Alcohol's relation to drugs?

[opium]

so i had a drug problem for a while, but ive been clean shy of a month.

i never had a problem with alcohol, like to addiction issues...so if i were to chill with some friends tonight and drink, as long as there are no drugs around it should be no problem?

i know they say stay away from booze, but i dont think it has any correlation as long as there are no drugs present?

 

[gman2008]

Technically alcohol is a drug so if your drinking your not technically clean!!! Sorry aint being a A hole just had to throw that out there

 

[Renz Envy]

Alcohol is a GABA a and GABA B agonist. It does not have a traditional half life like other drugs as it is very specific to your liver's metabolism.

Alcohol is a drug like GHB, barbiturates or benzos. It has very potent psychoactive effects and those prone to addiction problems will probably experience at least a light phase of alcoholism.

 

[Pagey]

I think it just really depends on you. For instance, I know that I have to stay clean from xanax, heroin and oxy but I'm fine taking pretty much any other drug, including alcohol, recreationally once in a while without any issues. NA would probably murder me for saying this but I don't think it's necessary for every single person who's had a drug problem to stay clear of all drugs, sometimes just the ones you had problems with are enough. You're the only person who can judge whether or not it's okay for you to still drink alcohol.

 

[mrflowers00]

i'm an addict but i don't really enjoy alcohol anymore so i can control my drinking but it increases my cravings for other drugs

 

[Effuzion]

IMO give yourself at least 90 days of clean time if you were using opiates. Hangovers are a biiiiitchhhhhh while your brain is still unfucking itself, and for me the best cure for a hangover was always a couple oxys so I would have cravings like crazy too. I gave myself 6 months of complete sobriety (save caffeine) before I started drinking again and that worked for me.

 

[BlueHues]

Damn dude, so many of your posts speak to directly what I'm going through....

I've basically been addicted to everything throughout my life, but I've pretty much always ended up a "heroin addict" over and over again..
I've gone to meetings, had "clean time" etc...
I'm not gonna say how old I am, but lets just say, if I knocked up my girlfriend sophomore year of high-school, you might be my son! lol
People are shocked when they find out my age, because I still look and act 22...I guess I never matured!

Anyway, besides smoking weed 5-6 times, taking adderall twice and doing meth once, I've been drinking pretty regularly for the last year or so.

I never really drank that much until now, and I have to say, it's made me more depressed than anything else I've done over the years...I've never been physically addicted to alcohol, but if I go a day or so with out it, I get super anxious and get weird eye twitches and shit...It sucks

Marijuana seems to be the better option, but if you get piss tested IDK....

It's hard not to drink a beer with the guys after work when you're working a blue collar type job...IDK, it's different with everyone, but alcohol can fuck you up..I never believed it, but I'm drinking a beer right now and it just makes me cloudy

 

[opium]

true...
i mean just like you said, actually who im chilling with is a few girls, and a couple guys from work.
they all wanna have a few shots, and drink a few beers..you know like a weekend-relax from work type deal.

im just afraid that ill get to a point, where if one of them pulled out a joint or some pills...idk if ive been good long enough to say no.

sucks to have to look at it that way, but i gotta be real with myself unless i wanna end up an unemployed junkie again

 

[BlueHues]

So, IME, if I have a couple of drinks and someone pulls out a joint, I'll probably hit the joint and pop a few pills....
You might get laid. you might get away with it, who knows?

The drugs will always be there waiting for you if you wanna go back but if you're trying to stick with your plan and get your own place, watch yourself man...
You're still young and can do anything with your life!

I picked up a felony when I was 20...It still follows me around....

Just be careful and stay outta trouble!

Who wouldn't wanna hang and drink a few beers and just chill? To stay completely clean is a big commitment!

 

[opium]

exactly!

i wanna be able to chill and have a few beers...maybe even recreational fun. i just dont have enough self control. addictive genes to top, so seems like recreational and addiction have an extremely fine line for me.

seems like we got a little bit in common.

thanks for your input man. i still wanna go out..cant just hide away from the problems

 

[BlueHues]

It seems like from what you've put out there, you're on thin ice right now! Sure you're not gonna get fucked on a drug test for alcohol, but once you're buzzed and in party mode, anything could happen! What's your family gonna do if you get caught dirty and fired?!...

Of all the great drug runs I've had in my life...What enabled me to get away with them was:
1:Having my own place
2:Having a steady source of income

Don't set yourself back just to party a little bit, it's not worth it!

