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Opioids go from addict to chipper

skylines7

Bluelighter
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
151
Do you think it is possible if you once had a physical addiction to use opiates again, only once in a while. I'm thinking once per month as a reward for working hard.
 
In my personal experience, I would definately say no. Every one is different, but I know in my situation that every single time I have ever sobered up or abstained from ebomb or coke use, and then "rewarded myself", the temptations to go straight back to where you were sure as hell manage to overwhelm me. I would advise not too even touch opiates if you had a serious addiction prior to now, it will save you a lot of time, effort, money, and distress.
 
Of course it is its just hard but I never quit I just switched to chipping. I use once a month or so. I just woke up one day and realized that I wasn't enjoying daily use like I would occasional use. I never set any specific goal for myself. I wouldn't feel guilty about taking 100 mg OC any day. But I just don't desire it as often because of my tolerance and financial situation.
 
It is possible, but the vast majority of people who attempt to do something like that (and, indeed, a large portion of former addicts try) fall back into addiction.
 
never get the feeling of " hey, i beat the addiction" , so for me chipping always feels like a relapse or a mistake and it noticeably dampens what should be a completely enjoyable experience.
 
Of course it's possible but it's dang hard and not worth it for two reasons in my opinion.

Reason #1 - risk you will go back into full addiction
Reason #2 - even if you don't go back into full addiction, using once a month won't be enough to satisfy you so after you use, you will feel depressed that it has to be a whole month before you can use again. Basically, the unpleasant feeling of wanting to use more often than you are allowing to, will outweigh the pleasure of the high.

At least that is true for me. That is why I never have success using addictive drugs in moderation. It's not because I lack will power, it's because using them in moderation is not worth it. It leads to craving them all the time when you can't have them and wanting something you can't have is very unpleasant.

This is just my opinion though and other people might have a different expereince.
 
Pretty consistent answers across the board, OP.

I have spent the last decade of my life in serious addictions, periods of clean time, "chipping" to reward myself for finally excelling in the things I do, and landing right back into serious, serious failure. In fact, I'm currently in that phase right now - I work hard at my job and should have something to show for it, but this month I could just barely pay my rent and have to live off the bread, soup and cereal that I have in my cupboards for another two weeks until my next paycheck.

I rewarded myself for the umpteenth time and in less than three weeks, my life SUCKS again.

Intelligence is learning from one's own mistakes; wisdom is learning from the mistakes of others. Everybody who responded here did so honestly; take this time to be wise, my friend.

~ vaya
 
nevertheless, I am going to attempt the weekends only thing again, in spite of how my past says it will turn out.
 
Yes you can and you should.

Just think about it logically, presumably you do opiates to get a euphoric high. But the function that would render your high would look something like this. (Potency/Dose) / Frequency = High

Frequency could be number of days per month that you use. So everyday ie. 30 would considerably lessen your high than say 1-5 days per month.

From this function you see that in order to maximize your high you have two choices:

1. Increase your dose: but this is most likely unreasonable unless you have an endless supply of money.
or
2. Reduce Frequency.

Reducing Frequency will require less actual drug to achieve your desired high and thus greatly maximizes the efficiency of the process - which saves you money.

So in my opinion chipping is the only logical answer, if you know that daily use will eventually no longer render the high you are looking for than the only alternative is to reduce your frequency. The person that uses occasionally gets way higher than addicts for considerably cheaper. Furthermore if your DOC is dope then you can reach a heavenly/blissful euphoric state for < $20.

Protip: 12 Step programs / NA meetings will almost undoubtedly ensure that you become an addict. The idea that you have an illness that you can't control is one of the most surrendering notions I've witnessed. You have a choice, you can be disciplined, and you can exercise logic to optimize your situation.
 
Do you think it is possible if you once had a physical addiction to use opiates again, only once in a while. I'm thinking once per month as a reward for working hard.

I think that the key word here is physical; if by physical addiction you mean physical dependence, then yes, I would say that chipping is still an option for you.

I say this because I believe that there is both physical dependence and mental addiction, and I believe that one can experience physical dependence (physically needing the substance to avoid withdrawal symptoms) without experiencing the mental addiction. I wouldn't say that it happens often, and surely one who is mentally addicted will be physically dependent as well, but I do believe that physical dependence can grow without the mental addiction aspect, albeit rarely.

If you are physically dependent but not mentally addicted, then detoxing, taking a vacation, and so on will be the things that might help you to get back to "chipping."

