Your best advice on Cessation of drug use

[sawit]

Hello everyone.
My names swim and I'm a drug addict.
*hi swim*

Swims spent most of his life completely obsessed with drugs and the culture. he rotates between doing pretty much everything with the exception of methamphetamine, heroin/morphine, and crack/coke. However he was once addicted to heroin 3-4 years ago.

It's not that this swimmers addicted to one perticular thing, but is extremely BORED or dissatisfied with himself and his world. Unless he has a "buzz".

He has abused mdma, e tabs, ghb/gbl, ketamine, benzos, hash, shrooms, opiates, lsd, nicotine, alcohol, research chemicals, etc... persistantly for at least 5 years(with little breaks here and there, hes 21). Ketamine and gbl seem to be the most addictive to this swimmer. can't stop the craving

Now swim can't seem to find anyway to avoid it(wanting to be high). his girlfriend of 2 years is just as addicted to getting high as he is. she probably doesn't want to quit. It seems anytime something comes up, he seems to think "this would be better if I was high on x drug(s)"


What a stupid thing to ask- but what else in the world is there to do??
SWIM is hitting the gym a lot more now. that eats up time. he loves working out but his girlfriend doesn't so he doesn't get to as much as he would prefer.
I'm a bit embarassed. I just want to talk to my mom about it, but she passed away 2 years ago.

But when everything is said and done, what is there to do to fight the urge?

[Fantasian]

Originally Posted by sawit

Hello everyone.
My names swim and I'm a drug addict.
*hi swim*

Swims spent most of his life completely obsessed with drugs and the culture. he rotates between doing pretty much everything with the exception of methamphetamine, heroin/morphine, and crack/coke. However he was once addicted to heroin 3-4 years ago.

It's not that this swimmers addicted to one perticular thing, but is extremely BORED or dissatisfied with himself and his world. Unless he has a "buzz".

He has abused mdma, e tabs, ghb/gbl, ketamine, benzos, hash, shrooms, opiates, lsd, nicotine, alcohol, research chemicals, etc... persistantly for at least 5 years(with little breaks here and there, hes 21). Ketamine and gbl seem to be the most addictive to this swimmer. can't stop the craving

Now swim can't seem to find anyway to avoid it(wanting to be high). his girlfriend of 2 years is just as addicted to getting high as he is. she probably doesn't want to quit. It seems anytime something comes up, he seems to think "this would be better if I was high on x drug(s)"


What a stupid thing to ask- but what else in the world is there to do??
SWIM is hitting the gym a lot more now. that eats up time. he loves working out but his girlfriend doesn't so he doesn't get to as much as he would prefer.
I'm a bit embarassed. I just want to talk to my mom about it, but she passed away 2 years ago.

But when everything is said and done, what is there to do to fight the urge?

it sounds like SWIY needs alot of time out. To get away from something as severe as this, most people would try a dramatic life change. If SWIY isnt happy with how things are at the moment ist might be due to SWIY's lifestyle. The first part is to not take anything for at least a month, then SWIY will be roughly back onto baseline and then it's about changing SWIY's life about to do things that excite him.

If it was SWIF and he was really this worried he'd actually completly relocate. If a drug user cuts his connections with the places to obtain the drugs it suddenly becomes a much bigger effort to use. While this might be a difficult decision SWIY must understand that drugs are there to enhance pleasure and life not become it.

SWIY should speak to his girlfriend, she'd have to be completely in with him on this, having someone else using while your trying to quit is a sure way to fail. This is gonna be quite an issue, both SWIY and his girlfriend need to be very disciplined.

As for the issue with your Mum, you have my condolances and therapy or councilling might help here, which could also tie in to helping with the drug use. CBT or cognative behavoural therapy worked for one of SWIF's friends, it might be worth a look. There are many books about it. SWIY is doing well as he has identified that there is a problem which is the beginning.

HOwever regardless of how much advice I or anyone else gives you, it comes down to SWIY himself, discipline and willpower in the end are the strongest force in these matters.

It's difficult to answer with much more specificity than that unless your looking at a particular area. If you have a specific question feel free to ask and ill try my best to help.

Reputation Comments on this post:

good advice

[zera]

Studying provides a nice outlet for boredom. Try teaching yourself some programming, get good on it and maybe contribute to some open-source projects. The feeling of building something and contributing to the good of mankind is a good way to take away some of the aimless boredom that motivates swiys behaviour.

[kritikal]

I've found apart from the rehab and attending regular NA meetings (yes i go to Na and no you don't have to believe in god. but thats another subject...) For me it is finding positive projects, hobbies, sports, work or the likes that keep me clean. I honestly do not have enough time to be able to use drugs. I work attend meetings and the local rehab. Draw, play table tennis and goto the gym. My weekends consist of other activities involving family or something crazy eg. jumping out of a plane or something like that. The other parts of my time involve either sleeping, paying bills, or buying crap with my spare money it isnt wasted anymore.

I would suggest doing something that makes you feel good and positive about yourself and is possibly exciting.

