• HEALTH & RECOVERY
    Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules Thread Directory 1 Thread Directory 2
    Mindfulness Links Addiction & Mind
    Sober Living Partner Program (SLiPP)
  • H&R Moderators: streaM Freak

100% Abstinence impossible for some?

B

belfort

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Messages
2,291
I remember when I used to go to the methadone clinic I had 2 counsellors there that were trying to preach that complete abstinence for some just isn't attainable, due to various reasons..they were more preaching harm reduction which I am more in favor of..I don't see a big deal if a former hardcore crackhead got clean and now occasionally smokes pot a few times a week to take the edge off..or the former heroin addict that now drinks alcohol on the weekend now..these counsellors were research freaks and they said the studies of addicts that tried and maintained 100% abstinence were quite depressing..they said les than 10% of addicts were able to achieve this so they said a different approach needs to be made..they ended up losing their job due to this as well but do you agree?is complete abstinence impossible for some of you?

For me, I don't think I will ever be 100% abstinent.i tried that and lasted 16 months before I started drinking here and there..
 
I think of it as some people don't need to be all or nothing, even if they got themselves in trouble before. A reasonable amount of getting fucked up has been one of life's pleasures since before humans were even a thing. If an ex-junkie wants a beer and doesn't turn into an alkie, then that's quite alright, if another ex-junkie thinks diet coke is too strong for them these days, that's quite alright too.
 
I know that 100 percent abstinence is not for me personally. I smoke pot and have a kolonopin prescription and I am on the methadone clinic. Its all about making life manageable and being happy. I think some people get so caught up in the word sober that they forget that life is about finding happiness.
 
GolemGolem said:
If an ex-junkie wants a beer and doesn't turn into an alkie, then that's quite alright, if another ex-junkie thinks diet coke is too strong for them these days, that's quite alright too.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much my opinion too. Not a one-size-fits-all solution
 
belfort said:
I remember when I used to go to the methadone clinic I had 2 counsellors there that were trying to preach that complete abstinence for some just isn't attainable, due to various reasons..they were more preaching harm reduction which I am more in favor of..I don't see a big deal if a former hardcore crackhead got clean and now occasionally smokes pot a few times a week to take the edge off..or the former heroin addict that now drinks alcohol on the weekend now..these counsellors were research freaks and they said the studies of addicts that tried and maintained 100% abstinence were quite depressing..they said les than 10% of addicts were able to achieve this so they said a different approach needs to be made..they ended up losing their job due to this as well but do you agree?is complete abstinence impossible for some of you?

For me, I don't think I will ever be 100% abstinent.i tried that and lasted 16 months before I started drinking here and there..
Click to expand...

I'm sober for 11 months for the first time in decades. Coming off from methadone which was horrible.

So far I have not drank or smoked weed although most people say it's okay.
For me, after having accomplished this I'm simply trying to avoid triggers.
I'm trying to protect myself. I see no problem with talking about harm reduction, it does not bother me at all. But I understand what you are trying to say.

So, I'm okay with abstinence except for coffee and nicotine. Exercises have been great for me.
My doctor once has prescribed Seroquel for my insomnia but that didn't work, I felt drowsy all the time.

Everyone is different. I'm just trying to live one day of a time regardless of how many months I'm sober.

If you can handle a couple of beers, I wouldn't judge you. We are fighting our own devils.
So what's good for me may not be ideal for you. As long as I'm off, it's okay.
 
Last edited:
Actually I am going to change my answer. Its not impossible for anyone to be abstinent. Given enough time you can adjust to just about anything.
 
Its def not for everyone. For me I hate being an addict :/ Although I am waiting for that day when I'm an old man and don't give a shit anymore lol. Methadone was never an option for me. I was on it for about 4 years and I hated it. I just see life as better now without opiates. Its not perfect, its life, but at least I am not suffering all the freaking time like before! I was living in constant fear.

Now I smoke cigs, smoke weed, watch porn, binge eat, play video games, and sleep in.

