Advice For a Poly-substance abuser Trying to Get Clean?

[Disocio0]

Well I started using drugs about a year and a half ago but I have slipped way to far into this world without trying and I cannot quit using drugs. If its not one thing its another. I cant even think straight anymore. I need to quit...

 

[laCster]

Then quit.

 

[RobotRipping]

what substances and how much? 1.5 years isn't that long. Are you physically dependent on anything? I've been swapping drugs and addictions for a few years and really my goal is just to live better and more stable. I really don't think i can handle life without at least one drug, especially for recreation. I don't see how other people can live completely sober lives. I believe in reducing the harm of drugs as much as possible as well as the cost and always keeping a stable supply. No one gets hurt, i pay my own way and i stay stable while seemingly living a normal life.

If you need to quit because it is interfering with your life then you need to change your life and it's not easy. You'll have to change friends, the way you think, the way you do things, what things you do and relearn to live without drugs. I'm not trying to discourage you or anything, it can be done. I can offer better advice once i know what substances you are struggling with.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Honestly I am a poly-drug abuser. I quit about 6 months ago, clean from opiates benzos and amphetamines all of which I quit cold turkey. I had been using heavily for about 2 years, although dangerous I felt it was the best way to go about it. It was the best 6 months of my life, yet I have succumbed back to addiction from a variety of bad events happening and am using again. I am trying to stop again but now I feels it's more difficult because I think I have it under control. Depending on what you're taking you can work a variety of ways to stop. I suggest visiting a THERAPIST and talking to your doctor about it too.

We can't give you professional advise but can try our best to help you through it.

 

[Disocio0]

I just recently quit taking adderall which I took for six months. Iv been using meth at least once a week for two months. My good friend last year decided to start ordering research chems and I allways was just handed them at no cost. DXM is my real problem. I tried it and I was hooked. I used at least 200 mg of dxm every day this summer for 4 months. I restricted it to every two weeks and iv held that up until last week I went on a three day DXM binge for no reason. I smoke pot more than 5 times a week. Im to the point where Im never sober. Do you think anxiety meds would help? Iv been put on adderall and Celexa for a brief time

 

[ro4eva]

Forgive me for being ignorant to any of your questions and/or perhaps obvious, but IMO there's a core reason why you continue to consistently prefer to escape your sober state of mind using one or more drugs at once.

I'm curious, what's really bothering you so much in that you seemingly find yourself almost always intoxicated (or high)?

Have you been diagnosed with any mental disorders?

Did you experience one or a series of traumatic incidents which continue to gnaw at you mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually?

Sorry if it sounds like I'm trying to play doctor, but usually people will continue to use one or more recreational drugs for a good reason rather than just because it's cool, or they're bored. And it could be anything from as simple as feeling that you don't fit in with your group of friends when sober, to problems at home, to what I wrote above, and in certain cases such as opiates, because you don't wanna go into withdrawal.

Lastly, were you on any meds before the SSRI and stimulant?

 

[Disocio0]

Forgive me for being ignorant to any of your questions and/or perhaps obvious, but IMO there's obviously a core reason why you continue to consistently prefer to escape your sober state of mind using one or more drugs at once.

I'm curious, what's really bothering you so much in that you find seemingly find yourself almost always intoxicated (or high)?

Have you been diagnosed with any mental disorders?

Did you experience one or a series of traumatic incidents which continue to gnaw at you mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually?

Sorry if it sounds like I'm trying to play doctor, but usually people will continue to use one or more recreational drugs for a good reason rather than just because it's cool, or they're bored. And it could be anything from as simple as feeling that you don't fit in with your group of friends when sober, to problems at home, to what I wrote above, and in certain cases such as opiates, because you don't wanna go into withdrawal.

Lastly, were you on any meds before the SSRI and stimulant?

No I lied to the doctor to get adderall in the first place. Stupid move, after being on that for a decent amount of time It tripled my anxiety. My mom has bipolar disorder but shes High functioning bipolar. They say I dont have it but I dont completely rule it out either. I just want something to make me be able to function while I detox.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Well I think the most important thing is to find the reasons why you use drugs in the first place. If you don't work on the root causes, it will be very hard to quit and to stay off drugs. If your mom is bipolar, surely you must have some issues from growing up with her, my dad was bipolar and I definitely have some serious issues from growing up with him that absolutely contributed to my drug use. Most people with addictions are coping with stuff like anxiety or depression, you don't have to be diagnosed with a specific mental illness to have reasons behind your drug use.

Then you need to work on your mental addiction, which is much harder than any physiological dependence or withdrawal symptoms. The mental addiction is the reason people can quit for like a month and go back to using drugs again. You will have to learn how to cope with cravings and learn how to live without drugs.

If you are serious about quitting I would highly recommend getting professional health from someone you can be honest with who is knowledgeable about addictions, whether it's a doctor, therapist of some sort, alternative health practitioner, etc. Or at the very least read some good books about addiction.

