Nothing is ever quite fulfilling enough after taking drugs....

[champagnencocaine]

I've found this to be the main problem i've had since taking drugs is that ever since i've just found everything to be less pleasurable, this could have something to do with the antidepressants though. But I just find that nothing I have done since amphetamine gives me enough pleasure to be fulfilled, I genuinely haven't felt fulfilled from anything for a while.

I'm not low or high, but this is terrible because there's not really anything to live for, masturbation is nice but just isn't enough. I'd usually find masturbation would give me some kind of fulfillment in life and make me want to improve as a person, it seems this is lost.

I'd say i'd never really experience any kind of euphoria in life, before drugs I'd have natural feelings of euphoria, so yeah I kind of wish I never done drugs, a lot of natural beauty of life has been lost, I have much less emotions. This has kind of taken away my drive in life, I have this huge apathy now.

I'd definitely rather experience pleasure from sex & love than drugs.

Is this permanent?

 

[falsifiedhypothesi]

It could be the antidepressants as well as the drug abuse. How long have you been off of drugs?

I know what you mean though, as my opiate addiction progressed i found that i got less and less excitement out of everyday things. I'm still abusing them so i haven't exactly given my body time but 4-6 months is the longest i've been clean and in that time i didn't get that excitement back.

 

[Mafioso]

How long has it been?

It will likely get better with time and there are things that you can do to help heal your body. You have neurotransmitters in your brain that is basically how your brain communicates. It's also why drugs feel good, amphetamines are known for giving a rise in dopamine and other feel good, energizing transmitters.

The brain notices the spike in the levels of neurotransmitters and attempts to adjust back to normal, hence, tolerance.

Ensuring your body has the right building blocks to help replenish itself can help, along with certain activities that have been proven to increase activity and even neurogenesis, things like music and aerobic exercise and laughter can all help.


EDIT: Also, just want to add, try not to focus on whether or not you are "damaged". There are things that I used to be able to do very well but can't do now just because of lack of practice, not drugs. Like algebra and geometry.. aced that stuff freshman year of highschool would flunk out now and it's not because I used a bunch of drugs. My drug use didn't help, but it also isn't preventing me from learning again.

Focus more on small ways you can improve each day. You don't lose 100lbs in a week, it's kind of the same thing when putting your life back together. Don't overwhelm yourself with unreachable goals or beat yourself up because your not progressing as fast as you had thought or hoped.

If you put in the work, the results will come.

 

[legalizeall]

It's something that will just take time. But like someone said don't focus so much on comparing the pleasure zones of drugs and no drugs. The excitement of life Wil come back. It always has for me when I spend time away from them.
It will happen naturally too. You won't realize it till you have a smile on your face from some stupid ads shit. Diet and exercise and sleeping right will speed up the processnfornsure

 

[Beefy]

Get yourself on antidepressants because your brain chemicals are all depleted and fucked up from all that fuckery that drugs do. It will take time but you'll start having joy again in your life. It also sucks cause you have to deal with everything sober. I went for a while without doing anything, but I recently had an adderall relapse because of boredom and complacency. But always remain active and try to hang out with friends who don't use. It will get better again man, it's just gonna suck for sometime.

 

[pjacker]

In my opinion, I would avoid antidepressants. You think you are having a tough time now recovering from speed, wait until you try to taper down from an antidepressant. The best thing you can do (i am assuming this is recent for you) is to eat right, exercise (helps tremendously) and there are natural supplements available that can help you connect/repair/heal the neurotransmitters. How long it will take depends on how long you were using and how much you dosed and the frequency. Be patient and give yourself some time. But certainly don't think that all is lost.

 

[champagnencocaine]

About 4 months now.

I definitely feel better, but nothing is enough to give me that kick start going again.

This is what has been bothering me for ages now, I think maybe the psychosis has something to do with it also but I kind of have this whole anxiety about using drugs and feeling like a bad person (as well as lack of actual pleasure of course).

I took an e pill a few weeks back and even that wasn't enough.

I'd say I got through about 300g's of speed in a year and a half, probably less due to water.

 

[LopLover]

About 4 months now.

I definitely feel better, but nothing is enough to give me that kick start going again.

This is what has been bothering me for ages now, I think maybe the psychosis has something to do with it also but I kind of have this whole anxiety about using drugs and feeling like a bad person (as well as lack of actual pleasure of course).

I took an e pill a few weeks back and even that wasn't enough.

I'd say I got through about 300g's of speed in a year and a half, probably less due to water.

I'm a little confused with what you meant by 'psychosis.' Did you have a psychotic break while on speed? Coming off a long period of abuse of any stimulant---meth, coke, Adderall, Ritalin---it's natural to have a flat affect for up to a year. One school of thought promotes the use of antidepressants during this time and another says to stay away from them, so that's up to you. Personally, I've had the best luck with continuous exercise, especially resistant training, which forces your brain to begin manufacturing all the neurotransmitters that you used up with drugs. Mindfulness training, meditation, and yoga are also really helpful, for the same reason. It doesn't require any specific training, just very general meditation with attention to the breath, done several times a day, along with paying attention to quieting your mind. It probably takes longer than using antidepressants to get to where you care about things again, but using natural resources instead will give you something that can't be taken away by using or not using drugs. Hope that helps--I know I'm not very clear, but it's hard to put this stuff into words.

 

[motiv311]

no man, give it time..... 3-4 months of being sober and straight and working it out should be enough to start feeling fulfilment again..... start chasing girls, your dreams, getting swole and ripped at the gym and if all else fails go to a damn good rehab

 

[herbavore]

My guess is that nothing was that fulfilling before drugs, either.

You have to ask more of yourself sometimes. You can live an entire life on the surface or you can go after a sense of meaning. Humans are in a funny position. We crave meaningful lives but are frustrated by the fact that there really is no meaning except that which we create for ourselves. Get to know your deepest self. What do you crave? If it is intimacy learn to be a person that offers intimacy (unconditional love) to someone else. If it is adventure, stop saying no to yourself about pushing beyond your own comfort zone. You do not have to go climb Mt Everest for an adventure. Maybe you like risk and the adrenaline rush that comes with it. There are so many ways to feed that need--from extreme sports to starting a business to volunteer work (search and rescue, eg).