How did we get to the place where so many people are addicted to drugs that are so bad for you? From a biological perspective, the act of forming an addiction involves the reward pathways in your brain. For example, activities that release a dopamine response have a high rate of addiction. Think falling in love, adrenaline rush sports, and, of course, drugs and alcohol.
Drugs like opioids elicit a powerful dopamine response in the brain. When you know that, it’s easier to understand how we got to the place where so many people are addicted to opioids. Complicating matters is the fact that the opioid crisis is big business. So what kind of solution can be put in place that creates jobs, and helps people who originally went to an opioid to alleviate their pain, and have ended up addicted?
An excellent alternative is the Cannabidiol (CBD) market. CBD has been revered for its pain management and we’re starting to see it integrated into many of the products that we use every day. Zach Dorsett, the founder of Ecclesias Extracts, an award-winning hemp processing facility in Colorado Springs, said one of the challenges with consumer consumption of CBD is users remembering to take it!
Because CBD doesn’t elicit the dopamine response in your brain, patients don’t become addicted to it. They remember to take it when they are experiencing pain instead of regularly as a full-on preventative, which is how it is most effective. Because it’s non-addictive and pain-relieving, this puts CBD in a really powerful position to become a treatment therapy for someone who is addicted to opioids.
Give it a try. Here are some tips recommended by Ecclesias Extracts to easily incorporate CBD into your normal routine by tying it to something you already do regularly, in some cases another dopamine-releasing activity. This ensures you remember to take your CBD every day.
Incorporate it into your diet. You can find water-soluble CBD products. Taking CBD in this form means you can easily mix it into anything liquid. Water, coffee, wine, tea. Even cooking with CBD is great. You can mix products into any recipe you already have. Often you even can find unique infused flavors. Look for products that use organic ingredients like this oil distributed by Blue Forest Farms that comes in Vanilla or Orange.
2. If you are a vaper, get a vape CBD cartridge. This is possibly the easiest way to make sure you’re taking it constantly and consistently. Brands that got into the CBD market early on focused on these vape cartridges and so they are easily found even in most smoke shop stores across the country.
3. Take CBD as part of your self-care routine. It makes for a natural incorporation, since CDB is about your health problems and taking care of yourself. Tying your dosage to an activity that you do to benefit yourself is great. Have it before or after your workout, get a massage with CBD products, or try one of these yummy bath bombs from Blue Forest Farms.
4. A delicious (although maybe not the healthiest) way to get a dose of CBD is by replacing your current soda habit with a soda that’s infused with CBDs. It used to be only small mom and pop shops that offered these delicious beverages but with companies like Coca-Cola paying attention to the cannabinoid industry, consumers should expect to see these mainstream soon.
Anything that makes CBD a conscious part of your routine will increase the chances that you will remember to take it consistently. Cheers to a pain-free life and a quick resolution to the opioid crisis!
This article appeared first on Medium.
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