Struggling with substance compulsions

[Spiralout]

Hey everybody

For The past decade I have been infatuated with drugs, for the better and the worst. I would like to talk more about that at some point but right now I am concerned with staying away from all substances for the next 30 days and go from there. I also am going to be changing my eating habits and hopefully some other aspects of my life that will only be able to be focused on once I have found some peace.

I am focused on getting through the next 3 days, starting tonight, with no opiates. I will most likely be using some form of benzodiazepine in small amounts to help with this. By the 3rd or 4th day I should have enough energy to start getting my body back into a balance; I will be eating healthy food and start being able to listen to my body again.

I am planning on using cannabis but only once or twice a day and after a couple weeks not smoking entirely for at least a couple a few weeks. I don't see cannabis as a huge issue and I can self regulate my use well but only with a clear mind and soul. I will also try to stop smoking tobacco entirely or cut down to once a night but I would also like to try to stop this entirely for some period of time. I only smoke organic tobacco.

Once I have moved past this hopefully I will be able to find a way to learn and help other people that have similar problems. I have just realized how tired I am of the way I am living and how it makes no sense to continue this way. Once I have gotten rid of these crutches I feel there will be much room for awareness and I will have the ability to move on and do things in this life that are of a much better nature.

Any advice or guidance would be great. Thanks for reading, love you all

 

[null24]

Your post is rather vague and if you are looking for advice towards the amelioration of withdrawal symptoms for a certain substance, it helps to know what that substance is. You only said you were going to try to stay away from opiates for a few days, and in the substances you listed, that seemed no more or less important than tobacco.

So, idk, I dont want to waste time and space offering what I know if it doesnt apply to you. Are you kicking dope, weed, cigs, alcohol, meth, pills, benzos, sex, TV, what?

 

[downwardsfromzero]

Good on you, spactral. Take it one step at a time. It takes (it is said) 40 days (or something like that) to make a new habit or break an old one. Changing one thing at a time will be less of a shock to one's system.

Get your legs strong before throwing away your crutches :? I.e. when removing a behavioural program, it can help to have a target alternative behaviour.

(Forgive me if any of this seems too obvious, sometimes the obvious gets overlooked.)

Also, it takes a powerful magician who can kick an opiate habit while still hanging out with junkies...

And if things start to seem too severe, professional medical help might be appropriate.

 

[pitubo]

Drink plenty of clean water and walk a lot. Exercise of the body helps, walking to me is a combination of exercise and meditation.

Don't be frustrated if you have a hard time keeping up with "regular business". Breaking with patterns that you have been accustomed to for a long time is serious work.

Good luck! I hope that you too will discover that the best high is natural high.

 

[SpartanII]

You say you're concerned with staying away from all sunstances but you are going to be using cannabis, benzo's, and nicotine...Im confused. It would be helpful if you were more specific and provided more info. What kind of opiate? Short or long acting? How long have you been using it? How often and how much? The severity and length of withdrawals will vary according to these factors. Are you going to do a taper or cold turkey?

 

[GOD]

What is substance compulsions suposed to mean ? Drug adiction ?


spractral ...... what do you do with your day ? Work ? Studying ? You need to find something to do instead of abusing drugs . Something to fill the gap thats left when one stops . AND ...... VERY important ...... get away from that specific drug crowd that you mix with .

The adiction to / withdrawls from valium are much worse that to opiates so be carefull there . As a tool to sleep OK but be carefull not to use them as a substitute . Be carefull not to swap one adiction for another . A lot of people are so to say adicted to adiction .

I wish you sucess .

 

[dreamer042]

I hope you are opiate free this moarning and look forward to your evening report. :thumb_up:

 

[RhythmSpring]

Go, Spactral! This post is inspiring. People may criticize you for being vague, but hey, it's hard enough as it is to be publically honest about something like this.

Don't forget to meditate!

 

[null24]

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to criticize. Perhaps others know more of your story, II do not. Not only did I kick a 25 year heroin/methadone habit, but I do work with the addict community on a harm reduction level, so I think I may have some info that could help if you are, indeed kicking opiates. But as was mentioned, there's a huge difference in how one would approach a heroin habit as opposed to a methadone habit as opposed to a codiene habit as opposed to a kratom habit. In fact, in some of those situations, temporary replacement therapy can work, in others not so much. Kratom can help with codiene, not methadone. Clonidine (catapres) in high doses UNDER SUPERVISION works wonders for heroin. Diet, exercise are crucial. Benzos could be the biggest mistake you'll ever make, and you may be posting here in ten years asking how to get off of them.

