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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | Eligiu | deficiT | paranoid android

Do several years of drug use cause brain damage?

With some help, I've come to the conclusion that we shouldn't compare ourselves to what we were and claim that's how we should be, since even back then, who knows if we wouldn't've ended up similar to how we are even without the drugs? You don't know and can never know, so unless you want to shell out the money for extensive diagnostic imaging (brain scans and the like), to see if there really IS any damage, just chalk if up to a "I will not do this to myself again" experience and live with what mental functioning you DO have. :)

In short, it has been more than two years since I became mostly* sober, and my mental functioning is no where near where it used to be. But, as I just said, until I want to shell out the cash for the scans, I won't know if all the drugs I did did permanent damage, or if two years hasn't been long enough to undo ~5 year's worth of damage. Time will tell.

* I used adderall/dexedrine a dozen times or so over a six month period after the initial sobriety... Helped tremendously with going back to school. I drink alcohol very infrequently (fewer than six times a year) and rarely more than four or five drinks. I smoke cigarettes on and off.
 
I was a daily marijuana user from age 14-20, addicted to opiates on and off (mostly on) from 14-20, regular speed/benzo/psychedelic user in that time as well. I also occasionally did MDMA and ketamine in that period.

I stopped all the drugs from 20-21. I'm now 22 and drink in moderation, use marijuana at night and amphetamines for school.

When I first stopped at 20 I felt retarded for a few months, but my cognitive abilities returned quickly. I'm now in an engineering program at a very good school getting good grades.

Do I have permanent brain damage? Possibly in one capacity or another, my short term memory isn't all that great but I just factor that into the equation and account for it (god gave us computers, references and books for a reason).

We're all just gettin' along with what we got. Don't trip about it unless there are obvious indicators that something is awry.

And if I were you (and I'm not) I'd take a break from the drugs, and if I continued to use I'd try to moderate my usage.
 
The meth and acid are major offenders in regards to long term brain damage. Particularly w/ meth, long term use may result in psychosis. However, I've know individuals who suffer psychosis and go on to obtain post graduate degrees and now work a professionals. Still, it is not something you want obviously.

Aside from that, over time the neurochemistry does correct itself.... mostly. This can be expedited with conscientious dieting, an exercise regimen, and meditation.
 
motherofearth said:
The meth and acid are major offenders in regards to long term brain damage. Particularly w/ meth, long term use may result in psychosis. However, I've know individuals who suffer psychosis and go on to obtain post graduate degrees and now work a professionals. Still, it is not something you want obviously.

Aside from that, over time the neurochemistry does correct itself.... mostly. This can be expedited with conscientious dieting, an exercise regimen, and meditation.
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yeah, when an individual is suffering from "psychosis" but they recognize it and do not believe the delusions (albeit they are still present), it is technically called a neurosis -- although this term has fallen out of use in medicine, there aren't really any other words to describe it.

And there are ways to completely recover from a psychosis, even more severe episodes.
I found that the use of opiates during a psychosis can in most cases completely alleviate symptoms, and even after the opiate has worn off, the symptoms will be far less intense.
I remember reading that opiates are actually one of the best medicines in the world for alleviating OCD's symptoms (obsessions, compulsions, and rituals); and that just a few sessions of therapeutic opiate use can produce long-term alleviation of symptoms.
 
YellowNikes said:
They make me exhibit more ocd like behaviors, but i am not OCD.
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I know what you're talking about, but the little "compulsions" caused by opiate use are not true OCD compulsions, and do not persist after the drug wears off.
True OCD obsessions and compulsions, and also psychotic obsessions/compulsions, usually originate out of malaise. With the use of opiates, an individual is lifted out of malaise, resuming normal cognitive functioning - which continues even after the effects of the opiate have diminished.

Think of psychosis as a mental "undertow" that the brain gets stuck in - sometimes present in the form of a perceived "ultimatum" or cognitive dissonance; you could perhaps even compare psychosis to the mind's train of thought being in a "knot".
Opiates untie this knot, alleviate cognitive dissonance, and the perceived ultimatum disappears; the individual accepts the dissonance and comes to an epiphany allowing them to live with it rather than fret over it
 
I have extensive experience with psychosis; my grandfather was a paranoid schizophrenic, so at an early age I became familiar with how psychosis and schizophrenia affect the cognition.

I also have had my fair share of psychotic episodes resulting from amphetamine use -- over the past 3 years, I'd say I've had between 25-50 incidences of true psychosis: extremely disorganized thinking, an over-active cognition, an inability to control or stop thoughts, paranoia, delusions, clanging / "word salad", etc etc.
 
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I don't feel any dumber. I have a lot of problems and I don't think abusing stuff like dope helped my cause. I have a panic disorder, BPD, extreme anxiety in general, depression sometimes to the point I want to die. But, I am still smart as fuck. My memory is a little fried but it's still pretty good surprisingly. I probably have a few holes in my brain but I don't really care at this point. I just want to keep off dope because I never ever ever want to go through withdrawal again. It's stressors like that, or like a bad acid trip that might fuck you up but it's not usually brain damage related unless it's maybe meth or something. Opiates don't do that nor does weed nor do psychedelics. They make pretty much all my problems come out really bad sometimes, especially borderline disorder if I'm in withdrawal or a comedown that is when I will self harm and stuff. I was pretty chill growing up until my early 20's when I had a serious back injury and weed wasn't enough. It's more like temporary alterations in neurochemistry that can really stress you out and like... do you have a few months to get over heroin ya know? Life is short and busy. I would say brain damage is absolutely a possibility, but the risk depends on the drug being used and it is NOT the only thing to worry about. You can trigger mental illness to come out hard that you didn't know you had before. If I could go back in time I would do nothing but smoke DMT and probably do a little fishscale on special occasions. I wouldn't have even picked up my weed habit.
 
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