Advice on getting clean

[mathkilla]

Swim suggested to regurgitate some info that can be useful to recovering addicts. Find a hobbie that has no involvement with drugs, attend AA or NA meetings at least once a week. Try to exercise b/c its good for u, its reduces stress, fights depression, and helps your body recover from the years of abuse it has recieved. Exercise also makes you tired, so you will find it a little easier to go to sleep when compared to not exercising and staying up late contemplating about relapsing or not.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Good advice - esp. non-drug-related hobbies & exercise
	Good post!

[augentier]

Originally Posted by mathkilla

Try to exercise b/c its good for u, its reduces stress, fights depression, and helps your body recover from the years of abuse it has recieved. Exercise also makes you tired, so you will find it a little easier to go to sleep when compared to not exercising and staying up late contemplating about relapsing or not.

Very good advice, especially the exercising..SWIM is currently dealing with an addiction and plans on working out when the bad cravings set in..especially at night, when she gets off of work..when she would usually relapse, she starts going on walks at this time

[SpaceCadetGlow]

Swim hears what SWIMmath is saying. Swim has been in and out of sobriety. NA didn't help swim too much; just showed him that he wasn't the only one getting his ass kicked by dope. At this point, swim has come to accept that drugs are just a part of swim's life. Managing to lead a successful life while enjoying a good buzz isn't for everyone. It's just about knowing yourself and your limits, what you can and cannot do.

[eon_blue]

SWIM has found that practicing yoga is a great way to steer one's self away from using. Personally, after getting too deep into the realm of drug abuse, SWIM found himself physically drained, emotionally unstable, and above all, spiritually crippled.
Yoga helped immensly in every one of those departments. It's and incredibly rewarding activity in every sense of the word.

However, there's no hobby that'll keep you clean if you're not determined and 100% willing to do so. SWIM still struggles with trying to stay relatively clean, but at least he feels a sort of balance in his life.

Reputation Comments on this post:

If you ever come back I'd like to say I agree totally with the yoga suggestion, and that no hobby will keep one clean wi...

[mathkilla]

Swim is glad to see some replies. swim thinks that these are a few ideas that can help or inspire a person to stay sober. The hardest part is staying sober and having control over it. For spacecadet, swim understands swiu position with your soberity, and scolding or negative feedback wont help, but i will give one negative feedback for that choice. If swiu drives, or functions with a legit job, there might come a time when that choice will bite swiu in the buttocks. A simple blood test can cause swiu to have a DUI, or if in a fatal accident, vehicular manslaughter. If swiu gets hurt on the job, loss of job, no matter how many years swiu put in. It can be okay for swiu to function with some control over drug use, but try to dry out for periods of time, just for safety precautions, b/c we never know when it will occur.
Other than that negative feedback, enjoy each and ever day, peace.

[coldturkeystop]

Good advice. thanks a bunch. I plan to check into the Yoga. SWIM breezed thru the physical wd's . it was the maintainance of sobriety that Got SWIM.

[beentheredonethatagain]

I have heard that any time someone wants to get clean , they should follow a few suggestions. These have worked for countless addicts.

admit being powerless over drugs
admit life is unmanageable because of drugs
we cant get clean on our own power, look to a power that is greater than self

meetings meetings meetings .

[cyndi]

Yoga sounds like a good idea, it frees the mind and is very positive energy. Oh swim didn't do the 12 step very well. The drugalogs made me crave more if that makes sense. Swim just can't sit and listen to stories of drugging. Then cravings come in. Now some do well in the 12 step and that is great for them. Each has to find something that works for him. Swim had 14 years of sobriety and blew it over several issues. Swim didn't pay attention to triggers. Sometimes with a long sober time, one thinks oh I can handle this. Guess what swim couldn't.

[beentheredonethatagain]

I was clean 6 .5 years, complete abstanace from all drugs and alcohol.
I went to Jamaica on my honeymoon, It wasn't long before someone I know was smokin pineapple skunk with the natives. That did piss the Mrs. into the process of divorce, she is now an ex, Swim thinks if the bond between them was that fragile, then it wasn't meant to be anyway.

