What is Hotboxing?

What Is Hotboxing Weed?

Hotboxing weed (slang for marijuana) is created by smoking marijuana in a small, unventilated area. The smoke becomes so thick that it is felt that the “high” is more effective and intense. Hotboxing can increase the risk of you or your loved one becoming addicted to marijuana. 

Harmony Ridge Recovery Center offers evidence-based programs that treat substance abuse. Located in beautiful Walker, West Virginia, we are able to provide a facility that provides a setting that allows you to escape from life’s many stresses. Because of our location, we are able to offer activities such as fishing, biking, and hiking.

Hotboxing can be accomplished with various drugs but is commonly done with marijuana. The situation creates such an intense smoke-filled space that it can make even those who are not actually smoking feel high. The choice of the unventilated space can vary. Most people choose to hotbox in these types of locations or settings:

• Vehicles
• Sheds
• Bathrooms
• Closets

The key is that the space has poor ventilation, which makes increasing the amount of marijuana smoke easier. One method that is used to decrease ventilation of an area is taping it off to seal any cracks and crevices. Many people do not believe that marijuana is a dangerous drug, therefore they don’t understand the many potential side effects of hotboxing weed.

What Makes Hotboxing Popular Among Young Adults?

Hotboxing is a method of partying where you can include many people. Hotboxing a car is an easy, convenient method. 

Access to a vehicle is what makes hotboxing weed in a car especially popular among teens and young adults. It is also commonly believed among young adults that marijuana is not a dangerous drug. The fact that many states have legalized the use of marijuana has only increased this opinion.

The practice of hotboxing makes it a convenient way to get high because small, tight spaces can be created easily. The increased intensity of the high also makes it popular. You may feel that hotboxing is a relaxing way to spend time with a group of friends. 

Gathering your friends together in one small, tight space and enjoying the effects of smoking marijuana may make it feel like a safe, fun way to party. The truth though is that hotboxing can have lasting negative effects on your overall health. 

Addiction to marijuana is treatable, and the treatment options at Harmony Ridge Recovery Center can help you or your loved one begin the recovery process. From detox to aftercare, our team is dedicated to helping you become sober.

What Makes Hotboxing Dangerous?

Long-term use of marijuana can have long-lasting effects on your health. Hotboxing weed only aids to increase those effects. The large amount of smoke that you or your loved one is exposed to during hotboxing is dangerous. For a young adult, the dangers of hotboxing are increased for many reasons.

The lack of ventilation and oxygen during hotboxing causes the CO2 levels in your blood to rise. This rise in CO2 creates a situation in your body called hypercapnia. Hypercapnia is typically caused by shallow breathing (hypoventilation) that prevents you from breathing the normal amount of oxygen.

The lack of oxygen that takes place during hotboxing can cause many health problems that are related to the way your brain functions. The extreme concentration of smoke can also create health risks to your brain. 

Short term and long term problems can occur due to hotboxing such as:

• Cognitive impairment
• Disorientation
• Dizziness
• Delusions

Smoking Weed and the Physical Health Dangers For a Young Adult

The repercussions from smoking weed that can affect the health of a young adult can include problems to both physical and mental health. The troubling effects can be seen and felt in a young adult’s everyday life. 

You may see overall changes in young adults in ways that affect their accomplishments at school. Changes may be obvious in their work ethic and their level of responsibility.

Smoking weed can cause many physical health-related issues. Many physical changes are blatantly obvious. 

General health problems can occur such as:

• Dry mouth
• Bloodshot eyes
• Slowed coordination
• Dizziness
• Hallucinations
• Vomiting
• Dehydration
• Irritability
• Nausea
• Confusion
• Increased appetite

Smoking weed can also cause your heart rate to increase. This increased heart rate can continue for up to three hours after you have stopped smoking marijuana. The increase in your heart rate then also increases the possibility of you having a heart attack. More importantly, if you smoke weed and you have an existing heart condition, the risk increases tremendously.

A young adult’s brain is still forming until around his or her early to mid-twenties, and smoking weed can have a huge effect on that process. Blood flow to the brain of someone who smokes marijuana can be altered. This change to the blood flow can create many problems and is especially apparent as to how it affects the brain of a young adult.

The brain controls many body functions. Smoking marijuana can affect the parts of your brain that are responsible for:

• Memory
• Attention
• Coordination
• Decision-making
• Learning
• Emotions
• Reaction time

Smoking Weed and the Mental Health Dangers For a Young Adult

Smoking marijuana not only wreaks havoc on the physical health of a young adult but also the mental health too. 

Some of the mental health problems that smoking weed can cause include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Paranoia
• Hallucinations
• Psychotic reactions

Smoking marijuana has a wide range of consequences. In people of all ages – and especially young adults – it has an effect on a person’s health, safety, and well-being. Unfortunately, suicidal tendencies are also a very real risk for young adults who smoke weed.

Does Hotboxing Make Smoking Weed Even More Dangerous?

The physical setup of the space where hotboxing weed occurs creates a dangerous situation. The small, unventilated space poses a health risk for many reasons. Not only does it cause an immediate risk to your personal health, but it can also lead to long-term problems. 

Exposure to Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand smoke is defined as smoke inhaled involuntarily from tobacco being smoked by others. Hotboxing weed creates an environment that revolves around secondhand smoke. The process of hotboxing exists because of secondhand smoke, and the dangers of secondhand smoke from marijuana is huge.

Marijuana smoke contains large amounts of tar and chemicals. Some of these chemicals include:

• Benzene
• Ammonia arsenic
• Nickel
• Formaldehyde
• Hydrogen cyanide
• Chromium
• Quinoline
• Aromatic amines

Lung Disease

Tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke contain many of the same chemicals. Because these similar chemicals are known to cause cancer in people who smoke cigarettes, it is also possible for marijuana smoke to cause cancer. Hotboxing creates a lot of smoke in a confined space, so the likelihood of an increased risk of cancer is apparent.

Other lung diseases and problems that may be caused by smoking marijuana are:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Chronic bronchitis
• Increased airway resistance
• Lung hyperinflation
• Large airway inflammation

Increases the Risk of Addiction to Marijuana or Other Drugs

The act of hotboxing weed can cause you to become addicted to marijuana. Your addictive nature is also driven by the people and places you associate yourself with. For this reason, your addiction to marijuana can become the gateway to leading you to use, and then become addicted to, other drugs.

You need to know that this vicious cycle of addiction can be broken with the help of our caring, supportive team of medical professionals and support staff. We commit ourselves to providing you with evidence-based treatment options. We will tailor your plan to meet the specific needs of you or your loved one. From our many therapy options to our renowned addiction treatment plans we are a well-rounded facility.

Find Help at Harmony Ridge Recovery Center

Our team at Harmony Ridge Recovery Center understands the struggle that you or your loved one is going through. We are an addiction treatment center dedicated to providing you with a path to a new, fulfilling life free of drugs. Our location in the mountains of West Virginia offers the perfect spot to rediscover a clean, healthy, happy lifestyle.

We believe that we can make a difference in your life. We will provide the support and medical assistance that you or your loved one needs in order to get sober. The rehabilitation process is lifelong. We also continue that support after you leave our facility. Our mission is to be there for you during all legs of your journey.

Contact us today. We have admissions staff who are available to answer your questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The first step to a new life for you or your loved one will be the best decision you have ever made.