Dlayed opiate craving 3 months after last use?!

[ISmokeCigarettes]

Swim is experiencing something odd, something Swim has never encountered before and it ain’t pleasant.

Imagine Swim was using an opiate, eventually daily, for um…not quite a year, but long enough to grow quite a tolerance and to become physically addicted. Swim stop using, cold turkey. Swim experienced physical withdrawal, but no actual cravings. That is, Swim knew in a matter of minutes she could stop the physical crap, but Swim didn’t even mind riding it out. Swim’s head was not a mess. While going cold turkey someone is sat in the room using and offering the drug and still Swim says no, in fact Swim finds she doesn’t even like having the drug near her.

Three months of complete normality, no craving, not even giving the substance a second thought and even turning down possible opportunities to use it again because Swim cannot be bothered and isn’t particularly interested.

After three months though something happens…it is like Swim’s mind has caught up with her body and reality and realised that Swim is no longer using this substance. Swim noticed she had begun thinking about it a little more, as use of the substance built up so did Swim’s thoughts about it now. Next thing Swim’ll drink 30+ units of alcohol a day because Swim cant get this substance, everything reminds Swim of it or being on it, words, smells, people, voices. Swim is literally dreaming about it and cannot sleep more than bout two / three hours a night while waking up ever ten to twenty minutes. Swim’s doesn’t want to go out or socialise because of how this is making Swim feel. Others have noticed Swim has become moody and antisocial. Swim feels so damn lonely it is unreal and when Swim realised her only source to this substance has quit and effed off…well Swim feels insane. Swim cant remember why she gave a damn about anything, nothing matters except this substance. Swim obsesses over the occasions when it was being used by someone right next to her and she said no to it or didn’t bat an eyelid, like Swim should’ve said yes and appreciated that it was there…Swim feels crazy. Swim suddenly misses everything about it and Swim wants it, though Swim just wants to be able to get it and then tell everyone to F**k off and leave her to gobble it all up.

What the hell is going on? How can that happen three months after stopping…

Reputation Comments on this post:

Damn, been there...never completely "over it"

[tank_girl]

is swyi stressing out over other things? swiy could be having these craving because opiates are usually a good coping mechanism.

[LexaproHo]

Swim is an opiate user and has seen this in his friend who have done the same as swiy and given up c/t. Does swiy have some kind of support in the way of telephone counselling or the like to help swim through the worst of times? These cravings will catch ex opiate users off guard when they least expect it...sometimes years later. Emotional stress plays a big part in cravings as tank girl mentioned before me.

Swim's mate ended up going out and starting a gym program, swimming and walking which helped kick in endorphins which helped a lot ease the cravings and sleepless nights.

Swim wishes you all the best.

Congratualtions on swiy for getting to three months too by the way.

[ISmokeCigarettes]

Thanks for the replies guys. (and sorry for such a monster post in reply, but this has been driving me mad…)

Swim sees the logic in Swiy’s post about stressful situations bringing about craving. At first when Swim thought about this Swim couldn’t think of why Swim would be craving.
The going has been good with Swim not being homeless, earning a good wage, being back in education, living somewhere decent…

*But* Swim and her closest friend have fallen out. May sound trivial, but Swim and her friend used drugs together, had lived together, bathed together, often slept in the same bed, worked together and were writing partners. Swim and her mate were each other’s family as neither Swim or her friend really had any when they met in a ‘special‘ school as teens. All money, drugs, alcohol…everything between Swim and her friend was communal. It was, from then on, always Swim and her friend against the world. Swim is in a group of about 60 mates here, but it was always Swim and her mate who organised the parties, got everyone together and without Swim and her mate being together the rest of the group has suffered too. Swim’s mate has seemingly turned her back on the group and left Swim to pick up the pieces.

Swim and her mate had used morphine together and Swim’s mate knew Swim had smoked opium before they were friends, but when Swim started using heroin Swim’s mate hated it. Swim moved 300 miles away a year ago, which ain’t helped, but…

Swim stopped using and returned to her mate’s and spent two weeks doing Swim’s mate’s work for her, cleaned her house for her and although Swim was on cold turkey for the first week when she turned up Swim never complained or mentioned anything to her. Swim just locked herself away for a bit. Swim’s mate seemed happy and excited to have her there, the group was doing good too, but then Swim’s mate just seemed to change and Swim tried to hep her feel better, did her shopping, paid her bills, did her work etc, but then Swim got angry and felt she was taking the piss. Swim was having a hard time too.

Now Swim feels a bit abandoned. Swim is 300 miles from home, her house and the people she lives with (and her supply to most substances) and Swim’s mate hasn’t been in touch since Swim mentioned how bad their relationship had got…a month ago. Swim has contacted her friend and asked to sit down and talk, but Swim’s friend only wants to talk over a bottle of whiskey, four grams of speed or a joint. Swim has always been the bigger drug user out of the two, but even Swim knows that wont help anything.

