Quitting coke: how you won the mental battle

[Beiny]

Hey all - so I’m hoping for some inspiration. I’m currently in the throes of a second long period of coke-induced upheaval (heavy binges of 7-28g every 1-3 weeks or so). Thing is, it’s really not fun anymore and hasn’t been for quite some time: I always do it alone, (wife doesn’t know) and I almost instantly enter a state of full blown psychosis (positive my neighbors are on my back porch roof, cops I’m the house etc), which keeps me in a dark room paralyzed with paranoia 95% of the time I’m using it. So yeah - not fun.

I look at all the pros (none really) and cons ($$, deceit, destroying or nearly destroying my marriage, my self esteem, my financial well being etc) and despite all this my brain still ends up rationalizing grabbing another 8-ball cause my wife will be gone most of the day (that one inevitably turns into 2-3+).

I’ve gone through long periods of non-use (many months to a couple years at a time), but looking back I started dabbling some 20 years ago.

For those that have kicked blow or other similar stimulants what was your mental battle like and how did you ultimately overcome what I guess are the “cravings”? I am seeing a therapist every couple of weeks and have told her about my use, but it’s not yet a focus of those session (thinking it should be). But what I’m really longing for are stories of success and the inner journey some of you may have taken to overcome this.

Thanks and hope for a peaceful day.

 

[Madrus]

Get to the root of the issue. The issue is not the cocaine nor the addiction. The issue is the feelings that the drug is giving you.

 

[ninjapirateroberts]

While there aren’t really any medications approved for cocaine craving and addiction, there are limited studies that show modafinil could possibly help with cocaine abstinence.

https://www.nature.com/articles/1300600

You can give it a try if you haven’t yet already. I’d suggest modafinil 200mg, if that doesn’t significant help you with cocaine craving and abstinence, try armodafinil 150mg - which is a potent form of modafinil. You can experiment with doses (you can see dosage guidelines on the internet but the starting dose should of modafinil should be 200mg and you can up to 400mg; starting dose of armodafinil should be 150mg).

Neither modafinil/armodafinil nor other meds will “cure” cocaine craving or addiction but could possibly help with abstinence and hopefully will give you enough room to get over with it progressively. It could be used alongside psychosocial treatment. The thing is, you shouldn’t get hooked with another stimulant or benzos in an effort to deal with cocaine addiction, but modafinil and armodafinil has shown in various studies to be well tolerant with very few side effects.

Not sure if you’ve tried it, and while the efficacy of modafinil/armodafinil for cocaine craving and addiction is limited and needs further studies, it wouldn’t hurt to give it go.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I dabbled for about a month and a half. Maybe two months over 30 years ago.

It was easy for me. I just set my priorities.

The extremely hot bird that ended up becoming my wife was a much higher priority than the blow.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Hey all - so I’m hoping for some inspiration. I’m currently in the throes of a second long period of coke-induced upheaval (heavy binges of 7-28g every 1-3 weeks or so). Thing is, it’s really not fun anymore and hasn’t been for quite some time: I always do it alone, (wife doesn’t know) and I almost instantly enter a state of full blown psychosis (positive my neighbors are on my back porch roof, cops I’m the house etc), which keeps me in a dark room paralyzed with paranoia 95% of the time I’m using it. So yeah - not fun.

I look at all the pros (none really) and cons ($$, deceit, destroying or nearly destroying my marriage, my self esteem, my financial well being etc) and despite all this my brain still ends up rationalizing grabbing another 8-ball cause my wife will be gone most of the day (that one inevitably turns into 2-3+).

I’ve gone through long periods of non-use (many months to a couple years at a time), but looking back I started dabbling some 20 years ago.

For those that have kicked blow or other similar stimulants what was your mental battle like and how did you ultimately overcome what I guess are the “cravings”? I am seeing a therapist every couple of weeks and have told her about my use, but it’s not yet a focus of those session (thinking it should be). But what I’m really longing for are stories of success and the inner journey some of you may have taken to overcome this.

Thanks and hope for a peaceful day.

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but I don't hate to throw your words up in your face.

You have not made your wife a priority in your life.

Let me say that again, you have not made your wife a priority in your life.

Once you make your wife and your marriage the number one priority in your life after breathing and eating, things will start to sort themselves out.

It is that easy.

Right now you're a pretty selfish bastard. You're literally sneaking around behind your wife's back buying eight balls of blow so you can have fun.

Man the fuck up!

How honest with your therapist were you regarding your 28 g every couple of weeks habit? Do you tell her that you end up having paranoid thoughts that are borderline full-blown psychosis?

I think if you did tell her that it would be part of the therapy.

There is another question I have:

You said your wife's not going to be home all day, does that mean you are home all day? Does that mean that you don't work? Does that mean that you are living off your wife? Does that mean that you are hiding a serious coke habit from your wife that kind of takes care of you?

