Addiction is really stupid

[washingtonbound]

When I say addiction is stupid, I don’t mean to demean anyone or imply that people struggling with it are stupid. I’ve just noticed now that I’m older, how substance dependency is flat out bullshit that solves nothing. Whatever short term “benefits” you get from a drug occur only because your receptors are being tricked, and the brain adapts quickly to the point where you need the drug just to feel normal. There is absolutely nothing solved by tricking the brain like this repeatedly. I have thankfully gotten rid of past substance dependencies with the exception of nicotine, which I simply hate. I’ve gotten addicted to the pouches and logically know how stupid it is, withdrawal starts fast, but I have gotten my brain changed to crave it in an endless feedback loop. It helps nothing, and it is a worthless pursuit.

Addiction certainly gets in the way of well being and causes enslavement, and while causal use is possible, some of us tend to slip off the deep end more than others.

 

[MedicinalUser247]

Your the same guy who asked me about Grey-Aliens. What else do you want to know. Sorry if this is off topic from your original post. But as they say... The Truth is out there.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Your the same guy who asked me about Grey-Aliens.

Did the Op get away with that without being ridiculed ?

 

[MedicinalUser247]

We're all friends here. And I've had certain experiences. Sorry that people would take that as an insult.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

When I say addiction is stupid, I don’t mean to demean anyone or imply that people struggling with it are stupid. I’ve just noticed now that I’m older, how substance dependency is flat out bullshit that solves nothing. Whatever short term “benefits” you get from a drug occur only because your receptors are being tricked, and the brain adapts quickly to the point where you need the drug just to feel normal. There is absolutely nothing solved by tricking the brain like this repeatedly. I have thankfully gotten rid of past substance dependencies with the exception of nicotine, which I simply hate. I’ve gotten addicted to the pouches and logically know how stupid it is, withdrawal starts fast, but I have gotten my brain changed to crave it in an endless feedback loop. It helps nothing, and it as worthless pursuit.

Not demeaning, gotta look that up te meaning ! 'Insulting' no speak freely !

Dunno. First addiction never even realized what it was. Just went along with business while WD-ing. Att the substance was said to be non addicting GHB/ GBL. Early i*net.
.. forgiving substance. And at a age when being flexible.

Atm 25 year after 3 physical dependencies on Booze. Top s my addiction chart. Never ventured in anything worse. Still use as needed but stop before. Thin line.
Bit sick but it feel s as self medicating. By all means necessary. prefer a other GABA ergic OTC.

When it conflict s with my response-ability s, in rang order placed above it.
I suffer when needed and carry on without my DOC s. a cocktail.
Is sustainable long term. Money drain, Cancer any one.

Ultimate happiness lies in sobriety I realize and anything you put in the way of it only halts the path to getting there.

This one I gotta let settle and think about a while.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

We're all friends here. And I've had certain experiences. Sorry that people would take that as an insult.

So was it or not ? It happens people coming with a story like that.
Never read the post just extrapolating. Not aimed at any one.

Get you took that post serious, i would.

 

[MedicinalUser247]

My post was taken seriously. Sorry to bring up the past.

 

[washingtonbound]

Your the same guy who asked me about Grey-Aliens. What else do you want to know. Sorry if this is off topic from your original post. But as they say... The Truth is out there.

I was really into alien conspiracy material when I was younger. Now in my 30s I take an agnostic view on it. Can’t say yes or no because I can’t prove or disprove it. If you have compelling info on it feel free to send me a DM.

 

[washingtonbound]

Not demeaning, gotta look that up te meaning ! 'Insulting' no speak freely !

Dunno. First addiction never even realized what it was. Just went along with business while WD-ing. Att the substance was said to be non addicting GHB/ GBL. Early i*net.
.. forgiving substance. And at a age when being flexible.

Atm 25 year after 3 physical dependencies on Booze. Top s my addiction chart. Never ventured in anything worse. Still use as needed but stop before. Thin line.
Bit sick but it feel s as self medicating. By all means necessary. prefer a other GABA ergic OTC.

When it conflict s with my response-ability s, in rang order placed above it.
I suffer when needed and carry on without my DOC s. a cocktail.
Is sustainable long term. Money drain, Cancer any one.

This one I gotta let settle and think about a while.