I don't wanna be "that guy" that tells you the years go by quick... but, people get sicker and sicker with your bullshit as time goes on! When you're 21 and haven't attempted to do shit with your life, best believe you're gonna get more looked down on than you are now!

You like the job! Just work and save money and be happy! You can always get high! Trust me, it's not goin anywhere!! There's plenty hot girls who don't drink or use drugs!
Make pussy your drug if you gotta!!!

From what I hear, you already done took it further than 99% of kids your age!....

Man up, bide your time and wait until you're in better position to start fuckin' around again!

And stay away from the real fuck ups that could land you in prison!!!

 

[opium]

thanks man. i totally feel you.
its not worth risking the job and my home life over this.

thanks for the advice man, im not gonna go

 

[BlueHues]

If you do, I wouldnt blame you...This is why they say to go to meetings, you got meet other people in the same boat....

 

[opium]

i just cant get into the whole higher power...

i believe in a lot of teachings of buddhism, which dosent really have a relation to the belief system they go by at meetings..idk man.
shits confusing. i wish i could just sleep forever haha

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Alcohol is a drug.

But I strongly disagree with the belief that everyone who has ever had an addiction to anything has to stay away from ALL drugs/alcohol forever. It completely depends on the person and situation. For example, I used to have a serious heroin addiction, but I have no problem at all with alcohol. I don't feel there is any reason for me to avoid drinking aside from personal choice, health reasons, side effects and hangovers. BUT I don't really enjoy alcohol much these days and another person might replace an addiction to one drug with an addiction to alcohol, or for someone for whom drinking is a trigger - say they had a cocaine addiction and often used cocaine while drinking or around people who were drinking, it's a wise idea for that person to stay away from alcohol. Or someone who had an addiction to benzos or another GABA-ergic would be more prone to problems with alcohol.

Alcohol can also decrease inhibitions and rational behaviour and therefore make it harder to not give into cravings for your drug of choice. Or if you drink a lot and wake up with a hangover you might want something to make you feel better and be more tempted to use. It entirely depends on the person, your situation, your drug(s) of addiction, how long ago you quit, your triggers, etc. If you are worried about it is is best to err on the side of caution and not drink.

 

[opium]

yeah i didnt go last night. i sat home, ate food, and watched tv haha.
pretty uneventful, but a lot better than risking anything over a few drinks and some chicks.

thanks for all the advice guys

maybe ill be able to trust myself, but i need to give it some more time, at least a few months.

 

[BlueHues]

^Good job man! It shows that some part of you really doesn't want to fall back into it....I don't know if you can drink without going crazy and going on a big drug run....If I have money in my pocket and I'm drunk, half the time I might just leave whatever party I'm at, go grab something and have another party somewhere else! Good decision, IMO

 

[crazycatman]

Like others have said, alcohol is a drug. It just happens to be legal.

If you've ever had problems with GABAergic drugs you may well also get addicted to alcohol.

It's one saving grace regarding physical addiction is that while drinking you feel great (for people that like it anyway), but the day after sucks. So most people never start drinking often enough to get near physical addiction. Other GABAergic drugs don't have (or have very minor) hagnovers, so you're more likely to just take them as often as possible which sooner or later causes addiction.

Weather you will take other drugs while drunk... well that's a hard one, it does lower inhibitions, but that's not a 100% guarantee that you're going to take something (for example I'd never smoke drunk or not, just don't find any enjoyment from it).

so, tl;dr

if you've had addiction problems with gabaergic drugs (benzos, ghb, ..) it would be best to stay away from alcohol as much as possible

otherwise, a few drinks here and there shouldn't hurt, provided you retain enough self control to still avoid the drugs you were addicted to

 

[laCster]

alcohol appeals to me only when i am out downtown with friends or at a party, i absolutely hate getting drunk alone, it just isnt fun for me. and alcohol can have wicked hangovers which usually deters me for drinking alcohol for a week or so.

alcohol just doesnt give euphoria likes opiates or amphetamines, or even weed IMO.

alcohol is a very dirty drug, it affects GABA, blocks-NMDA, releases serotonin, affects ACH, and also somehow increases dopamine levels (probably through MAOI) leading to a wide variety of effects which can sometimes be unpredictable.

 

[Promethazine]

Pretty much you're just substituting alcohol for whatever drug you were taking before. Not really productive in my book.