Anyway, I see you haven't returned to your post, and understand if the comment was made in that place where you're high and the thoughts are going around in your head. But once one is sick again, sometimes the conviction fades. "I'm gonna kick to-morrrrowwww" I hope that's not the case and good luck friend. Not judging you, but not gonna coddle either. Peace.

 

[endlessness]

Quitting opiates/addictive substances - Tips, strategies, complementary tools - Health & Safety - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus

^ Relevant to this thread


Wish you strenght to go through this, spractral! The fact you started this thread is def a good sign

 

[DMTripper]

Addiction rises from pain. That pain, that emptiness comes from your subconscious mind so that's where the problem lies.
I know as an addict myself that no matter my intension and good will I will always start to use unless I change. And no one can stop me if I can't stop myself. I needed to find a higher power that was more than myself.

I'd recommend a 12 step program. It's aim is to clean the subconscious and find connection to that higher power. It's simple but not easy. That demon will not give up easily. But fortunately there's a lot of help to get from former addicts.

The solution is there but most people will not take it because they will try to find some easier way or a way to control their abuse. A lot of people spend most of their life trying to fight this demon in stead of giving up. To win this battle you need to give up. It's a dead end, and what do you need to do when you get into a dead end? You need to turn around 180°.

Forget about drugs. (I'm not talking about psychedelics) They're not part of you or your life anymore

Good luck mate and I really hope you get out of this blackhole that addiction is. Don't waste more of your life in the illusion that these drugs are doing anything for you.

 

[hug46]

Drugs are good but it can be very easy to enter into an unhealthy relationship with them (some drugs more than others).
If you dont already know, i would advise you to work out any reasons as to why you happen to be infatuated with drugs before stopping. Otherwise you may go through the suffering of a turkey only to start the whole thing all over again, and again, and again. Boredom? Escapism? Self medication? Or maybe you just like doing drugs and it got out of hand.

Depending on the length of time that you have been on opiates i would taper if it has been a proper daily habit over a period of months or years. I would also go to drug rehab clinic or drop in centre for advice and maybe some meds. Sometimes we need all the help that we can get.
If i was doing a turkey i would have a lot of good music on hand to listen to. This can be a great help. I become less desensitised when i first give up drugs and tend to be oversensitive in comparison to what i have been used to and music can be even more transcendental than usual while in this hypersensitive state. Although doing benzos may counteract the benefits. A good cry can help too. A bit of comedy and pornography wouldnt go amiss either. Sometimes you can find pornography that"s quite comedic, so you can kill two birds with one stone there.

Another thing in regard to the self medication thing is maybe that it has been a good thing that you have done these drugs and it may lead to certain aspects of self realisation in realation to your life history and personality. Successfully kicking a drug habit can be very empowering in itself, and that sense of smug self satisfaction is no bad thing IMO. So it"s important not to beat yourself up for "abusing" drugs. Maybe things would have turned out worse if you hadnt take it on yourself to self medicate.

 

[Tryptallmine]

Good on you for considering conquering your addictions.

I've been there in the past, heavy addictions to benzodiazepines and alcohol were the worst offenders. Thankfully I've moved past those days and they seem a distant memory. It took me to the point of hitting rock bottom facing the loss of pretty much everything in my life to get a real reality check.

It sure as hell wasn't easy and took massive commitment, but its worth it in the end. Once you've gotten past some of it and start to regain some mental clarity, you'll probably be able to address the issues that caused you to self medicating in the first place. If it wasn't just recreational use that spiraled out of control.

Something to consider is actually getting pen and paper and writing down exactly what you are taking, amounts that you are taking and the frequency and really focus on tapering one substance at a time rather than the whole lot. You will probably fail miserably if you are a poly drug abuser trying to get off everything at once - it's simply too big of a task.

You'll get a good idea of what it is you are doing to yourself when you're staring at it in black and white. It also gives a better ability to formulate a plan or tapering schedule. If you think it would help, talk about that schedule with a qualified doctor.

If people were to taper slowly from most drugs of abuse, of course there will be withdrawals but they are significantly more manageable. Ideally you stretch it out and follow a schedule over a series of months sometimes longer depending on the severity. There's no harm in a more manageable longer term plan to reduce or cease drug use.

Another trick I used was printing out calendars, make a game of it. 2 days, 5 days, 7 days, then you might have a relapse and use again, don't consider that failing if you've gone through a period of abstinence. You can look back at that calender and go well, I got to x days. Then repeat the process and beat it by another day or two. It gets easier as you get some mental strength and control back.