You will also want to do some things to improve your mental and physical health and reduce withdrawal symptoms, but that in itself is not a solution and you really need to do all those other things too if you want to succeed. Anxiety meds can help, but they can be dependence-causing themselves - you really don't want to end up dependent on benzodiazepines, which have worse withdrawals than anything you've taken. Vitamins and supplements are good, I can give you a list if you like. If you are going to go with an anti-depressant I would perhaps consider an atypical one instead of an SSRI. I think finding a good doctor or psychiatrist who you can be open with would make a big difference.

 

[Disocio0]

All good advice. My mom being bipolar I can safely say is the root of my problems. That doesn't mean I blame her for my problems, I'm simply saying all the negativity and thinking errors that I subconsciously inherited has now been showing itself through my drug use. I never thought in a million years I would get this out of control. I am not happy with myself sober because of all the negativity that I have built up that drugs are temporarily masking. I simply cant be completely sober right now, my addiction is stronger than my willpower. I want the anxiety to go away but I am never regularly taking benzos. My mom was one week short of her meds one month and I had to drive her to the hospital because two days with out it and she was seizing. I dont think there's anything worse than benzo withdrawals. I hate SSRI's they make me feel shaky and spun out. I think seeing a doctor and telling him the truth about the things I'm feeling will send me in the right direction. Btw what is an a-typical anti depressant?

 

[ro4eva]

All good advice. My mom being bipolar I can safely say is the root of my problems. That doesn't mean I blame her for my problems, I'm simply saying all the negativity and thinking errors that I subconsciously inherited has now been showing itself through my drug use.

I know how you feel about that because I've felt the same way about my parents because of other inherited traits. However, long story short, I would be ashamed to live with myself to blame them after all they've done for me. That's just me though and not all parents are created equal (and there are some really ones out there).

I never thought in a million years I would get this out of control. I am not happy with myself sober because of all the negativity that I have built up that drugs are temporarily masking.

This is what I was trying to root out with my last post. I can see you've indentified your mother being bipolar. Goes deeper though, doesn't it? Anyways, I should probably keep it at that as I'm single-handedly turning this into a TDS thread.

I simply cant be completely sober right now, my addiction is stronger than my willpower.

Everyone has their breaking point. Try not to be so hard on yourself if you've reached yours. I'm convinced there's some seriously bad shit going on in your life (or some shit that's severely affecting you negatively for one reason or another).

I want the anxiety to go away but I am never regularly taking benzos. My mom was one week short of her meds one month and I had to drive her to the hospital because two days with out it and she was seizing. I dont think there's anything worse than benzo withdrawals.

It's true that benzo withdrawal can cause seizures. Remember reading up above about that seizure I had? Well, part of the reason it occurred was because I was in the middle of a benzo withdrawal (which is specifically contraindicated for patients being started on Wellbutrin XL).

I've been on Xanax for about 7 years now. I don't abuse it, I don't find it fun or my doctor would have taken me off long ago because he knows I'm a "junkie" (opiates are my vice) and he pretty much promised me that if I attempted to get any early refills, I'd be taken off. If you're wondering, I was in benzo withdrawal because I waited until the last minute to get refills and found out my doctor was away on vacation for a week. Anyways; part of the reason why it's worked so well for me is because, combined with Wellbutrin XL; for some reason unbeknownst to myself, it pretty much kills any brain fog/depersonalization symptoms I have.

I hate SSRI's they make me feel shaky and spun out.

I hate SSRIs because they make me unable to display any emotion. For example - when I should have been laughing, I'd sit there with my mouth open staring at the wall and completely apathetic.

I think seeing a doctor and telling him the truth about the things I'm feeling will send me in the right direction. Btw what is an a-typical anti depressant?

This could end up backfiring, depending on what you're prepared to confess. I'm not allowed to go into detail regarding how to tell a doctor that I'm a junkie in a way that it doesn't impact what I'm prescribed, however, I will say again, be careful what you say because many of them are not properly trained to deal with someone battling addiction and it could sever any doctor-patient relationship and/or trust you might have once had.

I think that addiction - even though a documented disease - is still something that is not well understood in the medical community. Furthermore, I believe that - looking from an MD's perspective - when you're living in a day and age where recreational drug use is so shunned down upon along with the authorization to prescribe some potentially recreational drugs and you notice your patient may want you to prescribe him/her whatever because they're potentially abusable... They're human (unless I don't know something everyone else does), so reactions will be varied, but chances are you'll be told to screw off. All I'm saying is that I suggest you think hard and long about this and (if you do decide to share your drug habits with any doctor) choose your words carefully (and I hope you are able to eventually find a way to be happy and sober).

Edit - Again, sorry if I turned this into a TDS thread. I believe it fits the profile though.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Btw what is an a-typical anti depressant?

Atypical antidepressants are called atypical because they don't fit into other classes of antidepressants. Usual classes of antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs). Atypical antidepressants are unique medications that work in different ways. They can be good for people who haven't had success with the usual ADs and they often seem to have fewer side effects. An example would be bupropion (brand name Wellbutrin). Bupropion can be a good choice if you have low energy, low motivation or ADHD. It seems to have far less withdrawal symptoms than other ADs. It doesn't cause sexual side effects or weight gain as most other antidepressants do. Bupropion is sometimes chosen for people trying to quit smoking or quit drugs. The downsides are that it can cause some irritability, especially when first taking it, and for some people it can actually worsen their anxiety instead of making it better. I don't know why more doctors don't prescribe it as a first-line AD. I definitely think that getting some non-drug treatment is really important though. It takes more time and effort but is more effective, longer-lasting, and much healthier than simply trying to use drugs (whether prescribed or not) to cope with your problems.