If I'm off base regarding the being home all day and not working, let me know.

The reason I ask is because I did not see a negative identified with messing up a career or a job.

The first thing that I would do is go get one if you don't have one.

Sitting around with nothing to do is one of the easiest ways to be sitting around with drugs to do.

 

[neversickanymore]

Sending Love .. end game cocaine addiction is such a misery that it’s pretty much a hell.

Have you tried using adderall as a treatment for your CUD. Unfortunately at this time you can’t and won’t get it prescribed for cocaine addiction. But if your able to secure it in another way I’d certainly give it a try. Treatment with it is a process, it’s not a instant cure.

It’s amazing how cocaine addiction personifies psychological addiction. You can literally write down the extreme hell your about to instantly experience from the drug and still do it. The drug has turned on you and the positive effects never return.. that’s a fact. Also the fantasies of amazing pleasurable experiences the your unconscious bombards you with to drive use never happened.

You need to figure out addiction, how it works and manipulates you to use.. as you do this you can start to clip all the puppet strings it has and eventually walk free.

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but I don't hate to throw your words up in your face.

You have not made your wife a priority in your life.

Let me say that again, you have not made your wife a priority in your life.

Once you make your wife and your marriage the number one priority in your life after breathing and eating, things will start to sort themselves out.

It is that easy.

Right now you're a pretty selfish bastard. You're literally sneaking around behind your wife's back buying eight balls of blow so you can have fun.

Man the fuck up!

How honest with your therapist were you regarding your 28 g every couple of weeks habit? Do you tell her that you end up having paranoid thoughts that are borderline full-blown psychosis?

I think if you did tell her that it would be part of the therapy.

There is another question I have:

You said your wife's not going to be home all day, does that mean you are home all day? Does that mean that you don't work? Does that mean that you are living off your wife? Does that mean that you are hiding a serious coke habit from your wife that kind of takes care of you?

If I'm off base regarding the being home all day and not working, let me know.

The reason I ask is because I did not see a negative identified with messing up a career or a job.

The first thing that I would do is go get one if you don't have one.

Sitting around with nothing to do is one of the easiest ways to be sitting around with drugs to do.

I would ignore this as it written by someone with little or no knowledge about addiction. “Man up” are fucking joking?

Don’t beat yourself up and negative consequences have little impact on addiction.. that’s why one of its definitions is continuing do something despite negative results.


Learn how it works, identity it’s weapons, learn to counteract its powers and you will gain the upper hand.

I’ll post some links later today on the adderoll as treatment for this.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Sending Love .. end game cocaine addiction is such a misery that it’s pretty much a hell.

Have you tried using adderall as a treatment for your CUD. Unfortunately at this time you can’t and won’t get it prescribed for cocaine addiction. But if your able to secure it in another way I’d certainly give it a try. Treatment with it is a process, it’s not a instant cure.

It’s amazing how cocaine addiction personifies psychological addiction. You can literally write down the extreme hell your about to instantly experience from the drug and still do it. The drug has turned on you and the positive effects never return.. that’s a fact. Also the fantasies of amazing pleasurable experiences the your unconscious bombards you with to drive use never happened.

You need to figure out addiction, how it works and manipulates you to use.. as you do this you can start to clip all the puppet strings it has and eventually walk free.



I would ignore this as it written by someone with little or no knowledge about addiction. “Man up” are fucking joking?

Don’t beat yourself up and negative consequences have little impact on addiction.. that’s why one of its definitions is continuing do something despite negative results.


Learn how it works, identity it’s weapons, learn to counteract its powers and you will gain the upper hand.

I’ll post some links later today on the adderoll as treatment for this.

Drug addiction is not some separate entity. That's the bullshit that addicts believe that keeps them addicts.

It's him. It's not some boogeyman.

Addiction is the addict. Until an addict embraces the fact that they are the cause of their addiction and they have complete power and control over their addiction, they'll never beat it.

 

[Hexenstahl]

I've read somewhere that some doctors prescribe cokeheads ritalin as a substitute, similar to how heroin addicts get methadone. Maybe your doctor can help?

 

[jasperkent]

Your best friend is time.

For a couple of weeks after quitting cocaine I was completely obsessed with cravings.
Six months later I rarely even thought about it-- and when I did it was just a fleeting notion.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Sending Love .. end game cocaine addiction is such a misery that it’s pretty much a hell.

Have you tried using adderall as a treatment for your CUD. Unfortunately at this time you can’t and won’t get it prescribed for cocaine addiction. But if your able to secure it in another way I’d certainly give it a try. Treatment with it is a process, it’s not a instant cure.

