Check up on members that have been trying to stay clean and sober

[Spare Chaynge]

Hey to all members who are trying to stay off drugs and alcohol. Just wanted to make thread to let everyone check in and tell stuff about their life.


Jim just got approved for a lease to move into a house. Very nice house nice location. He as 11 months clean and sober. Jim is moving in with his girlfriend who has 4 years.

Jims girl gave him permission to grow indoor plants in the new garage... (nothing illegal) So swim is currently buying hps lights and grow equipment. He plans on growing tomatoes and flowers(daisys) and others.

Jim also feels like for the first time that he has gotten the majority of the neurotransmitters that he lost back. He is happier most of the time and its taking back old old hobbies. He use to grow tomatoes and other things way before he used. In addition to this he is now paintballin.

On the opposite side. Jim is still dealing with social anxiety that only pops up when meeting people he does not know and who he thinks as important.(for example his girlfriends parents and others).

In addition school stress causes him some emotional ups and downs. Really down when the school is piled up on him and really up when its over.

hmm what else...oh yes allmost time for a 40 day break in between semsters. and time to get a part time job!


Let jim know what is up!

Reputation Comments on this post:

	nice thread, good topic
	excellent thread idea!!

[PsychoActivist]

Sounds like SWIY is doing really good.

SWIM isn't clean right now or trying to be but he has had a lot of experience staying clean for long periods of time. He just really wanted to try very hard to stay that way. In fact a lot of the times when he found himself clean for months at a time he didn't even really do it on purpose or even try to make a commitment. He will be fairly soon though as he is a pod addict and he uses them on a daily basis and knows that the withdrawals are already going to be hell (after 3 months of everyday use) so he doesn't want to get in much deeper than he already is.

I guess the main reason he felt it necessary to respond in this thread is the fact that SWIY mentioned getting back into old hobbies and that is what kept SWIM clean at the times that he was. He truly believes that this is along with cutting oneself off from their contacts that this is the most important thing.

It was once explained to SWIM that addicts, alcoholics, or anyone with an addictive personality all have a void inside of them. An empty hole if you will. This hole needs to be filled with something. As an drug addict the most instinctive thing to fill it with is drugs.

When one comes clean the hole again becomes empty and the addict is left with a void again. A lot of times it could lead to just another addiction i.e. junk food, coffee, video games, work even (lets not forget workaholics). Of course most of the time ones new found addiction will most likely be healthier/less dangerous.

But this is also where hobbies come into play. Without staying busy or having hobbies that one enjoys doing that can take up part of the day, the hole inside oneself will remain just that - a hole - and of course then the cravings return and one is likely to relapse.

SWIM's father is an alcoholic and he has been clean now for almost 20 years. SWIM has seen him go through so many hobbies it is ridiculous. For a while it was guns and bullets. He would reload bullets. Building computers. Now it's photography. He has tons of photography equipment all of a sudden. $3000 lenses and such. This is how he stays sober. He doesn't go to AA meetings or anything like that. He just keeps himself busy to stay sober and paradoxically(sp?) he feels that because he is sober he can do anything he wants to do because he no longer has anything holding him back. Anything he wants to do, anything he wants to be - he does it.

Anyway, good thread.
I will enjoy hearing from others here.

[chillinwill]

Red Rock is still going strong on his fight from heroin addiction and is coming up on 8 months now from all opiates. He still occasionally will dabble in other substances such as psychedelics, alcohol, and weed but very rarely for the last 2. For this Rock, getting clean from his drug of choice has been the best move he has made his whole life and he is finally earned his parents trust back (almost all of it) and regaining old friends he had lost due to his addiction as well as making new positive friends. He starts school in late January which he is both excited and nervous to be going back to college. It's about time he does something with his life though as all he does is sit at home with his parents and hang out with friends and whatnot.

[hippie_lain]

swim has been staying strong. hes been off drugs for around 4 years and is finally taking on responisblites that would have seemed very daunting years ago. he still doing the whole church thing and it seems enough to keep him away from things he knows he shouldnt be doing. he acually had a few beers on thanksgiving but was able to stop after the second beer but he doesnt think he will drink again for quit some time. swim has taken a friend under his wing and is helping him stay clean and basically sponsering him which seems to be going well. swim is moving to san deigo so he will be on his own for awhile and is scared he will relaspe but is going to see if he can get into a Pint loma and find a good group of friends. so yeah things are going well.

