Opioids opiate/cocaine PAWS. How much longer?

[Le Junk]

Recap. 5 years straight of 20-40 mg. hydrocodone per day (never missed a single day). Cocaine for 25 straight years (at least twice a week) with heavy use near the end (nearly everyday for a year). It's now been 3 months and 22 days since total retirement. My PAWS is now at an all time high over the last 2 weeks. How much longer before I reach the peak of PAWS?

Le Junk

 

[MACstar]

I was doing a little research on this subject today, and I read that it could take years. Especially with benzos. I did opiates (mostly pods) nearly everyday for over 4 years and even with 6 months of sobriety I had PAWS symptoms every single day. Mostly in the form of moderate to severe anxiety, followed by depression and listlessness, no motivation, boredom etc. But after even 6 months of absolute sobriety and paws not getting any better is a very scary thought indeed. Relapse is almost inevitable.

 

[Le Junk]

I was doing a little research on this subject today, and I read that it could take years. Especially with benzos. I did opiates (mostly pods) nearly everyday for over 4 years and even with 6 months of sobriety I had PAWS symptoms every single day. Mostly in the form of moderate to severe anxiety, followed by depression and listlessness, no motivation, boredom etc. But after even 6 months of absolute sobriety and paws not getting any better is a very scary thought indeed. Relapse is almost inevitable.

Interesting story. I did take a single 10 ml. hydro after 2 months sobriety and got nothing but negative effects from it. I doubt it would be any different now, nor do I have any interest in trying. So I'm in this for the long haul.

My current symptoms include anxiety, depression, heart pulpitations (the panic attack type), irritablity, severe lack of sex drive, lack of old personality, sense of humor etc. Business is great and so is the money, the wife and the baby. Next to winning the lottery, I shouldn't be able to feel any better. But I don't.

I keep thinking the next day is going to be the last day of PAWS, but BAM, there it is again! I've been taking a 10 ml. Ambien every night since I quit taking everything else. The RLS of PAWS was just to much to handle without Ambien. That raises another question of whether Ambien has any side effects of it's own while still being used. Speaking of which, I'm starting to slip into my Ambien coma right now and should probabaly wrap this up pretty quick......................

Le Junk

 

[edarrin]

Probably start sleeping better at around 6 months. At least that was my experience. My main issue was insomnia which intensified everything else.

 

[steinbeck]

Le Junk - Thanks for email, very informative, can't respond, not enough posts yet, this makes 5 or so, only 45 to go, stupid rule.

 

[CitioKid]

I was doing a little research on this subject today, and I read that it could take years. Especially with benzos. I did opiates (mostly pods) nearly everyday for over 4 years and even with 6 months of sobriety I had PAWS symptoms every single day. Mostly in the form of moderate to severe anxiety, followed by depression and listlessness, no motivation, boredom etc. But after even 6 months of absolute sobriety and paws not getting any better is a very scary thought indeed. Relapse is almost inevitable.

Relapse isn't inevitable!

PAWS are lame, but your mental outlook can alter the experience dramatically. If you think you'll never feel better and you just wanna get high, the PAWS will be dreadful. If you know they will go away, which is always the case, they aren't nearly as bad.

I think people would still quit opiates if the PAWS lasted 5 years, because in the end they'll be happier and much better off. Thank god they almost always last less than 8 months, and often less than 5 months.

There is freedom after opiate addiction! I'm at day 67 and I believe I am living proof. I already feel so, so much better.

 

[Le Junk]

Relapse isn't inevitable!

PAWS are lame, but your mental outlook can alter the experience dramatically. If you think you'll never feel better and you just wanna get high, the PAWS will be dreadful. If you know they will go away, which is always the case, they aren't nearly as bad.

I think people would still quit opiates if the PAWS lasted 5 years, because in the end they'll be happier and much better off. Thank god they almost always last less than 8 months, and often less than 5 months.

There is freedom after opiate addiction! I'm at day 67 and I believe I am living proof. I already feel so, so much better.

I'm glad to hear you're finally free. The way the opiates made me feel for the last year of use were enough for me. I personally think my use of cocaine in addition to the opiates are going to extend my recovery just a wee bit. I'd love to say sobriety is great, but I'm just not there yet. But the alternative is much worse.

Le Junk

 

[sockpuppet]

edit

 

[RedRum OG]

you were only using 20-40mg hydro a day they will probably not persist strongly for long

and i am uninformed about coke WD sorry

 

[jamesBrown]

I believe that alot of what your mind and your body experiences after long term drug abuse depends greatly on what you CHOOSE to do with your sobriety. When you were getting high every day for 25 years(or atleast abusing drugs), your mind and body didnt have to worry too much about how to be happy, or how to feel normal, or how to enjoy life.....because you were putting chemicals into your body that took care of all that for you. Those drugs made you not have to work for enjoyment in life.
Now that you are sober, you need a jumpstart, because your mind and body are SOOO use to not having to work towards happiness, and fulfillment, that they just dont know what to do now. You need to force yourself to start working towards happiness. Usually finding an "intense" hobby is a fantastic way to achieve this. Basically, find something that will help naturally increase dopamine levels in your brain. You need to train yourself to be happy again, and you dont do that by sitting around feeling like shit because of PAWS.....you need to find a drug, but not a chemical, a drug that exists somehwere in the world, that will make you happy.....whether its a hobby, a sport, a person, anything.....whatever helps your brain get use to naturally releasing dopamine again.
And everyone is different. So there is no way for me, or anyone else, to tell you how long it will take for you tog et over PAWS....but I can tell you that it has alot to do with what you choose to do with your life now. Alot of people dont realize how big a role that drugs can play in our lives, and how much they effect how we act, and where we go, and what we do.....and they are suprised to find out that life isnt what they thought it was when they finally get off drugs. Its very corny but life really is what you make of it....and if your going to be negative and sit here and wonder when your PAWS are going to end, they may never leave.....but if you are positive and actively pursue a healthy, happy, lifestyle, then I think your PAWS could dissapear any day you want them to.

