Getting help

If you are concerned about your own or another person's cannabis use it may be useful to talk to someone who is trained to help. There are a number of alcohol and drug services to help people (and their family or whanau/partner when this is the choice of the person seeking help) to deal with their cannabis and any other drug problems.

These services are free of charge and clients are entitled to confidentiality.

Help may also be available from a general practitioner, youth centre or school counsellor. Some schools have a policy of suspending pupils for using cannabis, so asking for help in this situation may not always be wise.

Making changes

If you decide you want to do something about your cannabis use, the following things may be helpful to consider.

• Reduce your use. If you think you might be dependent on cannabis, probably the best thing to do is to stop using it. If this is too hard, then look at ways in which you can cut down
• Get support. It is great if you have family or whanau or friends to support you when the going gets tough. You might like to spend more time with people who don't use cannabis or don't use heavily. You can choose to talk to someone you trust about how you are feeling when you are feeling bad. You may need someone to remind you about why you need to give up your smoking. If a lot of your family or whanau or close friends are also heavy users of cannabis it may be difficult for them to support you to stop or cut down. In this case you will probably need to look elsewhere for support.
• Avoid substituting other drugs. If you stop taking cannabis you may be inclined to increase other drug use, for example, alcohol or cigarettes. This is not a good idea.
• Manage withdrawal symptoms. You might notice that you're starting to feel irritable, have mood swings or trouble with sleeping. These symptoms may be related to withdrawal.

If you find there are times when giving up or cutting down is hard, remind yourself why you are doing it.

Counselling or psychological help

You might need to consider other problems or difficulties in your life which cause you worry or stress. Some people use cannabis because they have had painful or difficult experiences growing up or at an earlier time in their life. Sometimes people who have grown up with violence, verbal or other abuse use drugs as a way of coping with unpleasant memories or emotional pain.

Using drugs such as cannabis can seem to help ease the memories and the pain, but usually this is not a good long-term answer. After the drug wears off, the problem is still there. It may be helpful to get counselling to talk about and help resolve these past issues. Particularly consider any things which might trigger you to increase your cannabis use again.

Your GP or community drug and alcohol services will direct you to an appropriate counsellor or therapist. All types of therapy/counselling should be provided in a manner which is respectful of you and with which you feel comfortable and free to ask questions. It should be consistent with and incorporate your cultural beliefs and practices.

Complementary therapies

The term complementary therapy is generally used to indicate therapies and treatments which differ from conventional Western medicine and which may be used to complement, support or sometimes replace it. There is an ever-growing awareness that it is vital to treat the whole person and assist them to find ways to address the causes of mental health problems rather than merely alleviating the symptoms. This is often referred to as an holistic approach. 

Complementary therapies often support an holistic approach and are seen as a way to address physical, nutritional, environmental, emotional, social, spiritual and lifestyle needs.
 
Many cultures have their own treatment and care practices which many people find helpful and which can often provide additional benefits to health and wellbeing.  Rongoa Maori is the indigenous health and healing practice of New Zealand.  Tohunga Puna Ora is a traditional healing practitioner. Traditional healing for many Pacific Islands' people involves massage, herbal remedies and spiritual healers.

In general, meditation, hypnotherapy, yoga, exercise, relaxation, massage, mirimiri and aromatherapy have all been shown to have some effect in alleviating mental distress. Complementary therapies can include using a number of herbal and other medicinal preparations to treat particular conditions. It is recommended that care is taken as prescription medicines, herbal and medicinal preparations can interact with each other.
 
When considering taking any supplement, herbal or medicinal preparation it is advisable to consult a doctor to make sure it is safe and will not harm your health.

Women who may be pregnant or breastfeeding are advised to take extra care and to consult a doctor about any supplements, herbal or medicinal preparations they are considering using, to make sure they are safe and they will not harm their own or their baby's health.

See also: Cannabis - what is it, and what are its effects? 
Cannabis - what is your level of use?
Cannabis - acknowledging problem use

Support groups

See the support organisations (which include helplines) under Further information and support below.

Original material provided by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, 2002. Edited by everybody, June 2005.