The only time Swim has seen her friend in the last month is when it was Swim’s friend’s birthday and Swim bought her 50grams of her favourite rolling tobacco, twenty cigarettes, bottle of her favourite whiskey, her favourite chocolates. Swim decorated a card with her friend’s favourite poetry and song lyrics and intended on spending some time together. Swim and her friend always spent birthdays together, put on the best parties, but Swim’s friend said she was busy, picked up the presents and left right away after remarking on how rough Swim looked…-_-’

Swim has avoided thinking about this until now, but it makes sense that she is craving…Swim is damn angry. It may be selfish, but Swim feels she has made a big effort to please her mate and only moved away in the first place to eventually earn the money for her and her friend to have a good living and now after doing exactly what Swim’s friend wanted her to do…Swim feels a bit low.

Swim didn’t stop using heroin over addiction, Swim knows she wasn’t and isn’t addicted (psychologically). Swim never intended on quitting forever and Swim knows she’ll use again now, possibly in the next month when Swim moves back home. Swim only left to get the qualifications to support herself and her mate’s ambitions, but now Swim wants to get back and shoot herself into oblivion.

Swim’s entire life since meeting her mate has revolved around a collective dream and now that seems to have bitten the dust…Swim’s education, her jobs, her savings and the reason for working her arse off for all those things has gone.

Think Swiy hit the nail on the head lol, needed to get all that out!

Cheers.

[Rio Fantastic]

It seems that Swiy's been going through a very tough time recently, although I would not recommend that Swiy turns to heroin again. One of the worst things about opiate addiction over meth/cocaine addiction is that after detoxing from it, in times of stress, cravings will start again. Swiy probably didn't crave it when detoxing because you had a goal in mind, but now in times of emotional turmoil, Swiy wants it again. I suggest Swiy finds some new friends and then picks up where Swiy left off and forget Swiy's other friend.

[ISmokeCigarettes]

Swim never planned on stopping forever. Swim wasn’t ‘quitting’, Swim was simply stopping for a while, she isn’t an addict. Swim doesn’t need it everyday and never has. Swim did eventually use everyday, but when Swim couldn’t Swim didn’t suffer for it. Its just if you wake up to no work, no plans and a rainy day…and there’s someone sat beside you with a twenty bag, well it seems a nice way to spend the morning. Swim doesn’t *need* it though. Swim could easily and can go without, Swim has…there are just sometimes when Swim would rather not have to. Lol.

Its just like having a drink…even if you barely drink there will be times when you could murder an ice cold beer, usually when you’ve been stressed.

Swim’s feeling a little better anyhow for saying what Swim did, so cheers guys.

[Rio Fantastic]

Originally Posted by ISmokeCigarettes

Swim never planned on stopping forever. Swim wasn’t ‘quitting’, Swim was simply stopping for a while, she isn’t an addict. Swim doesn’t need it everyday and never has. Swim did eventually use everyday, but when Swim couldn’t Swim didn’t suffer for it. Its just if you wake up to no work, no plans and a rainy day…and there’s someone sat beside you with a twenty bag, well it seems a nice way to spend the morning. Swim doesn’t *need* it though. Swim could easily and can go without, Swim has…there are just sometimes when Swim would rather not have to. Lol.

Its just like having a drink…even if you barely drink there will be times when you could murder an ice cold beer, usually when you’ve been stressed.

Swim’s feeling a little better anyhow for saying what Swim did, so cheers guys.

Don't mean to be pessimistic, but isn't this a lot how people start? If you fall into every day use again, there's a very good chance that you will develop tolerance and with tolerance comes withdrawal.

[ISmokeCigarettes]

Oh, Swim experienced physical withdrawal when she stopped three months ago, but Swim doesn't consider physical withdrawal as addiction. Swim accepts she was becoming more physically addicted, but there was no presence of psychological addiction. Swim didn't need heroin.

Swim sees ‘addiction’ as the presence of both physical and psychological dependence and by this definition Swim wasn’t (and isn’t) addicted.

Swim’s experienced opiate addiction with codeine before and used tramadol daily for six years too. Swim has experienced speed addiction too, along with other addictions. Swim isn’t addicted to heroin. Swim went through heroin withdrawal relatively easily (in comparison to other withdrawal, e.g. alcohol) and resisted using even when it was offered already prepared for her.

Swim was just confused by sudden cravings, Swim’s never experienced that before. Swim realises it is probably due to the situation with Swim’s friend at the moment. Swim’ll work through that, but Swim (given the opportunity) knows she will use heroin again…not because she’s addicted, but because (like getting drunk once in a while) its damn pleasant.

Swim’s used numerous drugs for long periods and avoid addiction, psychologically, other drugs Swim has become dependant on Swim has successfully overcome. Swim does think if she started using again now that it’d be a bad idea as it would with any opiate at present because Swim would be using to escpe and block out pain and not for recreational reasons, but in a few weeks when Swim gets back home and is with mates and happy…Swim’ll be using all manner of chemical because Swim’ll be back in her house with her housemates and celebrating, not commiserating. Plus, Swim wont be using as much this time round as Swim'll be working a lot more and isn't able to do her job while under the influence (Swim knows this from experience).