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Stimulants Difference between recreational use and addiction?

missmegandelaney

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
426
Location
Cali bby!
I use amps about once a week now.
Since six months, the longest binge I had lasted two days.
I don't really think about it untill the day before I use.
I don't fein for it.
I don't spend my whole high looking for the next.

I've been to rehab, but this time it seems totally different.

Am I being smart about my use?
 
mmmm tough to answer this one without any feelings getting hurt.
So I'll just quote one sentence and then sit on the fence.

"I've been to rehab, but this time it seems totally different"
 
Your not gonna hurt my feelings, your one of the blue lighters that I have mad respect for.

You pointed out what should have been obvious to me.
 
you are the only person that can decide if your actions are "addict-like" or that you are an addict.

try googleing signs of addiction, stories, ect.. and see if you can relate...
 
It makes it hard because I was a functional addict of sorts.

So I think addiction would be loosing your house, ect.
But according to NA, "an addict is a person whose life is controlled by drugs".
At one point mine was. but i guess once an addict always an addict
 
same, i thought that aswell and i thought i would never lose my house, but it ended up happening.
addictions always get worse, never better..

NA's definition is extremely vague, not all addicts are alike some can manage better than others, do different drugs, ect..
 
There's no such thing as a functioning addict and long as drugs are the focus of your life you are not functioning like a "normal" human being. And honestly I think you will know if you are an addict although it may take a while to understand fully
 
What is a "normal" human being? There are plenty of people who don't use drugs who are not functioning well or happy. I think a "functional addict" is just someone whose life has not been ruined by their addiction and they appear (to outsiders at least) to have a relatively normal life. Their drug use does not appear to be having a huge impact on other people. It can be someone who is physically or mentally dependent on a substance but doesn't have the extreme adverse impacts on their life stereotypically associated with addiction. "Functional addict" is kind of a problematic term, but to me it just means someone is still able to have a home, a job, a relationship, etc. Maybe they are self-medicating and their life is not all that different from the life of someone who is legitimately prescribed a similar drug. "Functional addict" can also be used to mean someone who uses drugs solely to feel normal and does not appear high or inebriated. The term is not ideal, but it is useful in reminding people than not everyone with an addiction is the same or fits the stereotype (in fact most don't fit the stereotype) and that there are many drug addicts/users out there who do not appear as obvious drug addicts. Being "functional" does not mean you are not addicted or that there is no reason to quit, however. There may be subtle adverse consequences to the person's drug use, such as feeling dependent on/controlled by something, needing a supply of the drug to function normally, spending more money than you would like on drugs, being limited as far as travel or anything else that would impact one's access to the drug, etc. While the "functional addict" is not completely out of control, they are still dependent on their drug, and that dependence is more likely to show itself when the person is under stress or does not have access to the drug. Their behaviour surrounding drugs is still not completely rational, as it is rare, if not impossible, for an addiction or dependence to an illicit drug to have no adverse consequences at all and they may no longer even be getting any benefits from the drug other than preventing withdrawal. And being a "functional addict" certainly doesn't mean it will always stay that way.

I was, for a long period of my heroin addiction, what some would consider a "functional addict". Others did not suspect me of being a drug addict, I still looked healthy, I didn't appear "high" around others and I was still able to have a good job, a home, and normal relationships. But it still impacted my life adversely, even if it wasn't obvious to other people. I wasn't free.

One thing about using a drug recreationally is that it can be very hard to sustain once you have been addicted in the past. It is extremely difficult to go back to using just for fun or occasionally for any period of time. You (the OP) need to decide and be honest with yourself about whether or not your drug use is problematic and whether or not it is worth the risk of becoming addicted.
 
I use amps about once a week now.
Since six months, the longest binge I had lasted two days.
I don't really think about it untill the day before I use.
I don't fein for it.
I don't spend my whole high looking for the next.

I've been to rehab, but this time it seems totally different.

Am I being smart about my use?

Having had an amphet addiction recently which I am still in recovery from I would say you aren't addicted. I was frequently going 4-5 days without sleep and was using amphet most days. I ended up with psychosis.

BUT you have to ask yourself why did you feel the need to start this thread. I assume your usage is causing you some problems/worry? Please expand on this if you would like to...
 
What is a "normal" human being? There are plenty of people who don't use drugs who are not functioning well or happy. I think a "functional addict" is just someone whose life has not been ruined by their addiction and they appear (to outsiders at least) to have a relatively normal life. Their drug use does not appear to be having a huge impact on other people. It can be someone who is physically or mentally dependent on a substance but doesn't have the extreme adverse impacts on their life stereotypically associated with addiction. "Functional addict" is kind of a problematic term, but to me it just means someone is still able to have a home, a job, a relationship, etc. Maybe they are self-medicating and their life is not all that different from the life of someone who is legitimately prescribed a similar drug. "Functional addict" can also be used to mean someone who uses drugs solely to feel normal and does not appear high or inebriated. The term is not ideal, but it is useful in reminding people than not everyone with an addiction is the same or fits the stereotype (in fact most don't fit the stereotype) and that there are many drug addicts/users out there who do not appear as obvious drug addicts. Being "functional" does not mean you are not addicted or that there is no reason to quit, however. There may be subtle adverse consequences to the person's drug use, such as feeling dependent on/controlled by something, needing a supply of the drug to function normally, spending more money than you would like on drugs, being limited as far as travel or anything else that would impact one's access to the drug, etc. While the "functional addict" is not completely out of control, they are still dependent on their drug, and that dependence is more likely to show itself when the person is under stress or does not have access to the drug. Their behaviour surrounding drugs is still not completely rational, as it is rare, if not impossible, for an addiction or dependence to an illicit drug to have no adverse consequences at all and they may no longer even be getting any benefits from the drug other than preventing withdrawal. And being a "functional addict" certainly doesn't mean it will always stay that way.

I was, for a long period of my heroin addiction, what some would consider a "functional addict". Others did not suspect me of being a drug addict, I still looked healthy, I didn't appear "high" around others and I was still able to have a good job, a home, and normal relationships. But it still impacted my life adversely, even if it wasn't obvious to other people. I wasn't free.

One thing about using a drug recreationally is that it can be very hard to sustain once you have been addicted in the past. It is extremely difficult to go back to using just for fun or occasionally for any period of time. You (the OP) need to decide and be honest with yourself about whether or not your drug use is problematic and whether or not it is worth the risk of becoming addicted.

I really liked this response. I guess you're right. You can't be controlled by something and be "functional."
 
Good thread, i also wanted to know this. Recently changed from weekly methcath to meth since its far better but avoided this for a while due to the long duration. The duration seriously is what makes meth shit for casual use and dangerous as well. So now instead of no sleeping Friday i dont sleep friday and sat, fortunately i dont fiend more then 2 nights, im usually feeling shit by day 3 and im lucky i have seroquel to kill it so redosing to avoid comedown isnt an issue. If you find meth use out of control due to multiple day binges, you might consider seroquel, this will allow you to stop easily in a reasonable amount of time without unnecessary redosing.
 
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