Alcohol is especially ugly in the sense that it causes physical as well as well as psychological withdrawal. A lot of drugs mainly affect the receptors in the brain causing dis regulation but aren’t that hazardous physically unless you’re taking major overdose amounts. But alcohol is one of the few that can literally kill you during withdrawal.

I knew a guy who was pretty normal who got sucked deep into alcoholism, who is now unrecognizable. He had to spend a long time in rehab. It’s scary and I’m glad that never became my substance of choice after getting sick from it enough times in high school.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

I was really into alien conspiracy material when I was younger. Now in my 30s I take an agnostic view on it. Can’t say yes or no because I can’t prove or disprove it. If you have compelling info on it feel free to send me a DM.

Att moment i am living in a conspiracy. But most of it is black on white. So not a theory.
And no alien s involved just 9-17:00 human wage slave s. Imo a good excuse to take drugs. If it is the best option, no. Not many option s to choice from.

 

[washingtonbound]

Not demeaning, gotta look that up te meaning ! 'Insulting' no speak freely !

Dunno. First addiction never even realized what it was. Just went along with business while WD-ing. Att the substance was said to be non addicting GHB/ GBL. Early i*net.
.. forgiving substance. And at a age when being flexible.

Atm 25 year after 3 physical dependencies on Booze. Top s my addiction chart. Never ventured in anything worse. Still use as needed but stop before. Thin line.
Bit sick but it feel s as self medicating. By all means necessary. prefer a other GABA ergic OTC.

When it conflict s with my response-ability s, in rang order placed above it.
I suffer when needed and carry on without my DOC s. a cocktail.
Is sustainable long term. Money drain, Cancer any one.

This one I gotta let settle and think about a while.

I’m not saying it’s black and white but I’ll say the swinging pendulum of being high and euphoric at first to crashing and craving and after a while just feeling normal to crashing and craving big time definitely gets in the way of well being. I’m sure people can take shrooms or ecstasy and stuff like that once and while and not have their health be too affected. But I noticed after a while the lows started to overtake any high feeling big time in my personal substance use journey.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

I’m not saying it’s black and white but I’ll say the swinging pendulum of being high and euphoric at first to crashing and craving and after a while just feeling normal to crashing and craving big time definitely gets in the way of well being. I’m sure people can take shrooms or ecstasy and stuff like that once and while and not have their health be too affected. But I noticed after a while the lows started to overtake any high feeling big time in my personal substance use journey.

Been past that pendulum phase long ago, high s and low s euphoria left behind.
Yoyo-ing with neurotransmitter s. Had a period abusing MDMA.
Disgraceful, till it felt more or less like putting the light on and off.
Even the crashes leveled.

But looking from a different angle and maybe the reason for me to take whatever drug The damage done by negative event s. Lot of people have these, they started late somehow got spared/ dodged them in early year s. When responsibility s grew. They catch d up so got my share after being 'reinvented' which was more like a Catharsis.

So in 2009 lost my greenlighter status in live, late-bloomer. Realized live is trauma and thing s don t necessary make sense. Live in general suck s. Growing up safe and accepted a luxury. That is not very common. Society fuck s from behind, repeatedly. That kinda devastated my fresh happy outlook. Was needed a good reality check. Didn t like the outcome though.

Occasional use of psychedelic s, maybe some Pot and Kratom. Here and there.
Seem s sobriety to me atm. under influence 24/ 7 ADHD med s to function.
Wasn t born under influence. All that up and down is tiring, so i can say not only addiction but substance abuse in general. Is not really beneficial in the long run.

Bono in a interview said about Alcohol something that capture s the whole dilemma.
"tried to drown my sorrows but they learned to swim" Goes for about any substance.

 

[washingtonbound]

Been past that pendulum phase long ago, high s and low s euphoria left behind.
Yoyo-ing with neurotransmitter s. Had a period abusing MDMA.
Disgraceful, till it felt more or less like putting the light on and off.
Even the crashes leveled.

But looking from a different angle and maybe the reason for me to take whatever drug The damage done by negative event s. Lot of people have these, they started late somehow got spared/ dodged them in early year s. When responsibility s grew. They catch d up so got my share after being 'reinvented' which was more like a Catharsis.

