call 855.298.3104 today to schedule an appointment.