Addiction - GHB addiction, an invisible threshhold.

[saline29]

Swim was worried. Swim was using GHB, 1, 4 BD, and GBL for a month straight, around the clock, more than ten doses a day. Swim read about addiction, and the 14 days of hell, and even death possiblities, and got really worried. So, swim started to lax on GHB usage. This was good in itself. However, the worry was the only (placebo-negative), type of effect which swim had, which made him fear addiction. Actually, there was no let down, just maybe a little bit of tiredness. The fear was in vain, at least for this period of time. GHB has been resumed, but on a much smaller scale of usage, with hardly any doses of 1,4 or other analoges, but the occasional usage of here and there. Swim went to 2-3 doses a day of GHB, but doesn't even need 1 dose. Swim concludes there there isn't a real addiction, other than a mental one (thinking you need ghb to do tasks, socialize, etc.), and perhaps some worry associated with the fear of the potential of being addicted.

To swim, the whole addiction to ghb thing is a scare, part of the propaganda to ban things from the public.


Swim does not codone GHB usage by just anyone, and thinks it should be legal, but regulated a bit more than alcohold, but available to the public.

[MrG]

Whilst it is interesting to hear SWIY's personal observations, please bear in mind that it is just that, personal. Taking different analogues over that period of time may have had an effect on the likelihood of withdrawal issues kicking in.

The fact is that we have yet to see any definite research which can state exactly when addiction begins and so, by that measure, we cannot safely say that to have continued the dosing regime for another month would have been equally as easy to cease.

It is true that to actually become addicted one would need to consciously begin a constant dosing regime over an extended period of time and that it is a lot harder than the media would have you believe to get addicted. But, as we cannot say how much is too much, then we certainly do not say that chronic use is harmless and that addiction is just a myth.

[mikeyc]

SWIM agrees that his "addiction" to GBL was not the same as his addiction to smoking. When he tries to quit smoking all he can think about is cigarettes to the point that he gets a headache. SWIM is grumpy, rude and impatient. SWIM will stare at a box of Marlboro lights for twenty minutes trying to justify having a cigarette. SWIM will buy patches and gum to ease the "pain", because all SWIM wants to do is smoke.

When SWIM was "addicted" to GBL, it was a different story. When the last shot wears off, SWIM didn't start thinking about taking more G. He didn't stare at the bottle trying to justify taking more of it. He didn't carry a bottle around with him just incase he needed to top up. G was not consantly on his mind.

It got to the point that SWIM didn't really even enjoy the high of G at all. All SWIM felt was anxiety. That was what was on his mind. The solution? Take more G. If someone had turned around and said "here SWIM, take this and your anxiety will go away and make you feel good" he would have done that too. Infact, whilst SWIM was coming off GBL, he did just that. He drank copius amounts of vodka to ease the anxiety until the attacks wore off.

SWIY doesn't mention how long he had been using it for. And also can SWIY sleep without taking G? SWIM found that one of the very first side effects to taking G throughout the day was that he could not sleep. He needed to take G as there was very little else that worked (unless you count a litre of vodka).

[saline29]

Swim had no problem sleeping without G. Swim has to mention, that 1, 4 butanediol really got the ball rolling, when using to get high around the clock. That is when tolerance build to all ghb, and swim had the need for more and more, which got scary, and the high wasn't good anymore.