I think my life would be better without those things :/ I wouldn't care about the porn, but its desensitizing me and my hormones are already fucked from years of opiate abuse.

So for me abstinence is the only way I see going forward. There is no such thing as just a little bit for me. Last time I did percs, 3 days later I was shooting up. I'm right back where I was, instantly.
 
I have to say the abstinence model is not effective long term. It is great short term for when you are trying to rebuild your life after having a speedball habit, a benzo habit...basically any situation in which your life had become drug centric. I don't smoke pot because it causes panic attacks in me, but I would if I could. I like a glass of decent pinot noir, merlot, or sauvignon at the end of the night. No I don't like to be drunk, but having a glass of wine makes me creative.

I have talked with CH about this. I believe that the best medicine to help him shake away his blues (for lack of a better term) is cannabis. There are so many medicines out there that drug companies are forcing down our throats that lobby our government to demonize the simple near harmless natural substitutes. For example: I just found out I have ulcers in my stomach. My doctor (that is vietnamese) told me I can no longer take ibuprofen, aspirin....basically any nsaids in the amount that helps the pain I feel from my liver. I brought up kratom and he said that was an excellent, extremely viable solution because it is a natural tree leaf that won't irritate the linings of my stomach.

In a nutshell...abstinence is a word used by recovery centers to push the Nancy Reagan idea of "Just say no!", which we all know has created a bunch of people ignorant to the harms and benefits of certain drugs. It has just been proven that having a psychedelic experience on myshrooms once a year could seriously help my ocd! I would be able to stop taking the physically addicting benzos that cause me such bad memory dysfunction. Too bad mushrooms are considered by the government (not by god) to be schedule 1 and have no medical value.
 
True, it's easy to quit hard to stay sober. People do that for years.
Some manage to do drugs that they had not a problem with.
Lots of people had told me to smoke weed. I really never enjoyed it.
For me it was related to socializing and being part of a nice group.

But with time we all get different perspectives and depending for how long you are sober it wouldn't be an issue.

I guess I'm not prepared to do things that may trigger some other things that I have succeeded in controlling.

Btw, this "Just say no" 'plan' was a fiasco imo. I think they were pretty naive about that.
Or perhaps just trying to get sympathy.
 
Last edited:
Well, I don't know if I qualify as 100% abstinent since I have a script for Ativan, but I have no choice to be abstinent from my primary DOC which was alcohol. A wrecked marriage, relationship and finances and lost jobs weren't enough to make me stop. It was only until I got a death sentence that I did. I was told by my primary care doctor that I probably had about five years left before my liver would completely give out if I continued to drink at the rate I was. As it is, I am in near permanent discomfort in the area of my liver.
 
Of course they would say that at the done clinic...

Don't let anyone tell you what is impossible and what is not. It all comes down to what is beneficial and sustainable for the lifestyle you desire. For me, hard drugs (opioids, benzos, amphetamines, cocaine) are not but many other things are beneficial.
 
Lol all of these addicts sitting here discussing how maybe we can use one drug instead of another and call it "harm reduction". Yeah that's a perfect example of your disease trying to trick you. Eventually it's all gonna fall apart, it might just take longer.
 
louisgrip said:
Lol all of these addicts sitting here discussing how maybe we can use one drug instead of another and call it "harm reduction". Yeah that's a perfect example of your disease trying to trick you. Eventually it's all gonna fall apart, it might just take longer.
Click to expand...

