amphetamine recovery

[uacvax]

it's been a long time since i've posted but I wanted to see if anyone else could comment on the experiences that i've had regarding amphetamines/meth. I took adderall in ever increasing doses for about 3 years and ever since I stopped taking it 4 years ago it feels like I've been unable to take interest in the things I used to. Now I've read that methamphetamine pretty much permanently depletes dopamine in the striatum, causing a decrease in reward-dependent behaviors as well as motivation and that's pretty much how I feel. But then again I also hear of people who've used tweak in the past and now they pretty much seem fine so I wanted to hear from other people's experiences regarding this.

Do you feel like using uppers has changed you, and if so in what ways? I think one thing I notice is that coffee usually makes me tired now when it didn't so much before.

 

[pastelcircus]

uppers will drain you as long as you let them,
good work on having decided not to do that anymore
it might take a long time until you have the drive to do what you like doing again, because uppers usually take that process as their own
eventually, even the smallest personal triumphs done sober will mean more than a million done under the influence
uppers definitely had a hold of me for a while,
focus is somthing that i struggle with since then, and several other bluelighters have said something along those lines as well
so it eventually comes down to is finding what you have a natural concentration towards and honing in on that.
the bad news is that addiction lasts a life time,
but the good news is that you can take control and make conscious efforts to take the reins now.

 

[Snarky91]

I don't know anything about the long-lived, lasting effects of meth abuse, but it's a near certainty that abuse of pharm amphetamines a half dozen years ago is unrelated to the lack of motivation you have today. Perhaps try focusing on a more relevant/proximate cause for your issues and avoid creating a possible false justification for using drugs again.

 

[Legerity]

They've probably changed me in some ways but I've never really had any long-term problems. It could be from the amphetamines or it there could also be other reasons why you are no longer able to enjoy certain activities. If several years have passed then maybe there are some proactive steps you can take to find other sources of enjoyment.