[Nagognog2]

Originally Posted by beentheredonethatagain

I have heard that any time someone wants to get clean , they should follow a few suggestions. These have worked for countless addicts.

admit being powerless over drugs
admit life is unmanageable because of drugs
we cant get clean on our own power, look to a power that is greater than self

meetings meetings meetings .

Yes. We are all aware of the AA 12-Step methodology. Works for some well. Sends others screaming down the road to the nearest source of z.x.y. But the main problem I see with the AA crowd is they don't accept any other possible ways of getting off the chosen substance. Hence it becomes like the Catholics doing battle with the Baptists over whose God is better.

There are other programs that can help aside from AA and the 12-steps. For instance Rational Recovery which doesn't rely on a belief in a greater being. And good old psychotherapy is on the list also.

[ena]

Swim s most friends are or abusers or addicted .. every meeting with them is temtation for swim , to r\try again and again ... maybe changing social envirioment can help, but still swim will miss those friends... wtf hard question to answer

[tayo]

Set a date about a month ahead to stop for good, hold it to yourself and remind yourself daily, let everyone you use with know that's the last day you will be doing it, if they sey "nah man i bet you won't quit" prove em wrong... they'll hold it to you and respect you for it once you've quit and maybe look at themselves too... ween as necessary up until that point, maybe binge to get it out of the system, plan ahead for any withdrawals.
Others have already mentioned going to the gym helps and the endorphins created for someone with an addictive personality, fortunately has potential to make them a lifetime goer. SWIM has found the going to the gym/getting big to be the strongest addiction of all, and likes the pain/endorphins associated with it, SWIMs had alot of junk in and out of the system and this keeps on bringing SWIM back, and SWIM gets really depressed after not going for like a month. If you are going to go to the gym, make sure your nutrition is planned out and stretch for 10-20 minutes before and after. Stretching is good for well-being because having your muscles feel loose vs. tight can be a great difference, and also it usually can affect your posture, and posture is associated with neck/back pain for many, also you don't want to tear any muscles. For nutrition try to get a little bit of every food group in every meal if possible, and a variety of colors in the vegetable diet is essential since the body won't absorb much of a multivitamin (since the body is made to extract it from plant fibers and animal tissues), eat fish or take an omega-3/omega-6 supplement, flax seed oil is great for that, SWIM takes gel caps. Don't eat junk food, get your sugar energy from fruits, the added fiber and non processed sugars allow for a slower sustained conversion and release of energy in the body. And lot's of fiber, and remember Vitamin D is in the sun, one can get the adequate intake in 10 minutes of exposure. Hope that helps.

[cyndi]

Originally Posted by ena

Swim s most friends are or abusers or addicted .. every meeting with them is temtation for swim , to r\try again and again ... maybe changing social envirioment can help, but still swim will miss those friends... wtf hard question to answer

Easy answer here, stop seeing the friends if you want to kick it. Most addicted people who use are not really friends as you will see if swiy gets sober. A messed up person hates the company of a clean one and will convince swiy to hit it. If swiy is fighting demons, swiy will hit it and the cycle. Oh swiy definitely needs to stop meeting them. The only good thing swim got from the court ordered 12 steps was people, places should change, and change habits or swiy will fall into the old ones again.

[cyndi]

Originally Posted by tayo

Set a date about a month ahead to stop for good, hold it to yourself and remind yourself daily, let everyone you use with know that's the last day you will be doing it, if they sey "nah man i bet you won't quit" prove em wrong... they'll hold it to you and respect you for it once you've quit and maybe look at themselves too... ween as necessary up until that point, maybe binge to get it out of the system, plan ahead for any withdrawals.
Others have already mentioned going to the gym helps and the endorphins created for someone with an addictive personality, fortunately has potential to make them a lifetime goer. SWIM has found the going to the gym/getting big to be the strongest addiction of all, and likes the pain/endorphins associated with it, SWIMs had alot of junk in and out of the system and this keeps on bringing SWIM back, and SWIM gets really depressed after not going for like a month. If you are going to go to the gym, make sure your nutrition is planned out and stretch for 10-20 minutes before and after. Stretching is good for well-being because having your muscles feel loose vs. tight can be a great difference, and also it usually can affect your posture, and posture is associated with neck/back pain for many, also you don't want to tear any muscles. For nutrition try to get a little bit of every food group in every meal if possible, and a variety of colors in the vegetable diet is essential since the body won't absorb much of a multivitamin (since the body is made to extract it from plant fibers and animal tissues), eat fish or take an omega-3/omega-6 supplement, flax seed oil is great for that, SWIM takes gel caps. Don't eat junk food, get your sugar energy from fruits, the added fiber and non processed sugars allow for a slower sustained conversion and release of energy in the body. And lot's of fiber, and remember Vitamin D is in the sun, one can get the adequate intake in 10 minutes of exposure. Hope that helps.