Not certain what your intended tone was supposed to be for your post so I will give you the benefit of the doubt, but it comes off a little offensive as you laugh regarding the post and then proceed to judge people and their situation. Not everybody or their addiction is the same, and some people can use substances other than their drug of choice and not get classically addicted and have their lives fall apart. Is it best practice for an addict to quit one substance and move on others, no, but some people can do it. There is a mental health component involved with addiction, and if traditional medicine fails the addict and the addict has found some reprieve in nontraditional methods, say marijuana for example, and can live a healthy productive life there is nothing wrong with that. Traditional medicine has an abysmal success rate for addiction treatment, it is not surprising so many people in recovery take matters into their own hands. It's very hard to find both a good psychiatrist and good counselor who will communicate together to work on a valid treatment plan, and even if you are lucky to get that combination most psych meds given to the patient are on a trial and error basis until they find something that works - that process is horrible to the patient. Those meds have unpleasant side effects, can make he mental health piece worse, and people can just stop taking them and be done. They have to taper off the meds, which just prolongs the unpleasantness. I forgot to mention it's also financially expensive - something most addicts can't afford in early recovery. If an addict found something that works for them, who are you to judge? Though I understand the irony of this thread, it's really not funny as the underlying reason people use in the first place is because they're in pain, and that pain still persists when they get sober. I don't find entertainment in watching people struggle to try to fulfillment and enjoyment in their life.

ETA - I have a couple years sober and I do not use mind altering substances because I don't want another addiction. Just including this info as I think it's relevant to my aforementioned statements.
 
well I know 100% abstinence has proved to be impossible for me thus far. I started using drugs at 18. Started with experimentation with weed, alcohol, and dxm a few times. Then after high school graduation I tried cocaine and then heroin and meth twice too even. Well the heroin pretty much immediately led to addiction. I've also had issues with crack, IV coke, benzos. Currently I am on suboxone trying to ween off as quickly as possible so I can heal my brain from opiate use. I do not plan on quitting mary jane though. That's the ONE AND ONLY thing I'm going to allow myself to justify. lol But there ya have it. I know that 100% sober is not an option for me. FUCK THAT!!
 
I've been 100% abstinent for over a year now, and not by choice. Due to a health condition my body is so weak that it just can't handle the burden of getting high, and I'd suffer terrible pain. And yeah 100% abstinence sucks. For me it's not just about how good it feels to get high, but all of the creativity and insights that come with it. I really miss the neuroplasticity of psychs.

Although, I've been through so much trauma in the past couple of years that I'd probably be a full blown addict right now if I could stomach it, just to take a vacation from all the constant processing.
 
Foreigner said:
just to take a vacation from all the constant processing.
Click to expand...

It's not just an AA/NA platitude when they say that post abstinence from your DOC that the good thing about abstinence is that you start to have feelings again, and the bad thing is that you start to have feelings again.

I can relate because I had to quit my DOC, alcohol, due to health reasons although I am prescribed benzos. But I only take them when I have a panic attack or severe anxiety that would otherwise lead me to drink. I don't want to fight a two front war with both alcohol and benzos.
 
Simple answer here...

Nothing is impossible. But as someone said above, if you can maintain occasional or casual drinking/smoking, without forming another addiction, that is quite alright. But if diet coke is too much for someone to handle without forming addictive tendencies and needs to abstain from it and everything else, that is quite alright too.
 
Foreigner said:
I've been 100% abstinent for over a year now, and not by choice. Due to a health condition my body is so weak that it just can't handle the burden of getting high, and I'd suffer terrible pain. And yeah 100% abstinence sucks. For me it's not just about how good it feels to get high, but all of the creativity and insights that come with it. I really miss the neuroplasticity of psychs.

Although, I've been through so much trauma in the past couple of years that I'd probably be a full blown addict right now if I could stomach it, just to take a vacation from all the constant processing.
Click to expand...
That is terrible. There is nothing worse than forced abstinence.

This thread has really made me think about things in my own life. I think there is a part of me that actually enjoys being addicted to a substance. It becomes a reason to get out of bed in the morning as sad as that is. Especially my addiction to opiates. If not for it I would probably sleep all day and not leave the house for weeks. Instead I have to get up and at least make enough effort to get to the clinic on time. When I was addicted to heroin it was the reason I worked 40 hours a week. I actually haven't had a job since getting on methadone as I lost all motivation to work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top