What is Hashish?
Hashish is extracted from the resin from the leaves and stems of the cannabis plant (Cannabis Sativa), the scientific name for cannabis, which is grown in tropical and temperate regions and then dried. Cannabis contains the hallucinogenic substance (THC) and other related compounds that enter directly into the bloodstream and travel to the brain to directly affect receptors in brain cells and cause unconsciousness.
Hashish is considered the most dangerous drug among its analogs, not because it is the worst in terms of damage nor the most difficult in terms of recovery from it, but because it is the most widespread drug in various countries of the world, especially among the youth, and this is due to its relatively low price and ease of access when compared to the rest of the narcotic substances.
Hashish addiction
In the past, Hashish was not an addictive drug. However, research and studies have proven that it is addictive if used regularly for a long period of time.
According to the statistics of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, there is a rate ranging from 25% to 50% annually of drug users who have started the journey of addiction through the use of Hashish as a temporary solution to distance themselves from reality and achieve false happiness or as a means of celebration on occasions, but over time the drug user does not feel that Hashish is starting to become addictive. It is also worth noting that about 70% of the addicts of other types of more dangerous and deadly drugs, started their drug abuse journey by using Hashish.
In fact, addiction itself is not related to the type of drug but rather to the addictive behavior itself. Addiction is the feeling that arises in the individual from drug abuse, which makes him constantly rely on it and cannot stop using it. This is the essential difference between the addict and the abuser of such substances. The Hashish addict is always imagining that he is just a drug abuser. Therefore, the treatment of Hashish addiction and psychological recovery from it is often more difficult than other narcotics such as heroin and cocaine.
Hashish addiction’s side effects
In the long run, Hashish use causes many serious health, psychological and social problems, most notably:
- Hashish addiction affects the level of human awareness and consciousness and leads to brain atrophy.
- Destruction of the lungs and doubling the chances of getting lung cancer, especially in the case of addicts who use Hashish through smoke by wrapping it in cigarettes with tobacco or using other methods of abuse that depend on inhaling cannabis smoke.
- Damage to the capillaries inside the respiratory system, which causes the accumulation of phlegm and frequent coughing, such as cases of lung disease that lead to death.
- Stress, anxiety, poor concentration, lethargy, laziness, and constant headaches.
- The imbalance of the addict is constantly due to change in brain functions and the inability of the brain to control other organs in his body.
- Smoking Hashish leads to binge eating, and sometimes quite the opposite it could lead to loss of appetite and stomach cramps.
- Cannabis affects the excretory processes in humans and makes them unstable between cases of severe diarrhea and severe constipation.
- Weakness of sexual ability for men, and disturbance in the menstrual cycle in women, and Hashish also reduces the secretion of testosterone and increases the rate of sperm deformation.
- An increase in the heart rate 4 times the normal rate, which increases the chance of a heart attack and sudden death.
- Hashish stimulates all the psychological and neurological factors that lead to chronic depression.
- The drug addict may reach a severe behavioral disorder, contrary to his nature, which leads him to harm himself, his family, or his friends.
- Hashish makes the abuser feel less guilt, which leads to an increase in crime and wrongdoing.
- Cannabis or addiction, in general, is often accompanied by abnormal behaviors that may lead to the transmission of dangerous types of infections such as AIDS, hepatitis C, and B.
Treatment of Hashish addiction in Dar El-Taafy for addiction treatment and psychiatry
The treatment of Hashish addiction at Dar El-Taafy begins with the treatment of cannabis withdrawal symptoms. What is meant by withdrawal symptoms in addiction is a group of physiological symptoms that affect the addict when he stops using the narcotic or stimulant substance that he is accustomed to using regularly.
Hashish withdrawal symptoms include many physical and psychological signs ranging from extreme lethargy, loss of appetite, and sleep, perhaps for a few days, in addition to severe bone and muscle pain, depression, excessive nervousness, and irritability.
Therefore, the sudden cessation of Hashish use must be under medical supervision and in a place specialized in working on removing toxins from the body.
Physicians and addiction treatment experts at Dar El-Taafy Center rely on an integrated pharmacological, psychological and behavioral treatment program when treating Hashish addiction patients, and among its most prominent components:
- Assessment of the addict’s health, psychological and social condition, on the basis of which the other points of the treatment program are modified and allocated.
- A medical plan that helps counteract the withdrawal symptoms of Hashish addiction and reduce its severity, such as antidepressants, medicines for digestive disorders, and anti-insomnia.
- A healthy diet program to cleanse the body of toxins, developed by our nutritionist.
- Engaging in sports and recreational activities daily, which stimulates blood circulation and increases the speed of drug exit from the body, in addition to improving the mental health of the patient.
- Programs and sessions for behavioral modifications for the addict.
- A special health education and awareness targeting the family of the addict and those around him.
- Individual counseling for the addict as needed.
- Using the twelve-step program to support the addict.
- Periodically testing the levels of the drug in the blood.
- Encouraging and prompting the addict to engage in activities far from the environment that led him to addiction.
- Urging the addict’s family, friends or life partner to provide him with continuous emotional and moral support.
- Ensure that the addict is kept away from the bad company that is associated with consuming Hashish.
- Periodic follow-up of the patient after the end of treatment to ensure that there are no relapses that lead to abusing drugs.
