keep a heroin habit at bay

[carlitobrigante]

so i had a 22 year heroin addiction that i eventually managed to kick. Threw myself into recovery, became a drugs worker etc etc

At 40 years old unfortunately it was made clear to me that i have severe emphysema, my lungs are shot to bits, and it wont be many years now until im on oxygen. Partly as a result I've long since reverted to occasional drug use.

I'm curious as to how long some people who were previously heroin addicts, and have relapsed, managed to keep a full blown habit at bay and avoid becoming physically dependent again

I've been dabbling with heroin again now for 4 years, and have managed (at times) by the skin of my teeth to avoid developing a full blown dependency and experiencing withdrawals. It has been bloody hard, and at times i have felt mild withdrawals but with enough experience it has been easy enough to grin and bear the mild withdrawals rather than cave in with the knowledge that another 1-2 days of using will give me what i would described as full bodied withdrawal symptoms.

I tend to do the obvious things such as not using on consecutive days. I can just about get away with using 2 days in a row but even then will feel uncomfortable on day 3. I also find it helps but buying relatively small amounts, and using it all in one sitting and not smoke it over a full day. If i am using on 2 x consecutive days, i always make sure even then that i leave a gap of 24 hours between uses.

I'm under no illusions that it will probably escalate into physical dependency sooner or later, but its surprised me that i've managed it for 4 years so far, Its surprising to me how well i've managed to continue for so long with this mantra of just avoiding a habit at all costs approach.

Curious to hear from any other heroin users whose using takes a similar type of pattern, and how your experience was?

 

[cdin]

Black seed oil and ULTRA low dose naltrexone before every dose work wonders to prevent tolerance and habit development- as a fellow fourtyish ex addict experiencing lung issues — what activities led to the emphysema if you don’t mind me asking? And that’s a devestating diagnosis.

 

[IckySicky]

so i had a 22 year heroin addiction that i eventually managed to kick. Threw myself into recovery, became a drugs worker etc etc

At 40 years old unfortunately it was made clear to me that i have severe emphysema, my lungs are shot to bits, and it wont be many years now until im on oxygen. Partly as a result I've long since reverted to occasional drug use.

I'm curious as to how long some people who were previously heroin addicts, and have relapsed, managed to keep a full blown habit at bay and avoid becoming physically dependent again

I've been dabbling with heroin again now for 4 years, and have managed (at times) by the skin of my teeth to avoid developing a full blown dependency and experiencing withdrawals. It has been bloody hard, and at times i have felt mild withdrawals but with enough experience it has been easy enough to grin and bear the mild withdrawals rather than cave in with the knowledge that another 1-2 days of using will give me what i would described as full bodied withdrawal symptoms.

I tend to do the obvious things such as not using on consecutive days. I can just about get away with using 2 days in a row but even then will feel uncomfortable on day 3. I also find it helps but buying relatively small amounts, and using it all in one sitting and not smoke it over a full day. If i am using on 2 x consecutive days, i always make sure even then that i leave a gap of 24 hours between uses.

I'm under no illusions that it will probably escalate into physical dependency sooner or later, but its surprised me that i've managed it for 4 years so far, Its surprising to me how well i've managed to continue for so long with this mantra of just avoiding a habit at all costs approach.

Curious to hear from any other heroin users whose using takes a similar type of pattern, and how your experience was?

I wish I had that kind of self preservation. I manage to get myself clean, put myself through living hell about twice a year and then just go straight back to the stuff. Been playing this game for 4-5 years which I know isn't forever but I wish I had the willpower to stay away from the stuff and not go straight back the moment I feel ok and then lie to myself saying I'll only use for a day then stop and 6 months later I'm a mess again and going through torture because I think to myself that this will be the time I stay clean. Weak I am.

 

[Hexenstahl]

ULTRA low dose naltrexone before every dose work wonders to prevent tolerance and habit development

+ obviation of withdrawal
+ potentiation of the high
+ prolongation of the overall duration

ULDN is truly a miraculous drug. What is your sweet spot if I may ask? I've heard some people dose as low as nanograms.