Whether that be charity work, learning an instrument, a sport, or as mentioned by zera studying. I found the gym to be excellent as after a good work out the endorphins are pumping. it's one of the best medium length natural highs one can get. And it's totally legal. Just dont get obsessed and become a gym junkie.

I would suggest picking up a few things as not to become obsessed with one thing in particular.

Hope this can help you in some way.

Sorry fantasian but i strongly disagree with geographicals, nobody gets clean from moving, ever.. This is from personal experience and from hundreds of other people from whom i've had the pleasure of hearing their experience. If someone wants to get high they will, no matter what. If someone does not want to get high then they won't... no matter what....

[Fantasian]

Originally Posted by kritikal

Sorry fantasian but i strongly disagree with geographicals, nobody gets clean from moving, ever.. This is from personal experience and from hundreds of other people from whom i've had the pleasure of hearing their experience. If someone wants to get high they will, no matter what. If someone does not want to get high then they won't... no matter what....

Oh Im sure they will! As i mentioned in my previous post it comes down to pure willpower in the end. But being in social circles of friends and people who regularly use drugs makes staying clean MUCH MUCH harder. Getting away from dealers although not completely preventing a user from using certainly helps.

[kritikal]

Ok understood, well indeed considering i went into a rehab i was moved geographically, but i have moved right back to where i once lived. I do not associate with dealers anymore, although i do still speak to friends who are in active addiction.

I think you should get yourself into the correct mindset before you consider moving, make sure your set on not using and then move if you have to, otherwise you might look for or stumble across a local dealer, etc... I tried to move away from drugs and have been to all corners of this beautiful country. the first thing i did was hunt drugs however.

Since being out i have had people come up on the street and offer me drugs, It's kinda amusing and ironic. I always wished it would happen while active.

Remember the only person that can make you bust is yourself..

[sarbanes]

My best advice;

For what its worth, I'd been addicted to opioids for a long time. Now, in my yourh, I used to smoke a lot of grass. A-LOT is not the word, like a Z a week, EASILY, and to the point the back of my head would just feel a little crispy, but no real satisfying high. Today, many years later, I am very frightned of pot - small amounts make me feel out of touch with reality (unreal) feelings, and I do not find that enjoyable. Also, when I quit years ago, it was a self-esteem issue (looking in the mirror, etc). I found that if I wanted to be myself, could not do POT, and to this day, I regard good ole' mary jane as one of the most psychologically damaging drugs in existence.
Anyway, not to digress. Tried most drugs once, but was never into uppers (speed) that much. My weakness is opioids. I like to feel relaxed and euphoric and good, not out of touch with reality. And have found the best way to control usage is to quit many times, and to make sure you have the will power to keep quitting (practice makes perfect). If you are able to quit a dozen or so times successfully, it will become much easier to just use on the weekends or to chip. And you will have learned that it is (overall) far easier to do this, than to quit after riding the long spiral down. I mean, why use opioids beyond the first few days when they are no longer really as pleasurable, and you just don't want to feel bad? Don't even get to that point!
Look at narcotics just like Xtasy. To be used once, and then TAKE A BREAK! If you don't give your body/brain a chance to recover, you won't get the great high so much, and you WILL get yourself needlessly hooked (ya, easier said than done), but still, look at the logic here, and value it for what its worth.
Have tried Suboxone, tramadol, oxy, everything, and buph is just a distraction IMHO. It is a tool to help you quit, but the only thing which really helps is practice. Practice makes perfect. If you can have the will power to endure a few withdrawals, then you will (automatically) have enough will power to only chip, so as to avoid withdrawals (and not cave to temptation). One is a temptation, the other is to just avoid pain, but both are achieved with will power. Which one sounds easier, enduring repeated pain, or not caving to temptation at the moment you want, and delaying for a bit until you get a really much nicer high? Think about it! Best of luck!

[candy_kid]

swiy should keep in mind that most things 'are' better on 'x' drug- swiy just needs to come to terms with the idea that every second of swiy's life cant be 'the best'. Take a break from drugs until swiy can be content with normality, and then theres no reason for swiy not to do drugs occasionally, just dont be disappointed when swiy isn't on em

swim uses two rules most often when concerning his drug use that might help swiy :
1. never do a drug when swiy is still feeling it's last use, whether that be the afterglow, hangover or cravings (both psychological or physical)- wait until all but good memories exist of the drug and then if swiy wants the experience again, plan an event involving it
2. other than the occasional party, always set up drug sessions in advance- this will first of all allow doing drugs to meld with swiy's life better (if they're planned they wont be done before a dinner party for example) and it will give swiy something to look forward to while not on drugs, which will certainly help make sober life more exciting (think about how awesome waiting for xmas was as a kid)

it seems like right now swiy is rewarding swiyourself whenever the opportunity presents itself, so swiy is getting used to the reward being life rather than the part of life to look forward to. Get used to no rewards for a while and then start rewarding occasionally, the drugs themselves will likely be more enjoyable/memorable even

doing this might make quitting for a while easier too since swiy can know drugs will be back eventually
good luck with whatever swiy does, and of course- if all goes bad quitting is still an option