 

[Le Junk]

I believe that alot of what your mind and your body experiences after long term drug abuse depends greatly on what you CHOOSE to do with your sobriety. When you were getting high every day for 25 years(or atleast abusing drugs), your mind and body didnt have to worry too much about how to be happy, or how to feel normal, or how to enjoy life.....because you were putting chemicals into your body that took care of all that for you. Those drugs made you not have to work for enjoyment in life.
Now that you are sober, you need a jumpstart, because your mind and body are SOOO use to not having to work towards happiness, and fulfillment, that they just dont know what to do now. You need to force yourself to start working towards happiness. Usually finding an "intense" hobby is a fantastic way to achieve this. Basically, find something that will help naturally increase dopamine levels in your brain. You need to train yourself to be happy again, and you dont do that by sitting around feeling like shit because of PAWS.....you need to find a drug, but not a chemical, a drug that exists somehwere in the world, that will make you happy.....whether its a hobby, a sport, a person, anything.....whatever helps your brain get use to naturally releasing dopamine again.
And everyone is different. So there is no way for me, or anyone else, to tell you how long it will take for you tog et over PAWS....but I can tell you that it has alot to do with what you choose to do with your life now. Alot of people dont realize how big a role that drugs can play in our lives, and how much they effect how we act, and where we go, and what we do.....and they are suprised to find out that life isnt what they thought it was when they finally get off drugs. Its very corny but life really is what you make of it....and if your going to be negative and sit here and wonder when your PAWS are going to end, they may never leave.....but if you are positive and actively pursue a healthy, happy, lifestyle, then I think your PAWS could dissapear any day you want them to.

Outstanding response! Thank you.

Le Junk

 

[CitioKid]

Not to bum you out but you will likely be dealing with the echoes of your drug abuse career for the rest of your life. Your brain has almost certainly been permanently re-wired and while many symptoms will ease over time you will most likely have to cope with issues indefinitely. Cocaine generated issues should ease significantly after you've been away from stims for 18-24 months or so, but I still can crave and taste coke on cue 20+ years after last doing it and it was never a primary DOC for me. Past opioid dependence can be still seen echoing in the brain via PET scans and stress hormone response decades after sobriety.

There are no quick fixes or easy answers. These drugs are devastating. That's why they are best avoided if possible altogether.

Have you personally been sober for years? Because if you quit one drug (cocaine) but continue abusing another drug (opiates) then you're brain will not recover.

Of course people's minds can return to normal. They always do. A few of my parents friends were terrible heroin/barbiturate addicts in the 60's/70's, and they all eventually quit and never looked back. After 15 + years of addiction, they now live normal, happy lives.

 

[edarrin]

I have to agree that the brain changes are at east partly permanent.
I found the cravings went away but the deviousness of it eventially got me.

Sort of hit me in what seemed like a roundabout way but once into it it didn't take long for me to fallheadlong into another one which I'm still battling.

That was after 10+ years of abtseneance

 

[adubwakka]

If you start exercising daily that should help you feel much better mentally imo, its always helped met

 

[akironic]

I believe that alot of what your mind and your body experiences after long term drug abuse depends greatly on what you CHOOSE to do with your sobriety. When you were getting high every day for 25 years(or atleast abusing drugs), your mind and body didnt have to worry too much about how to be happy, or how to feel normal, or how to enjoy life.....because you were putting chemicals into your body that took care of all that for you. Those drugs made you not have to work for enjoyment in life.
Now that you are sober, you need a jumpstart, because your mind and body are SOOO use to not having to work towards happiness, and fulfillment, that they just dont know what to do now. You need to force yourself to start working towards happiness. Usually finding an "intense" hobby is a fantastic way to achieve this. Basically, find something that will help naturally increase dopamine levels in your brain. You need to train yourself to be happy again, and you dont do that by sitting around feeling like shit because of PAWS.....you need to find a drug, but not a chemical, a drug that exists somehwere in the world, that will make you happy.....whether its a hobby, a sport, a person, anything.....whatever helps your brain get use to naturally releasing dopamine again.
And everyone is different. So there is no way for me, or anyone else, to tell you how long it will take for you tog et over PAWS....but I can tell you that it has alot to do with what you choose to do with your life now. Alot of people dont realize how big a role that drugs can play in our lives, and how much they effect how we act, and where we go, and what we do.....and they are suprised to find out that life isnt what they thought it was when they finally get off drugs. Its very corny but life really is what you make of it....and if your going to be negative and sit here and wonder when your PAWS are going to end, they may never leave.....but if you are positive and actively pursue a healthy, happy, lifestyle, then I think your PAWS could dissapear any day you want them to.

Excellent post JB!! I was a complete wreck for 6 years. Been sober since 1/4/10. Life was just not what I remembered it to be. Although presently, I do have my ups and downs (don't we all?) I've learned that my life is what I make it! Your ''corny'' advice can not be further from the truth!

 

[jamesBrown]

Excellent post JB!! I was a complete wreck for 6 years. Been sober since 1/4/10. Life was just not what I remembered it to be. Although presently, I do have my ups and downs (don't we all?) I've learned that my life is what I make it! Your ''corny'' advice can not be further from the truth!

ha....my advice "can not be further from the truth!"? I think you meant something else....but i understand anywy....and thanx.