It’s amazing how cocaine addiction personifies psychological addiction. You can literally write down the extreme hell your about to instantly experience from the drug and still do it. The drug has turned on you and the positive effects never return.. that’s a fact. Also the fantasies of amazing pleasurable experiences the your unconscious bombards you with to drive use never happened.

You need to figure out addiction, how it works and manipulates you to use.. as you do this you can start to clip all the puppet strings it has and eventually walk free.



I would ignore this as it written by someone with little or no knowledge about addiction. “Man up” are fucking joking?

Don’t beat yourself up and negative consequences have little impact on addiction.. that’s why one of its definitions is continuing do something despite negative results.


Learn how it works, identity it’s weapons, learn to counteract its powers and you will gain the upper hand.

I’ll post some links later today on the adderoll as treatment for this.

And I'm intimately acquainted with addiction.

I've fought my alcohol addiction for 32 years. Sometimes I come up a winner and sometimes I don't.

I am the reason I drink, because I like to. Fact that I can quit drinking because I have and I've stayed sober for years. When I made it a priority I was sober for a decade, when I decided I just was not going to drink.

That's the way it is. All this stuff about being powerless over your addiction is bullshit. The only person who has power over your addiction is you.

I'll say it again "man the fuck up"

" Man the fuck up"

Withdrawal is not addiction, let's not conflate that.

 

[neversickanymore]

Drug addiction is not some separate entity. That's the bullshit that addicts believe that keeps them addicts.

It's him. It's not some boogeyman.

Addiction is the addict. Until an addict embraces the fact that they are the cause of their addiction and they have complete power and control over their addiction, they'll never beat it.

It is then, that is their unconscious and reprogrammed reward system. If you feel you have total control over this sit in a desert and control yourself enough to not drink water.

By your continued posts your obviously ignorant.
About addiction. I’m glad your man up approach worked for you. I’m also not a 12 stepper, but I did them.

Ahh, but that’s what the ignore function is for, happy trails.

 

[neversickanymore]

Here are some links about Stimulant treatment of cocaine addiction (imported quote from DS SART thread)

Long term (two plus years) trial of the use of Dextroamphetamine as a treatment and eventual replacement for cocaine addiction.

My opinion is that prolonged treatment with reasonable therapeutic oral doses of dextroamphetamine would have significant benefits for cocaine addicts including voluntary reduced use, voluntary gradually increasing intervals in-between use leading to possible complete voluntary abstinence from cocaine. Significant increases in stability, control over and quality of life for people suffering from Cocaine use Disorder. But it takes a little time. I believe this will enjoy significant success with many different types of addicts and ROA's.

D-amphetamine maintenance therapy reduces cocaine use in female rats

Currently, there are no approved medications to treat cocaine addiction. In this context, d-amphetamine maintenance therapy is a promising pharmacological strategy to reduce cocaine use. In both male rats and human cocaine users, d-amphetamine treatment reduces cocaine taking and seeking...

www.biorxiv.org

Psychostimulant Treatment of Cocaine Dependence

Cocaine dependence continues to be a significant public health problem and no clearly effective pharmacotherapy has yet been identified. Substitution pharmacotherapy is an effective approach for treating opioid and nicotine dependence, and accumulating ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

dexamfetamine​

Sustained-release dexamfetamine in the treatment of chronic cocaine-dependent patients on heroin-assisted treatment: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - PubMed

Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

-I already know this works and have seen it work on both Base and IV addicts.

-Combined with a patient outpatient, instead of an intensive outpatient, during which an addict receives counseling, life coaching and assistance in obtaining self set, self achieved goals, the over all positive out comes have the potential to be life changing. A transformation while they willingly and naturally transition from the hell of cocaine addiction to dextroamptherapy and work together a new life.

Someone needs to give this a deeper look and get ball rolling already.

 

[neversickanymore]

A strong beginning to assuming control is to familiarize yourself with the cycle of addiction. A major step forward is when you are able to identify where you are in the cycle and develop techniques to exit out before use and return to a previous stage.

 

[Jabberwocky]

It is then, that is their unconscious and reprogrammed reward system. If you feel you have total control over this sit in a desert and control yourself enough to not drink water.

By your continued posts your obviously ignorant.
About addiction. I’m glad your man up approach worked for you. I’m also not a 12 stepper, but I did them.

Ahh, but that’s what the ignore function is for, happy trails.

Blah blah make them not responsible and powerless over their addiction and they'll never get better.

 

[Mr. Krinkle]

The hangovers are far worse than the pleasure from the high... Feeling like shit sucks so that should outweigh things - especially the older you get

Try to keep that in mind - that's why i don't do yayo anymore - it's garbage....unless you got some really really really good shit that i need to try - but im only doing a bump and im not buying any and then im going home


but no really - im retired for sure this time