I can't recommend getting outside and exercising enough. If anything gets your mind off withdrawal symptoms its getting the heart rate up and fresh air into you. Other than that, getting yourself separated from some commitments so when you're facing the worst of the withdrawals you don't have to face people and get socially paranoid. Drink plenty of water, eat wholesome whole foods and get plenty of quality rest.

Tell a person you trust what it is you are doing and how you are going about it so you have some real world support structures in place.

I really wouldn't recommend going cold turkey on anything if you are using high amounts as the result could be life threatening without appropriate medical supervision.

 

[The Day Tripper]

Good on you for considering conquering your addictions.

I've been there in the past, heavy addictions to benzodiazepines and alcohol were the worst offenders. Thankfully I've moved past those days and they seem a distant memory. It took me to the point of hitting rock bottom facing the loss of pretty much everything in my life to get a real reality check.

It sure as hell wasn't easy and took massive commitment, but its worth it in the end. Once you've gotten past some of it and start to regain some mental clarity, you'll probably be able to address the issues that caused you to self medicating in the first place. If it wasn't just recreational use that spiraled out of control.

Something to consider is actually getting pen and paper and writing down exactly what you are taking, amounts that you are taking and the frequency and really focus on tapering one substance at a time rather than the whole lot. You will probably fail miserably if you are a poly drug abuser trying to get off everything at once - it's simply too big of a task.

You'll get a good idea of what it is you are doing to yourself when you're staring at it in black and white. It also gives a better ability to formulate a plan or tapering schedule. If you think it would help, talk about that schedule with a qualified doctor.

If people were to taper slowly from most drugs of abuse, of course there will be withdrawals but they are significantly more manageable. Ideally you stretch it out and follow a schedule over a series of months sometimes longer depending on the severity. There's no harm in a more manageable longer term plan to reduce or cease drug use.

Another trick I used was printing out calendars, make a game of it. 2 days, 5 days, 7 days, then you might have a relapse and use again, don't consider that failing if you've gone through a period of abstinence. You can look back at that calender and go well, I got to x days. Then repeat the process and beat it by another day or two. It gets easier as you get some mental strength and control back.

I can't recommend getting outside and exercising enough. If anything gets your mind off withdrawal symptoms its getting the heart rate up and fresh air into you. Other than that, getting yourself separated from some commitments so when you're facing the worst of the withdrawals you don't have to face people and get socially paranoid. Drink plenty of water, eat wholesome whole foods and get plenty of quality rest.

Tell a person you trust what it is you are doing and how you are going about it so you have some real world support structures in place.

I really wouldn't recommend going cold turkey on anything if you are using high amounts as the result could be life threatening without appropriate medical supervision.

QFT.

I've been there too spractal. Intranasal heroin/fentanyl powder (i know, what the hell was i thinking) habit for ~8 months of constant use.

Failed cold turkey a few times, was using clonidine and benzos to try and alleviate the w/d's. Well thats about as cold turkey i could stand.

Eventually though kratom was the key, and i've been clean for over a year now from all opiates except kratom.

Stay strong, exercise, get out and spend time with other people and in nature, eat right, sleep the best you can (i know its tough in w/d mode), find real world people you can be honest to about these issues, if you can find someone who's already been there thats even better. They can offer alot of good advice.

Cannabis was also instrumental to helping me stay clean. I think you should reconsider quitting smoking at least until the acute w/ds subside. And try and get indica's, they work way better than sativas for opiate withdrawals.

Also, i would say forget about your benzo habit/other habits for the time being ( i know that sounds bad, but i've been there, withdrawing from heroin and xanax or etizolam before and its not something that works out in terms of making it through your withdrawals and being able to stay clean.

Just focus on the opiates, and keep your other habits where they are, or start to taper, but do not try and jump off benzos and opiates at the same time. IMHO its counterproductive.

I'm still tapering off etizolam, partly because i wasn't serious about quitting back when i stopped taking opiates, and partly because i've been using it and other benzos for 3 years of almost daily use, and that requires a LONG taper.

The few times i had a good tolerance and ran out of opiates and benzos was probably the most uncomfortable experiences i've had in my life. Take it one step at a time, but always be thinking about the big picture and being able to kick other habits down the road when you have some breathing room.

Were here for you brother, and im sure you already know that but pm anytime if you need to talk.

PS-

Go check out bluelight as far as a resource for getting information/support in regards to getting/staying clean. It was instrumental for me at least, alot of people that have walked the same road you and i have been down and only want to help.

 

[marz]

Hey bro long time no see I still dont have char rights but it sure feels good to be back spractral