How long of being opiate-free does it take to get back to normal?

[belfort]

well i was addicted to opiates for 7-8 years and then got clean....ive been clean for 3-4 years and gotta be honest i still dont feel normal...i have scattered thoughts, lowered energy/enthusiasm...now, it isnt constant but it is there...

if you havent been using for at least a few months straight, then dont be using sub...beter yet, just quit while you are ahead..

 

[the_ketaman]

I went to Europe for a break away from a lot of IV oxy/morphine, IV ritalin most days and meth a few times a week, but it was mostly the opiates, after 2 months clean I was only just starting to feel normal then I relapsed so I cant really say any more than that, but it does take a while and I was only using every day for about 6 months.

I am going to rehab again in about 10 days for three months so ill know then how long it takes to feel normal but its been another 6 months that ive been using almost every day but not IV'ing so we'll see if I feel normal after 3 months, I pray to god that I do and I stay the fuck away from opiates but I still really wanna shoot meth and H every now and that which is getting to me, ill talk about this later.

How long have you been using chronically for?

 

[The Straight Dope]

I started being a chipper at the end of summer, I think late october, or november I started doing it every single day, and with after a couple bouts if withdrawal I finally got past it early/mid january, so I guess I haven't gotten myself in deep as some of the other people on here.

I'm also 21 and I imagine that for people who are older, like at least 35, they're brains might not regenerate as fast as younger people.

 

[InTherapy82]

Sub might be just another opioid but how many ppl can taper off of heroin? My husband just stopped sub and he did a very slow taper, maybe 2 days of discomfort/weakness which small doses of clonidine took care of. How many ppl can say that of heroin?

 

[InTherapy82]

I'm also 21 and I imagine that for people who are older, like at least 35, they're brains might not regenerate as fast as younger people.

I actually read that if u were addicted to dope before the ago of around 24/25(?) your brain will never go back to being exactly the same as before. But for older folks since their brains were already formed it will be possible to completely recover.

 

[sixpartseven]

^ That makes sense because at a younger age, your brain is still developing, so a dependency could alter that development. I don't think it would be completely impossible for someone younger to rearrange that altered development, but it probably is a lot harder compared to someone who was properly developed without opiates in the way.

I'm actually pretty interested in this. Maybe I'll see if I can dig up some research on what difference age makes in returning to baseline after an addiction.

 

[alexxlife]

I actually read that if u were addicted to dope before the ago of around 24/25(?) your brain will never go back to being exactly the same as before. But for older folks since their brains were already formed it will be possible to completely recover.

That's nice to know, makes sense. I was told something similar in rehab but they sad that if someone started using after 21-25 it's easier for them to quit because their brains are totally developed and remember how to live without opiates. and people who started using 14-21 mass up their brains for the rest of their lives.I don't know if this is true, you can't overestimate humans ability to recover completely.

 

[DeLee]

I got addicted to heroin IV when i was around 16 or 17 years old, sometime in the late eighties.
Was using til i got 23-24 something. I can add that i did alot of other drugs in that time beside the heroin too, mainly bensodiazepines and alcohol.
It took me around 3-4 weeks before the physical withdrawal eased if i remember correctly and then another 3-4 weeks til i was fully recovered/normal.
(This was my first "real" dope-kick. I had tried many times but never lasted that long.

Anyway i started using opioids again after a couple of months (mid nineties), heroin, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, morphine, methadone etc. etc.
And ofcourse my bensos and alcohol. I had been using IV amphetamine(europe street amph) throughout my "addiction carrier" sporadicly but in the nineties i also started using amphetamine more frequently.

I kicked most of the drugs a couple of times to this date and nowadays i recover faster from the withdrawals. Most of the times i go cold turkey i may say.
The longest withdrawals i get are from longtime use of Methadone & bensodiazepines combined.. that is not funny at all.

 

[sixpartseven]

That's nice to know, makes sense. I was told something similar in rehab but they sad that if someone started using after 21-25 it's easier for them to quit because their brains are totally developed and remember how to live without opiates. and people who started using 14-21 mass up their brains for the rest of their lives.I don't know if this is true, you can't overestimate humans ability to recover completely.

Underestimate. Sorry, pedantry is harder to give up than heroin.

 

[Unknown]

I mean like fully back to normal, I'm not in withdrawals but it sucks, I get headaches, I have trouble getting out of bed as I feel tired yet can't go back to sleep, I feel like I'm almost gonna faint when I stand up sometime, I have no energy and enthusiasm.

How long until this goes away?

It could take a week or two, or it could take 6 months. It depends on what opiate and dose you were using, as well as your unique mind.

 

[pillpopper187]

i have no sex drive whatsoever when on opiates, i don't see how you people can be chronic users. Don't you get upset when your girl wants to have sex and you can't even get it up? I know i am

 

[Sentimental]

This whole age thing is making me think about laying off opiates for a while.

 

[belfort]

pillpopper-a true opiate fiend needs one thing and one thing only to make them happy/content and that is opiates..everything else is secondary so no, it isnt a huge bummer to have to tell yer girlfriend no...

 

[sixpartseven]

I would have had sex like 4x as many times as I already have if I would have said yes all the times I've said no. Just roll with it. There will be chances later in life.

 

[altitudes]

So this younger brain theory, does it apply to the physical withdrawal as well or just the mental part?

 

[sixpartseven]

I would say just the mental aspects of withdrawal. However, now that I think about it - and this is NOT scientific fact, just my drunken thought process - maybe it could affect physical withdrawal. If the brain is affected during development so that it expects outside opiates to be introduced at all times, then MAYBE the brain will always be accustomed to them being present, causing a prolonged state of physical withdrawal when the drugs are no longer present.

Very interesting stuff. I would love to see some research done on this. Maybe some has. I still need to do some digging to see if I can find something on it.

 

[geomantric]

Ive been on Morphine orally for 10 years startes off taking 30mg for first couple of years then worked my way up to 60mg (and odd binge of 90mg or 60mg + 10-15mg of oxy on top), Istill get euphoria from 60mg for at least 2-4 hours. Im amazed my tolerance hasnt gone up really after reading the does people are on after on months of use. But im planing on stoping this year im certainly worried after 10 years use with only a handful of days off in that time. has anyone else with a similar duration of use stoped taking. If so could you PM or post of there experience of withdrawing. (oral use)

Thanks geo

 

[saveyour]

i've heard the same argument w/ cigarettes, that if your not addicted by the age of 20 your most likely not going to become addicted. it might be truen it might not be, but i'm going to call bullshit on everyone saying that you can't/won't fully recover due to the age you start using.

as things stand now no one can say with certainty whats going on inside the human brain, we only can speculate. the real issue here is psychological dependence, younger users may not develop coping mechanisms that they need for life due to drug use while users who started later in life have..

for me back to normal physically is 1week-1month (depending how heavy i used). back to normal psychologically (w/out things like suboxone,) is 2-3 months. it may seem like a long time now but if you start today and make a serious effort to quit, it is 100% possible

 

[the_ketaman]

^^I actually know a few people in their mid 20's who only smoke when drinking or pilling/coking so I guess that be true. I dont know ANY people under 20 who smoke and arent addicted, same with cannabis.

 

[Binge Artist]

Underestimate. Sorry, pedantry is harder to give up than heroin.

On the topic of pedantry...

"You can't underestimate human recovery ability" means human recovery ability is very low. So low, in fact, that no matter how low you estimate it to be, it is still probably lower.


"You cant overestimate human recovery ability" is the exact opposite. In other words, human recovery ability is probably higher than most could imagine. And I think this interpretation is more in accord with what alexxlife was saying.

Or am I missing something?