[NextLineIsMine]

I am currently in a Drug Court program in Southern Minnesota. I was arrested seven months ago on two 5th degree possession charges, and three counts of burglary, four felonies and a gross misdemeanor in all.

I relapsed almost three months ago, and the main reason for that is because I didn't let go of my old group of using friends.

Now I am doing GREAT!

I attend at least two, if not more (sometimes up to 6 or 7) NA meetings a week. I am having lots of fun doing simple things, like playing a game of cards with friends, or going bowling. I am getting into activities that I was in before my drug use started three years ago. I know, three years of drug use doesn't sound like all that much to many people, but I'm only 20, so the drug use took up 15% of my life.

I am enjoying life more now than I thought would ever be possible without the use of drugs. I do have 2-3 drug tests a week, but I am confident that I am enjoying life enough now that when the drug tests end, I will be able to stay clean. I have a good network of friends that I can call if I ever feel like using, and a sponsor that I enjoy spending time with.

I am holding a full-time job, something I had trouble doing of course during my using days. I am making my own car insurance and car loan payments, I don't have to depend on my parents for that anymore, I am almost completely self-supporting, that feels so damn good too.

All in all, life is going fuckin' great. I feel so good every morning when I wake up and I can remember what I did the day before.

[Spare Chaynge]

Bump. Hey just want to do another check up.

Swim is still doing the same stuff. School,hydroponics,video games. School is going ok at best. Swim got the flu about two weeks ago. As a result he was prescribed a codeine with promethazine cough syrup. He took it as prescribed and never finished the bottle cause he got better. But it made him really depressed and he is glad to be past the flu(basically isolation) and the codeine that just kinda teases him.

Swims bufo alvarius died. rip klyde. It was sad. He buried him in the back yard.

Swims biggest problem as of now is he can not seem to save money. He has a spending problem. An obssesion with materials resulting from his desire to be the opposite of what he use to be like. swim thinks he just has to learn the freedom that comes from having money in the bank is better than having no money and a bunch of fun stuff.

His latest obsession is upgrading to a jetflow 2 trey hydroponic system. Its about 300 but being a student swim has no income and 300 is a lot. He has to start saving so he can comfortably go to 2 phish shows this summer that he has tix for.

13months was the hardest month to stay clean and sober. Concidently. A combination of being isolated because of having the flu, getting prescribed he drug of choice and his frog dying made it that way.

But he has successfully done it Hurray!

Please let swim know how yall are doing. He feels like the recovery forum has been silent for a while now.

[PsychoActivist]

SWIPA has been doing well lately. He met up with an old friend of his who's bridges he thought he may have burned but found out they weren't This girl is practically his little sister and he is in very good with her mom. SWIPA has been helping them around the house lately and her mom wants him to go to NAMI with her. She said she can also get him hooked up with free counseling and $5 psychiatrist visit with all meds being free!

SWIPA has not been completely clean - a little Alprazolam here and there and a couple relapses with the booze (no big benders though), but most importantly he has stayed off the pods and all other opiates for about 3 weeks now.

My last post in this thread should really be deleted. If you any of you are more interested at where I am now with the clean thing, and you've not read it already, this is my journal and it's a bit long, but it is very funnily written and it should give you guys more of an idea of what went on between SWIPA's last post in THIS thread and now :
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78350

[ex-junkie]

-9/10 weeks cigarette free
-16 months methamphetamine free
-3.5 years smack/methadone/needle free


:hokeypokey:

[Mesaja]

14 day tramadol free.
For now.

[lostmente]

haven't been active in this really but..
swim spent most of last year giving up polyabuse. very glad to have cut out drugs as has been recently diagnosed with kidney failure.

swim gave up substances over 3 months ago using a philosphy found on here called bullets for my beast. Found it very empowering.

Swims real deterrent for substances was incredible inner tension whenever he indulged

[chillinwill]

Red Rock is 10 1/2 months clean from opiates and still occasionally drinks and smokes tobacco. His psychedelic usage has dropped down since school started. He has minimal heroin cravings (well at times they are stronger than other times) and he is doing quite well overall.

[rokman nash]

My friend Dave has 3 months opiate free,and a little over a month alcohol free.He has used some soma and klonopin sparingly to sleep but other than that he's as clean and sober as he's ever been.

Its easier every day and the claws of his addiction are slowly retracting.The decision to stop drinking was due to to health problems,and though Dave didn't want to stop it has made a tremendous difference in his attitude and outlook on life.
Some days are better than others,but every clean/sober day is better tenfold than any day when Dave was in the throes of his addiction.