 

[Hexenstahl]

Weak I am.

You're not weak, you are sick. Drug addiction is a disease. Stop blaming yourself for being a sick person. Have you thought about going into maintenance? I'm on morphine maintenance since mid september and it changed my life.
Get on a full agonist and avoid shitboxone. It'll fully satiate your opiate hungry brain and frees your mind from cravings.

 

[cdin]

+ obviation of withdrawal
+ potentiation of the high
+ prolongation of the overall duration

ULDN is truly a miraculous drug. What is your sweet spot if I may ask? I've heard some people dose as low as nanograms.

50-75 micrograms prior to a dose of opioids (30-45 mins)

 

[Conky]

50-75 micrograms prior to a dose of opioids (30-45 mins)

And how much black seed oil and will it work with benzos

 

[Hexenstahl]

50-75 micrograms prior to a dose of opioids (30-45 mins)

It's always interesting to see how much the effective dose varies from person to person. Dude, I've been reading anything from 500 NANOgrams (that's a ridiculously low dose if you think about it) to 1µg and up to 100µg and in some cases even like 300µg (which actually is already LDN but seems to work with some people without putting them into precipitated wd). How much did your tolerance drop in percentage and how long did it take until you noticed that ULDN is starting to work on your receptors (like, did your tolerance drop instantaneously, or gradually over the course of days and weeks?).

 

[painfulstate]

I think that you re gonna fuck up your hormonal balance/release ..meaning that you re not gonna have much endogenous opioids in your system after a while because its like time counts from your last dose and slowly dopamine and endorphin stuff come back but if you keep on consuming the stuff every other day then its like the moment your brain starts healing you drop it back to shit. You have to change your coping mechanisms and stop abusing your clean time . If you believe that now being 100 with heroin you gonna get to 150 ..yes you will get to 150 but next day baseline will be 50 out of 100 and you know how it goes ...i mean you have experienced it , what else do you want from it .? I was kindling too a lot and it fked me up , i went nuts and got so irritable couldnt play music couldnt concentrate ..i really struggle to get my life together now

 

[cdin]

And how much black seed oil and will it work with benzos

a tea or tablespoon (depending on how you tolerate it) of black seed oil and yeah, both of these are fine w bzds.

 

[Conky]

a tea or tablespoon (depending on how you tolerate it) of black seed oil and yeah, both of these are fine w bzds.

My post was poorly worded

What I meant was will black seed oil reduce tolerance to benzos in the way it does with opioids

 

[TheUltimateFixx]

OK so I was a multiple times daily user for 5 and a half years. I took myself off, didn't use at all for awhile, then went back to a weekend habit (which was how I'd started out). Have kept that up for longer now than I was using addictively. My average is 2x weekly, usually either Fridays and Saturdays, or twice on a Saturday.

On occasion I'll indulge myself and push the boat out and use 5 days in a row, but that's my limit and will give me slight withdrawal. For whatever reason I was extremely slow to get a physically dependent habit the first time round, and seem to 'get away' with more use than most after having had one before it triggers withdrawals; conversely my tolerance drops very quickly whenever I'm not doing it. Still have to watch it though because the tolerance also goes up very quickly nowadays if I do a couple days in a row.

I make sure to re-set by taking more or less regular breaks where I won't use at all for several weeks. This pattern fits well with my life, and I don't find it difficult to maintain because I sincerely do not see any temptation in the thought of going back to my former ways. I aim to ensure the most pleasure from my drug use while keeping the potential harms to a minimum. I think the biggest shift in my thinking that helped me the most to achieve this was that instead of seeing it as the be-all and end-all, it's now just one of many things in my life that I get reward from.

... Now, quitting altogether and for good is a different kettle of fish . I don't really have that intention, but might have to make the choice (for the sake of my life partner).