If you are mentally addicted, then I'm not sure chipping can ever be an option...
 
wow thanks for all the responses, they all make sense. i spent 3 years doing opiates recreationally before they turned on me and spent 2 years addicted. when i used them recreationally it was on a frequency of less than once per month.

i decided i was done and have spent 7 months so far away from opiates. i have no problem putting down anything for a certain period of time, and with opiates i had a hard time doing that. cigs, alcohol, coke, weed, amphetamines, i can do as much as i want and stop when i want. when i went on a opiod run, i couldnt stop....or maybe i just didn't want to at the time.

i hear a lot of 12 step ideas that i don't believe, but i would not want to risk them being right and spending more time addicted, because it was miserable.

truth is, i love opiates and always will. staying away from them completlely is not what i want, but to be able to use them on OCCASION is what i want...for instance how I use alcohol - 1-2x per month.

I know for me I will abstain for one year before I even attempt this, because I told myself when I started I was done for one year. ahhh 5 months to go! lol.
 
I'm impressed that you've abstained for seven months... I know that one day I'll put the opiates away, but for right now, I can't imagine abstaining for even one month...
 
I'm impressed that you've abstained for seven months... I know that one day I'll put the opiates away, but for right now, I can't imagine abstaining for even one month...

Thinking about all that is overwhelming, for me it's all about stimulation. Opiates had me 100% stimulated. Once I stopped, the biggest thing that has helped me was finding activities/hobbies that stimulated me in ways that they took up all my attention. You can do it if you want to, for me it all came down to my feelings and how i looked at the day ahead, forcing myself to be positive although everything told me negative.

I'll be sure to make a blog post or something about how my experiment works out. I'm waiting till the time is right and I know for sure that I have this thing beat, cause at 7 months I still have my doubts.
 
I wouldn't say I've gone from addict to chipper really, but I was full on addicted to opiates for a good 5 years in my late teens into early twenties. now I'm over a year and a half "clean". I only say that because while I haven't gone back to addiction, I have used pharmaceutical opiates in this past year. mostly tramadol (which, lets be honest, is BARELY recreational) because my wife is prescribed it for a herniated C7, but also some oxy because some of it fell in my lap, and hydro because I had a tooth pulled and got scriped 24 of them. but all of the times I've used opiates since I stopped shooting heroin have been spaced out by weeks or months, with the occasional 2-3 day "binge" (if it's really possible to call 2 or 3 days taking 100mg tramadol a binge).

I would like to say this is 100% based on my own will power but in reality I haven't been fully tested. most of this year and a half I have not had a car of my own or a drivers license. so the true test will come for me next year because I now have a car, and come november I'll have my license back too. so I'm interested to see if I can keep myself from the needle.
 
Well, you've got quite a variety of answers here. I will jump on board as a chipper, never heard that term before now though. I used oxy for about a year and a half recreationally. It started as relief for back pain, but I loved it, and added rec use. The thing that triggered me to slow down was the severe ramping up of tolerance, even though I did not use daily. I now use recreationally bi-weekly, and I am comfortable with that. A lot depends on the type of person you are, but you come across as someone in my camp of thought: Everything in Moderation! This was how I got off cigs too, I did not want to go cold-turkey because I knew I would always crave one. So I now allow myself 1 per week, and I agree with your thought process, use these things as a reward system, but remember the downside potential and keep the EIM mantra close to your heart and mind. Good luck!
 
I would posit that I'm in the (latter portion) of making a successful transition from addict to chipper. I've IV'd opiates, been addicted, etc for over ten years now in what I would classify as full blown active addiction for the majority of that time. I recently got a (relatively) great job, new car, financial responsibilities in general that i didnot previously have and my priorities have shifted as a result. I get paid bi-weekly. Pay day I rage as hard as I care to, then do zero for the next two weeks. Wash, rinse, repeat. I'm a pretty happy camper. I've been doing this for nigh on three months now (no great length of time, I know, but a milestone for me, nonetheless). Tomorrow is payday, thus I'm pretty stoked... but come monday morning, it'll be two weeks of sobriety and I won't hate my life bc of it... for me, thats tremendous progress and it also demonstrates than addict can become a successful chipper... just gotta be wary of the slippery slope of using more than you originally intended, i spose...
 
I use when I want. I can go on a month long binge using oxy, then quit for an entire month, then go back to it for a weeks use, then just stop.

Thats how I've been doing it. I Can start and stop without any problems or cravings. If I want that weekend full of fun, all well and good and be done by monday and not use again until i want to.
 
I think that no matter what i tell myself, i couldnt be a casual opiate user. after being an IV heroin addict for like 5-6 years, and now being on methadone, ive been on opiates for the past 10 years or so and in that time when ive tried to just chip, i always end up getting a habit again. im probably going to love opiates forever. my GF is in nursing school and right now she is in clinical at a large hospital in baltimore, and the other day she said she had to help remove a pain pump from a patient who had a spinal surgery, there was a total of 40mgs of dilaudid in the pump and there was like half of it leftover and they had to waste it! lol, i was thinking noooooo!!!! its awful, i think im always going to love opiates.....
 
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