Good thoughts

[ex-junkie]

arrrrrrr. swim hasnt touched needles or opiates since october 2005. swim is a bit of a social outcast, but she blames it on all the time she spends playing/making music at home by herself.

big ups to the clean massive.

[Sushi]

Last cigarette smoked 120 days ago.

[Dickon]

My cat is into month 6 of abstinence from everything except for tea and an occasional coffee! He still has PAWS (as cats do!), manifesting itself mostly as lethargy. That said I've been doing a lot of Zen meditation, some dancing, Yoga and Tai Chi, and playing the piano. I've applied for a job, and also for some voluntary work if that doesn't happen. I'd like to become a drugs worker in some shape or form.

Recovery is going well, although there are some more big changes and events on the horizon. I'm going to try and see all this as a challenge and a learning experience. I very much feel that I've found the way, and have faith that the journey will be interesting.

It was the best thing cat could have done to get off the methadone and stop drinking. I have to work on smoothing out the rough edges, and accepting myself good and bad. I have a tendency to approach things with a certain addictiveness and I'm trying to be gentler and more laid back. That said being here and being now is fine. There is no where to go, nothing to do, and I no longer have to run from myself. Such a simple thing, but such an important one. If drugs have become a problem for people, there is life after quitting, if you want to put the work in. It's great!

Dickon

[Spare Chaynge]

still doing the same old stuff, indoor gardening school ,concerts about to take 15 months now. Might request a ban again. after a month of spending free time away from the pc and out riding swims bike or longboard, the first day back swim is missing it already.

On the subject of cigs. They really have swim down. He tried and kicked them did 24 hours nicotine free. In those 24 hours he was extremely snappy. Then he realized he was creating a false dilemma for himself. Why does he either have to smoke or not smoke. why not like 3-6 a day. So he has been doing that. But the number has risen to 10. So swim thinks he will try to quit for 24 hours to reset that number.

Hope everyswim is doing well.

[chillinwill]

Glad to hear that SC you are doing well...Red Rock is getting ready to have a year clean from opiates so he is very excited about that. Everything else is going really well right now as well.

[Spare Chaynge]

congrats on that. How is school?

[chillinwill]

Originally Posted by Spare Chaynge

congrats on that. How is school?

School couldn't be going better right now....Red Rock is loving it and the way they do classes there, you take 2 classes for 5 weeks and then switch to another 2 classes. After those 5 weeks you are done completely with those classes and this is giving Red Rock the opportunity to maximize his efforts on each assignment and task in each class. He has made 4 A's so far and his grades for this term are looking like A's as well.

[cyndi]

Swim was doing really good, 10 months clean till her son died. Yep stupid swim relapsed. She is hurting so bad, she isn't handling it well. Tomorrow is a new day however, and she will have to work her program harder.

[chillinwill]

cyndi, I am so sorry to hear about that. Relapsing over this would be fucking hard for Red Rock not to do if he were in the same situation. Even at a year clean, he knows he wouldn't be ready to handle this kind of situation and life doesn't wait for you to be able to handle it. It just dishes it out whenever the hell it feels like dishing it out.

[cyndi]

Oh lots of the monkey's old friends are still using ice, and of course when they heard the news, they literally stuck the bag in my hand. I guess they thought it would make it better? OR being nice in their own way? Who knows? She should have tossed it but thought a bump would help. Of course temp. but not in the long run.

[methMADMAN]

2 years 3 months and 26 days, and SWIM has never had it so good.

[yaba]

Swim is being naughty again... And he knows that he is hanging out with people who are "old school" and to known by the police for his liking.

Its a small place were swim is living and he has a normal job. He had to move here or the meth would have killed him there is no meth here, thank god !

And cyndi its human behavior I think. As soon as bad news comes people think "this will help" and your "allowed" to because of the bad news.. Most people will do it with good intentions, but with bad come outs..

Swim will have to try and pull himself together and stop his destructive behavior..
Its nothing compared to 17 years ago and defiantly nothing compared to 10 years ago, but still...

At least he hasn't smoked any cigarettes for over 11 months !!! And he smoked 40+ a day for many years.

[cyndi]

C yeah was naughty too. She did find comfort in old friends even though they had some "issues". She knew that but needed the human hugs, kisses, support. I hope you get this.