Yeah swim used to exercise all the time , was in really good shape until she had back surgury. Swim herniated several discs and more are blown recently, she is looking forward to fusion next year, yippee. About the only exercise she can do anymore is walk. Guess swim needs to dust off the treadmill huh? Swim is in the depression stage and well lots of advice is given but swim don't know. Not directed at swiy, just thinking in general. Still clean though! Yeah swim is really really eating junk food since after binging, you try to fill that empty place. If ever an addict one can relate. OH who is swim kidding, she is a junk food junkie anyway. LOL! Yeah should eat healthier. Oh the sun, again swim needs just to get out, she knows this well. Been saying she is going to the beach since oh well May! Hasn't made it yet and lives very close to the beach. One thing that is also bad, sig other, ha, wakes swim up every morning accusing her of using. That just sucks. So swim kicked the insig other out tonight. Can't get clean when putting up with that bs you know.

[tayo]

yeah if swiy is clean maybe rub it in the significant other's face by buying some drug-tests one every 5 days in front of them for a month, heh, get em to stop bugging swiy.
yeah back surgery seems like it could make things extremely difficult, maybe make a day out of walking when it's sunny, just walk from place to place with a buddy have some good old fun, hit the beach, maybe buy some water balloons and get the local kids? haha.
and the nutritional aspect may have alot to do with a lack of motivation to get out there, and may improve sleep, as the gym will do also.

[~lostgurl~]

Originally Posted by Nagognog2

But the main problem I see with the AA crowd is they don't accept any other possible ways of getting off the chosen substance.

I totally agree with that, AA/NA are like a cult in this way. Not everyone can be fixed with a bandaid.

[cyndi]

Agree with lostgirl, na/aa please, what an experience, it reminds swim of being in a cult and having one try to brainwash you.Swim does believe in a higher power, but that isn't really the deal. You can't pray addiction away or all addicts would be in church, some are but another issue. Don't get swim going. AA turns into a crutch or excuse for using or boozing. Many many stories swim had to endure of oh I messed up today, won't get my chip, damnit. Lord help swim! LOL. Sorry if one is a twelve stepper, swim isn't dissing just her view on it. Yeah swim wishes the steps were that easy, she would be in a meeting daily if that crap really worked. Now for therapy, swim would be in a straight jacket in a padded room, enough said. This is how swim ended up here, looking for answers, trying to understand the power of the meth. The board has given great insight really. Yeah I go to the meth recovery boards too, but this one is real. No 12 steppers telling swim just go to a meeting, then swim says why, well it will help you, why, damnit just go? LOL, they don't even know. Sorry lost just elaborating on your point.

Tayo, hubby left swim. UA, swim offered he won't look. He wants to believe swim is on dope to justify his leaving swim. However, he himself is on the meth. Ah the plot thickens ay.

[tayo]

Well swiy is strong judging by the shit that swiy has been through, which only proves that she can handle anything! Yes, this sounds like a stubborn hypocrite, and unfortunately there is little ability to change someone's mind when they're in that state. I wouldn't suggest burning bridges but don't dwell on it so much if possible, he might come around if he thinks swiy is stronger alone. Keep me updated though.

[beentheredonethatagain]

I have heard that NA and AA are some sort of cult and I ve heard that they brainwash people, I know that when swim went to those meetings his brain was in need of washing. lol but seriously

[Oooga BooGa]

Try to keep as busy as possible,the more hobbies the better. Swim finds that when occupied,swim barley thinks of getting high.When bored and doing nothing is when swim really thinks about getting her stone on.
AA/NA works for some but not all,can't hurt to give it a try. Good luck and stay positive.