What we treat
Cannabis use disorder
Most people who reach this page are not asking whether cannabis is dangerous. They are asking why stopping is harder than it was supposed to be, or why the anxiety it used to settle now shows up between doses.
There is no medication protocol for cannabis withdrawal, and we will not pretend otherwise. What there is: observation through the first few days, help with the sleep and the mood, and an assessment that establishes what else is going on — which is the part that most often changes the plan.
Why come in at all, if there is no protocol?
Three reasons, and none of them is a medication.
- The first week is where quit attempts fail. Sleep collapses, appetite goes, irritability spikes. Being somewhere that expects all three, rather than white-knuckling it alone, is the difference between day four and day one again.
- Cannabis is usually not the only thing. The assessment is what finds the alcohol, the benzodiazepines, the stimulant use — and those carry genuine medical withdrawal risk that cannabis does not. Stopping everything at once at home is how that goes wrong.
- The anxiety underneath needs its own treatment. Stopping the cannabis does not treat what the cannabis was managing. Anxiety and co-occurring conditions covers how the two get treated together.
Where each level of care runs
Briarwood is licensed for medically supervised detox, which is the setting for an observed stay. Residential treatment and intensive outpatient run at Nova Recovery Center, our parent company, and structured sober housing through Eudaimonia Recovery Homes. One assessment routes to whichever of those fits, and what comes after detox sets out the options in full.
Common questions
Is cannabis withdrawal real?+
Yes. It is a recognized diagnosis, and the usual picture is irritability, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, restlessness and low mood, starting within a day or two of stopping and easing over one to two weeks. Sleep is often the last thing to settle.
Do I need medical detox to stop using cannabis?+
There is no medication protocol for cannabis withdrawal, so nobody should sell you one. What supervision offers is different and still worth having: someone watching the first few days, help with the sleep and the mood, and an assessment that establishes whether anything else is involved.
I use cannabis for anxiety. Is that a problem?+
It is the most common thing people tell us on this subject, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a lecture. Cannabis reliably reduces anxiety in the short term, which is exactly why it is easy to lean on — and for a substantial number of people regular use ends up raising baseline anxiety between doses, so the relief gets shorter and the dose gets larger.
What does treatment actually look like?+
It starts with a free phone assessment: what you use, how much, how long, what else is involved, and what has already been tried. Recommendations come after that, not before.
Will you tell me I need more than I actually need?+
The assessment can and does conclude that outpatient treatment or counseling is the right level of care, and it says so. It can also conclude that what looks like a cannabis problem is an untreated anxiety or trauma problem with cannabis attached, which changes what gets treated first.
Is it covered by insurance?+
Usually, because coverage follows the diagnosis. Cannabis use disorder is a diagnosis, and most major carriers cover assessment and outpatient treatment for it. A benefits check before anything is scheduled tells you what your specific plan says rather than what the average plan says, and it is free.
One call tells you where you actually stand
Free, confidential, and answered 24 hours a day in English and Spanish. It covers what your insurance pays, whether an observed stay is warranted, and what to do if it is not.
Call (866) 710-7710