Hey Pathetic Oblivion. Welcome to BL and congratulations on making it 14 days clean. That's one awful time isn't it. I came off a huge opiate habit in august. First your doing just great!! Let me say first for theirs that are reading this.. I really good drug, that helps make an opiate detox much, much, more bearable is clonidine..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonidine. There are other things, but I will let someone with better first hand knowledge of those throw them out there.
So the good news, or bad news in a good way, is that what your experiencing is normal. The addicted part of your brain is pulling all the strings, it controls, to drive you back to use. The addicted part of your brain is the Limbic System
http://its.sdsu.edu/multimedia/mathison/limbic/index.htm ,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system. You sound like you are beginning the transition from the acute withdraws in to PAWS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-acute-withdrawal_syndrome. This is great because your you should be getting quite a bit better, now or really soon, then a little better day after day. Hang in there it is so worth it! It gets so good so quick. There is a staying clean thread here you should check out as well as allot of really good people who know and have been right where you are now.. some days, months, years, hours ago. around the DS we sorta lean on one another and in doing so have formed something that's pretty damn strong. So look at this little sliver of the world, it probably has quite a bit that can help you.
So anyway here is whats going on.. You have reprogrammed one job of the limbic system, the dopamine reward pathway job, by ingesting a substance that riggers a dopamine release, to think that your use is necessary for you to sustain life. The Limbic system and in particular the hypothalamus of the limbic system control all of what you are experiencing.
LIMBIC SYSTEM
The Limbic System is the area of the brain that regulates emotion and memory. It directly connects the lower and higher brain functions. It influences emotions, the visceral responses to those emotions, motivation, mood, and sensations of pain and pleasure.
- HYPOTHALAMUS
The hypothalamus sits under the thalamus at the top of the brain stem. Although the hypothalamus is small, it controls many critical bodily functions: Controls autonomic nervous system Center for emotional response and behavior Regulates body temperature Regulates food intake Regulates water balance and thirst Controls sleep-wake cycles, endocrine system.
So think about your symptoms.. " craving/depression/zero energy/brain zaps" craving, since this part of the brain controls, the drive or craving for water (thirst), the drive or craving for food (hunger).. it is able to try and drive you to use (because you artificially and permanently reprogrammed it to think you need this substance to live it will temporarely drive you to use it just like it would if you were starving or dying g of thirst.. don't worry, I think you are almost past that point and are way past the worst) so it will cause you to crave that substance with all its mite. depression, the limbic system controls your mood, and it wants anything but you feeling happy about not choosing to do something it thinks you NEED, so it will make you feel depressed (the minds way of telling the mind that it is doing something wrong).. No energy, yep it controls your energy and fatigue level.. Just trying to push you to use.. If you look through all your symptoms you will find that this Limbic system controls them all.
You want this LS to chill the hell out already and leave you some peace
.. It will, but its a little bit of a process.. you are really close to the first miracle.. it will get dramatically better, then it get a little better everyday for between four to seven months and then your mind clears (opiate receptors shut down) and if you are like me you will be amazed because you had no idea you were living under such a fog.. Hang in there!! you are doing great ALLOT OF GREAT PEOPLE HERE ON BL DS.. they have been where you are and will support you. I know its hard, but tit gets better quick.. hang in there, this is just nonsense your brain is doing to itself.. You are amazing and doing great!!
be aware that after the acute withdraw you will have to deal with the addiction, you can do it.