So in 2009 lost my greenlighter status in live, late-bloomer. Realized live is trauma and thing s don t necessary make sense. Live in general suck s. Growing up safe and accepted a luxury. That is not very common. Society fuck s from behind, repeatedly. That kinda devastated my fresh happy outlook. Was needed a good reality check. Didn t like the outcome though.

Occasional use of psychedelic s, maybe some Pot and Kratom. Here and there.
Seem s sobriety to me atm. under influence 24/ 7 ADHD med s to function.
Wasn t born under influence. All that up and down is tiring, so i can say not only addiction but substance abuse in general. Is not really beneficial in the long run.

Bono in a interview said about Alcohol something that capture s the whole dilemma.
"tried to drown my sorrows but they learned to swim" Goes for about any substance.

When I was in my early twenties, I got into a problematic cycle thinking psychedelics were resolving trauma I had from high school. This caused me to lose my mind in a terrible way. Repeated psychosis, anti psychotic drugs then more psychedelics, rinse and repeat. That caused me to have a negative outlook on psychedelics in general.

I had a brief stint with opiates and benzos and realized they were destructive in different ways than psychedelics. Almost wound up addicted to lyrica after buying it OTC in Mexico.

Now I am just trying to kick the damn zyns, then will do my best to accept the boredom that comes with sobriety with the hope that things will stabilize over time.

 

[M!$TER-ED]

Often times searching for relief leads to rationalization of substitution. This is essentially trading one use for another. Boredom is a factor for using, if we could just be still long enough to benefit from the stillness life would be simpler. I don't like discomfort whatever form that may be, so I try to compensate for my discomfort in various ways through the reward system. I know in time everything passes, however, I convince myself to seek instant relief instead of allowing my body to repair itself without adding shit to the equation.

 

[PtahTek]

Ultimate happiness lies in sobriety I realize and anything you put in the way of it only halts the path to getting there

i feel ultimate happiness can only be found when we leave these husks behind. just my opinion....

been both sober and not. still the suffrage(s) remain regardless.

i would rather a balance in there somewhere while i walk this dust. as an iron worker i learned balance in a physical sense and it is has been spreading to merge in all decisions, actions and interactions. i choose the battle arena that suits me. i still come out the victor. not sure how or why. for one who doesnt really care to be here death seems another dream ill never see. whateva; always tryin to figure out how to turn shit into sugar.

i also feel that nothing halts one from moving ahead. roadblocks may slow one down but if determined there is no real barrier to anything just obstacles.

may be obv but i am not pro/con for/anti this/that kinda dude. my life is far from what I would consider optimal its quite excruciating being me tbph. not complaining just the facts.

god id love to be able to erect/connect steel/iron again. what a fuckin hoot. wasnt a job at all to me. risking everything daily for decades was almost comparable to being on a battlefield in regards to feeling alive. crazy shit looking back.

i get that sobriety can be freeing to some. for me its another cage i try to avoid (like everything else pretty much). we will all have different perspectives on "happiness", joy etc. not knocking what works for others. actually at least they found some joy, right?

live and learn, they say. i havent learned a gotdam thing but used to "know" lotsa shit (or so i thought).

i feel art trumps science. science changes constantly whereas art is just... well... what it is.

best

 

[M!$TER-ED]

I think everyone moves ahead regardless of one’s actions, Because life is different for everyone there are no universal way of doing things. What may work today is not a guarantee will work for you in the future. We are constantly evolving and changing in time. Do the best you can with what is available to you, if something doesn’t work try something else. Humans are masters of adaptation, look how far we have come since birth.

 

[washingtonbound]

i feel ultimate happiness can only be found when we leave these husks behind. just my opinion....

been both sober and not. still the suffrage(s) remain regardless.

i would rather a balance in there somewhere while i walk this dust. as an iron worker i learned balance in a physical sense and it is has been spreading to merge in all decisions, actions and interactions. i choose the battle arena that suits me. i still come out the victor. not sure how or why. for one who doesnt really care to be here death seems another dream ill never see. whateva; always tryin to figure out how to turn shit into sugar.

i also feel that nothing halts one from moving ahead. roadblocks may slow one down but if determined there is no real barrier to anything just obstacles.

