This is my first time having to kick an addiction... all your posts on this thread are really helpful. Keeping myself busy. Lots of music; lots of bonding with my wonderful, loving, never-judging dog. But damn, looking down the barrel of a permanent break from getting high is scary and depressing.
Hey simco and nice work on the ten days
There are techniques to deal with this. I really like the fellowship approach when it comes to this. You do not have to tell yourself your never ever going to use again.. even if this is your true intention.
"You never realize what you have until its gone"
"I didn't really even want it until they told me I couldn't have it"
"I Didn't Realize How Much I Loved You Until I thought You Were Gone "
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder"
We can desire what we don't or can't have very strongly. Some night clubs use this very principle to make people desire to go into the club.
Our desires and cravings come from the unconscious part of our brain. This is where love comes from. Hunger and thirst as well.
"I never knew I loved them until they were gone": The intense desire and experience of love is an emotion that has been activated to motivate the conscious to drop everything and get that person back. It was not around before they left, because they were still there and did not need any tracking down or getting back. The unconscious often does not share its thoughts and opinions, unless its needs us to solve it problems.
There are some techniques that work well to deal with this. They are little mind games we play with our unconscious minds. I like the fellowship approach a great deal on this one.
We dont ever have to tell ourselves we are never going to use again, even if this is our full intent.
"just for today" i'm not going to use.
This can allow us to get through each day without using and do it without flipping the addicted part of ourselves the fuck out. If it flips out and believes your intention is to never use again it will throw a hissy.. just like it does when someone has "thier heart broken"
Another one some people use is that when they are on their deathbed they will use again. This one may work better after a period of recovery has been maintained though.
Here is a good thread on the brain and addiction. The chapter linked on "The divided self" is great for starting to understand how the mind and addiction work. The elephant is the unconscious is naturally more powerful and is whats addicted, while the rider is the conscious mind.
The Brain and Addiction
Hope that all makes sense and helps you out. Again very nice work on the ten days:D
A man said to the Buddha, “I want Happiness.”
Buddha said, first remove “I”, that’s ego,
then remove “want”, that’s desire.
See now you are left with only Happiness.