Does meth induced psychosis subside after sobriety?.

[letsparty]

The answer to this question for myself was: yes, but holy God does it take some time and a whole lot of work.

I went through a mega-relapse on methamphetamine last year, just over a year on from having completed 12 months parole (following a 7 year bid). I attempted a move across state, to a town I had a lot of history with. It didn't work out - not only did the psychological cracks start to show in the few weeks that I was there, but I relapsed as well. I came back home, stayed with family a while, but I also brought an ounce of crystal back with me. It was an absolute hellish two months of use, including an involuntary committal and culminating in my homelessness.

Once I stopped, though, the psychosis didn't. I was still dealing with residual delusions of people following me, grand conspiracies hatched against me, voices and psychotic narratives that just completely dominated my life, even while I tried to lay the blocks to rebuild it. It was terrible. I tried to commit suicide while I was using, and I tried after I quit for that precise reason - the psychosis didn't, and I thought that was my new reality. I was crazy, but just sane enough to know it. Pure hell. But slowly - and I do mean slllloooowwwllyy - and with a hell of a lot of work, much of it rooted in past CBT/RBT training, I was able to rebuild healthy thought processes and behaviors in my day to day, just constantly and incessantly bolstering and reinforcing myself TO myself, inundating my head with a stream of Positive Self Talk. I found over time that if I changed my foremost thoughts to align with positivity, the voices started talking positive too, and I realized the whole time, I was the voice... hard to explain and I'm sure I'm doing a bad job of it lol, and I hate to sound like the whole 'pull yourself up by the bootstraps' thing, but all I'm saying is... for myself, just putting my head down and working, working, trusting the process of it all, both internally and externally, but this:

With faith, time and ambition, everything's gonna be aight.

Thanks man. This is a great perspective and what I was looking for ( along with others that have replied)
I have seen some of your other posts and it looks like you have really put yourself through the ringer..
Glad you're doing better man

 

[rentedbythehour]

The answer to this question for myself was: yes, but holy God does it take some time and a whole lot of work.

I went through a mega-relapse on methamphetamine last year, just over a year on from having completed 12 months parole (following a 7 year bid). I attempted a move across state, to a town I had a lot of history with. It didn't work out - not only did the psychological cracks start to show in the few weeks that I was there, but I relapsed as well. I came back home, stayed with family a while, but I also brought an ounce of crystal back with me. It was an absolute hellish two months of use, including an involuntary committal and culminating in my homelessness.

Once I stopped, though, the psychosis didn't. I was still dealing with residual delusions of people following me, grand conspiracies hatched against me, voices and psychotic narratives that just completely dominated my life, even while I tried to lay the blocks to rebuild it. It was terrible. I tried to commit suicide while I was using, and I tried after I quit for that precise reason - the psychosis didn't, and I thought that was my new reality. I was crazy, but just sane enough to know it. Pure hell. But slowly - and I do mean slllloooowwwllyy - and with a hell of a lot of work, much of it rooted in past CBT/RBT training, I was able to rebuild healthy thought processes and behaviors in my day to day, just constantly and incessantly bolstering and reinforcing myself TO myself, inundating my head with a stream of Positive Self Talk. I found over time that if I changed my foremost thoughts to align with positivity, the voices started talking positive too, and I realized the whole time, I was the voice... hard to explain and I'm sure I'm doing a bad job of it lol, and I hate to sound like the whole 'pull yourself up by the bootstraps' thing, but all I'm saying is... for myself, just putting my head down and working, working, trusting the process of it all, both internally and externally, but this:

With faith, time and ambition, everything's gonna be aight

After living with someone who experienced psychosis, I completely understand this. We stopped using together. It took about 6 months for him to be able to function enough to get a job. I think the biggest difference was that he never knew he wasn't having a great time. I think he was just so into his head, that's where he stayed. It didn't matter what he was doing, where he was, who he was with, he was always in his head. I don't want to sound cliche but I'm proud of you. It's not easy what you did.

 

[rentedbythehour]

I read it ..looks good on paper but I don't trust Trump to do anything the way he says...he's been proven a liar since before he was in office.. the laws on his order are already in place in most states so the only thing I foresee happening is our tax dollars paying for military and cops handling it like they / Ice handled the immigration issue .

Maybe it's because the state I live in doesn't really do involuntary commitment, but that part bothered me. I know there are still laws that cover involuntary commitment if someone is seriously mentally ill or a danger to themselves or others but now that will apply to homeless people in general. There is no time limit on how long they can keep you. It just says 'shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order.' I guess the way I read it was if you happen to be homeless with mental health issues or substance abuse issues, they can put you away somewhere out of sight pretty much indefinitely. It did say at the bottom they would cut funding for harm reduction and safe injection sites and increase funding for evidence based programs, like expanding drug courts and mental health courts. It's a seriously outdated policy. I wish the man had a little bit of intelligence and common sense.

 

[Psychlone Jack]

After living with someone who experienced psychosis, I completely understand this. We stopped using together. It took about 6 months for him to be able to function enough to get a job. I think the biggest difference was that he never knew he wasn't having a great time. I think he was just so into his head, that's where he stayed. It didn't matter what he was doing, where he was, who he was with, he was always in his head. I don't want to sound cliche but I'm proud of you. It's not easy what you did.

Thanks man. This is a great perspective and what I was looking for ( along with others that have replied)
I have seen some of your other posts and it looks like you have really put yourself through the ringer..
Glad you're doing better man

Thank you very much, the both of you.

If I could boil my advise for someone in a similar situation down to a sentence or two, it'd be: Survival, first and foremost... take care of your basic needs, allow yourself the opportunity and the arena to heal. Diet, exercise, work and most importantly TIME are the ingredients that will be your cure. If you abstain, if you work, you WILL recover.

 

[opiatekrzy]

I went through methamphetamine psychosis pretty badly. It took a good three months for my psychosis to go away after I stopped using meth. That includes paranoia delusion auditory hallucinations visual disturbances

 

[opiatekrzy]

I had to be put on risperdal to counteract The psychosis which helps

 

[aspiringchemist]

I experienced a first psychotic break, meth and trauma induced, in June of 2022. Much of the psychosis has resolved and I function normally. Hold a job. You wouldn’t know it if you talked to me. However, I still hear voices. It’s been 4 years and they’re constantly chattering. I’m aware it’s a hallucination and don’t get delusional. But I am very apathetic to the thought that they’ll ever go away. I’m 98% better than I was when the break happened, full psychosis for months. I’m prescribed adderall and use it daily. I wonder if this has anything to do with the voices still being present.

Thanks for making this thread

 

[opiatekrzy]

I'm willing to bet you have some sort of partial psychosis that developed from adderall use. your more prone to psychosis since you have a history for sure

 

[M!$TER-ED]

As far as psychosis, mine stemmed from chemicals which may or may not be similar to meth, however, speaking directly about psychosis I've had 3 distinct episodes of psychosis in my lifetime. In all three episodes my mind was wiped out, I had to start over again learning basic living and survival skills. I had no memory or ability to make decisions like should I sit in the chair or couch..in my mind I thought if I chose wrong there would devastating consequences. I had to model people around me to learn simple skills that at one came naturally. It was the hardest thing I've ever experienced losing your mind and putting it back together. It is possible though.

A lot depends on the individual.