may be obv but i am not pro/con for/anti this/that kinda dude. my life is far from what I would consider optimal its quite excruciating being me tbph. not complaining just the facts.

god id love to be able to erect/connect steel/iron again. what a fuckin hoot. wasnt a job at all to me. risking everything daily for decades was almost comparable to being on a battlefield in regards to feeling alive. crazy shit looking back.

i get that sobriety can be freeing to some. for me its another cage i try to avoid (like everything else pretty much). we will all have different perspectives on "happiness", joy etc. not knocking what works for others. actually at least they found some joy, right?

live and learn, they say. i havent learned a gotdam thing but used to "know" lotsa shit (or so i thought).

i feel art trumps science. science changes constantly whereas art is just... well... what it is.

best

I realize that last bit sounded a bit purist and simplistic. I’m just talking about my personal experience. In the last couple years, it seems any time I try to have an innocent, regular experience with a substance, it exacerbates mental issues, induces a major low, and does not leave me feeling more satisfied about life. Has been the case even with “soft” drugs.

At one point I was more comfortable with recreational use but now it seems to just cause more problems.

It’s true that when I do go totally sober I become very bored and disengaged and that reinforces the cycle.

 

[PtahTek]

satisfied about life

holy jesus if ya figure this out please loop me in, yah? jk but kinda not

substances have caused a lot of grief in my life... alcohol may have been the most destructive. hindsight and all.
we gotta feel the lows as well as highs. thats the ride. its a bitch tryin to stay on the mountain. not sustainable, ime. the abyss awaits. i brought this kinda thing up in therapy how im trying to find a way to being as close to a flat line without being a zombie or worse. i mean no ups no downs. sounds robotic, no?
i have an experience with crash and burns. its quite frustrating to me and

I gotta go. will return as i tend to agree with the premise of the thread title and there is a lot (imo) to respond to.
life calls
1

 

[streaM Freak]

Boredom is a factor for using, if we could just be still long enough to benefit from the stillness life would be simpler.

So true.

Growing up in the 90s, TV was always on, at least 1 person at home on the computer at any time, and then soon cellphones took over.

But in my mid 30s now, and my favorite time of day recently has been before the sun comes up and after it goes down. I call it "turning off my brain", but all I really do is close my eyes and sit still, trying to reach the very seed point of my thoughts, which ideally would be no thought at all. Just existing in that perfect "stream of consciousness" spot that sits right behind the actual comprehension of that full thought.

That place where nothing is yet defined, and where all of us have access to, all the time.

 

[notsmokeymcpot42088]

Whatever short term “benefits” you get from a drug occur only because your receptors are being tricked, and the brain adapts quickly to the point where you need the drug just to feel normal. There is absolutely nothing solved by tricking the brain like this repeatedly.

I am going to call fallacy here too. I have personally been ready to throw the towel in or do something very rash on many occasions. Smoking a joint and sitting back and running the logistics on any 'rash' decision I was going to make almost always keeps me from doing said rash thing....and when it doesnt I don't regret it. ( I thought it through and chose to act )

What about the guy who was gunna kill himself but just took a handfull of benzos and went to sleep to deal with it tomorrow (sure the problem is still there but some cool down time IS GOOD).

Perhaps I have been / am that guy in all cases.

I have thankfully gotten rid of past substance dependencies with the exception of nicotine, which I simply hate. I’ve gotten addicted to the pouches and logically know how stupid it is, withdrawal starts fast, but I have gotten my brain changed to crave it in an endless feedback loop. It helps nothing, and it is a worthless pursuit.

Nicotine is a shitty addiction for sure. None are great -- I am NOT ADVOCATING FOR ADDICTION. I want to be clear on that!!

Ultimate happiness lies in sobriety I realize and anything you put in the way of it only halts the path to getting there.

This is a fallacy! I agree being addicted is certainly an anchor/obstacle not a path to success. "Ultimate happiness lies in sobriety" -- There are many paths to happiness. Sobriety is not the only one - I would like you to realize that.

The guy who has a drink or a cigar to celebrate a promotion. The fella that enjoys a joint after a satisfying day at work. Drugs should be used to enhance and celebrate life. (As a rule)

I dont know I think people see it as "Drugs are used to escape things" --- when for me it is is "Drugs are used to enhance things or deal with very short term problems"