Anyways, I should probably keep it at that as I'm single-handedly turning this into a TDS thread.

No you're not, I'm doing the same thing . The only reason I haven't moved this to TDS is because since Disocio0 said s/he was looking for suggestions of drugs etc to help with detoxing I didn't know if that aspect of the thread would really be appropriate for TDS. I can ask them, if Disocio wants it moved there, though?

This could end up backfiring, depending on what you're prepared to confess. I'm not allowed to go into detail regarding how to tell a doctor that I'm a junkie in a way that it doesn't impact what I'm prescribed, however, I will say again, be careful what you say because many of them are not properly trained to deal with someone battling addiction and it could sever any doctor-patient relationship and/or trust you might have once had.

I think that addiction - even though a documented disease - is still something that is not well understood in the medical community. Furthermore, I believe that - looking from an MD's perspective - when you're living in a day and age where recreational drug use is so shunned down upon along with the authorization to prescribe some potentially recreational drugs and you notice your patient may want you to prescribe him/her whatever because they're potentially abusable... They're human (unless I don't know something everyone else does), so reactions will be varied, but chances are you'll be told to screw off.

No decent doctor is going to tell you to screw off, but I do agree that being honest about your drug use can affect what they are willing to prescribe to you. I still think the benefits of getting professional help outweigh the disadvantages though. But it is worth taking some time to look for the right doctor or psychiatrist, who is experienced with and knowledgeable about addictions, and isn't of the opinion that anyone who admits to having had a problem with drugs can't be trusted about anything, is making up their problems just to get drugs, or can never be prescribed painkillers ever again no matter how much pain they're in. There are compassionate doctors out there who understand that people with addictions are self-medicating. But if you're worried about the possible implications of telling a doctor you have problems with drugs, you can always go to a therapist/counsellor of some sort who has to keep what you say confidential and could maybe recommend some other good health care professionals. I just think it's really important to get help of some kind.

 

[ro4eva]

I definitely think that getting some non-drug treatment is really important though. It takes more time and effort but is more effective, longer-lasting, and much healthier than simply trying to use drugs (whether prescribed or not) to cope with your problems.

Yes, I agree. Before 2012, I've never bothered with seeing a psychologist for my mental issues as I was skeptical. This year however, I did have a chance to see a very good one for about 3 months. It's amazing how he was able to identify certain negative thought patterns which I never noticed I had. Also, it was a relief that he didn't recommend any more bloody medications. Highly recommended.

The only reason I haven't moved this to TDS is because since Disocio0 said s/he was looking for suggestions of drugs etc to help with detoxing I didn't know if that aspect of the thread would really be appropriate for TDS.

Oh, right.

No decent doctor is going to tell you to screw off, but I do agree that being honest about your drug use can affect what they are willing to prescribe to you. I still think the benefits of getting professional help outweigh the disadvantages though. But it is worth taking some time to look for the right doctor or psychiatrist, who is experienced with and knowledgeable about addictions, and isn't of the opinion that anyone who admits to having had a problem with drugs can't be trusted about anything, is making up their problems just to get drugs, or can never be prescribed painkillers ever again no matter how much pain they're in. There are compassionate doctors out there who understand that people with addictions are self-medicating. But if you're worried about the possible implications of telling a doctor you have problems with drugs, you can always go to a therapist/counsellor of some sort who has to keep what you say confidential and could maybe recommend some other good health care professionals. I just think it's really important to get help of some kind.

Maybe I've just had some bad luck firsthand experience. Of the doctors who I have told that I've used recreational drugs, only one hasn't begun to treat me in a way I feel is unfair. I told them on the foolish assumption that they'd appreciate my honesty, but I see no appreciation in the way their tone has changed afterwards. As a result, at least two doctors (after calling me an addict) threatened to (1) call the cops on me and (2) ban me from their practice for politely asking why they didn't wanna Rx me so-and-so medications. And I solemnly swear that, for one of those incidents, the medication in question is not a controlled substance, not a narcotic, (essentially non-abusable).

This all happened a while ago, so I'm not telling you or anyone else reading this because, indirectly speaking, I'd like some advice. Just sharing a couple of experiences which have contributed to me being extremely cautious about whom I choose to share with the fact that I'm a "junkie" as they say.

 

[Disocio0]

. I am trying to stop again but now I feels it's more difficult because I think I have it under control.

I can relate to this. Technically I have been using drugs since I was 15, but I didn't consider myself an addict till about a year ago. I used weed and alcohol from 15 to 16. Then I quit everything for a year and was convinced I was done using mind altering substances. I literally thought It was just a phase and I had conquered it. But something changed when I turned 17. I wont get into what but I went from a well mannered, motivated, social person to a broke, dishonest, apathetic fiend with 0 real friends.