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Recovery How can I help my son through crack withdraws

A

amyamyeppie

Greenlighter
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
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My son is here after a fight where his sperm donor grabbed up a hatchet. He wants to get off crack. He says he gets angry going through it but never made it past the withdrawal part. How can I help see him through?
 
Crack withdrawal is largely psychological, though short term use of benzodiazepenes can be of some benefit initially to keep him calm and help regulate sleep. Healthy diet, exercise and sleep will all help with recovery. A strong support network can be invaluable too. There are many groups such as SMART, NA etc that may help develop such a network along with friends and family. Physically he should not suffer much in the way of withdrawals. Best of luck to you and your son.
 
BK38 said:
Crack withdrawal is largely psychological, though short term use of benzodiazepenes can be of some benefit initially to keep him calm and help regulate sleep. Healthy diet, exercise and sleep will all help with recovery. A strong support network can be invaluable too. There are many groups such as SMART, NA etc that may help develop such a network along with friends and family. Physically he should not suffer much in the way of withdrawals. Best of luck to you and your son.
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Thank you. He's worried about the psychological part. Hasn't made it more than a week before and he's not sure he can do it. He says he gets angry and mean and doesn't want to do that here. I'm really concerned about the lows and suicidal urges.There's stuff he won't do rn, like inpatient etc... He doesn't want outpatient either. I understand bc ik his history with the "official" supports and the system that are supposed to help people and having trust in them bit him in the but. I'll check out the SMART and look into NA around here, at least I'll be armed with information and open doors. Another concern he has is tending to let his hygiene go during withdrawals, that's one of the things he has to keep up on to stay here. I was wondering if a rough idea of a daily schedule/routine for basics like sleeping, showering, trying to eat might be helpful. I want to support him through this in the way that works for him. He's 20, idk if that matters. He's so slender right now and my mommy urges to feed and love him are so strong. Thank you for answering. Oh! I also saw where one person did well with a spray bottle and titrating themselves down. I'm guessing it's a nasal spray bottle but I haven't seen any of them where the cap comes off. This is where I come for answers for myself when Google searches only come up with xyz go straight to rehab. I'm grateful for this space.
 
TBH Crack withdrawals come quick and go quick , if he hass been off crack for a week. or at least 3 days he is just craving it. like crack will make u feel good for 5 mins, then FIEN for it for 30mins, then hate life for the next 3hrs to 10 before u sleep if possible. idk but i do know that if he takes some type of anxiety medicine, klonopin, xanax, even Lyrica, that will ease the withdrawal from crack and not make him so pissed off he doesnt have any crack lol... crack is expenisve af because like i said it wears off after 5 minutes its very similar to fentanyl actually without the physical withdrawal of fentanyl. i think crack which is cocaine is just more of a mental thing.. this is from experience btw,
 
amyamyeppie said:
I'm grateful for this space.
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Lots of good info here.

I think it is important to remember that the first few days are tough mentally. Like a black hole trying to suck you back in. But the longer a person is away from a drug the less pull it has and other areas of life take over. If it did not get easier then no one would quit anything ever. So the obsession will go away. But the obsession is what the pull is the first few days.

I had a cocaine addiction in the 80's but opiates were my main downfall. But for a few months I kept going back to cocaine. It didn't help my family was running a service station off of I-10 in Houston. My dealer was the rodeo champ of that time in the area. He would come in in his cadillac, tell me no money needed right now and that it is fire right up from SA. So yeah, it was tough. But I got away.

Cocaine deals with the reward system, so maybe your son can take a road trip or vacation, anything he likes to do AFTER taking the bull by the horns. It is also important to know in time he will feel better. It is just that we are complex human beings and all the issues the drugs were pushing aside come back up. That is where the support system helps.

So yeah, maybe a trip to Hawaii after a month of abstinence. :) Something to look forward too. But under no circumstances should any form of enabling happen. It is not negotiable. That is the vibe where it should start. As his mother look him confidently him in they eyes, understand it is tough, but has to be done. No excuses. He is not the first crack addict and certainly will not be the last. No enabling. He is 20, young, strong and can wrestle this bull to the ground. I say that because my mother did not take any crap from me when I had to live with her at times. She set the ground rules and I can say years later it helped.
 
amyamyeppie said:
I'll check out the SMART and look into NA around here, at least I'll be armed with information and open doors.
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In truth, this is all you can do, and what you should do. Unconditional love and support when he asks for it. Be informed. Maybe go to an al-anon meeting.

You are unfortunately powerless over his recovery and sobriety. "You can lead a horse to water, but can't make it drink."

When I was 16 I went to my mother for help after recogizing I was powerless over heroin. She had the best intentions, but I was forced into a series of involuntary inpatient programs until the day I turned 18, and this immensely backfired. It wasn't until my later 20s that I truly wanted to get sober, after much pain and hitting rock bottom multiple times.

There are two main ways addicts eventually get sober; they mature out of it, or they hit rock bottom. He is still young, and may have some time yet before he gets there. Everyone has their own path, timing, and journey to recovery.

There may come a time when you need to set some emotional boundaries for yourself, if his actions become detrimental to your own peace of mind.

Best wishes.
 
JackARoe said:
Lots of good info here.

I think it is important to remember that the first few days are tough mentally. Like a black hole trying to suck you back in. But the longer a person is away from a drug the less pull it has and other areas of life take over. If it did not get easier then no one would quit anything ever. So the obsession will go away. But the obsession is what the pull is the first few days.

I had a cocaine addiction in the 80's but opiates were my main downfall. But for a few months I kept going back to cocaine. It didn't help my family was running a service station off of I-10 in Houston. My dealer was the rodeo champ of that time in the area. He would come in in his cadillac, tell me no money needed right now and that it is fire right up from SA. So yeah, it was tough. But I got away.

Cocaine deals with the reward system, so maybe your son can take a road trip or vacation, anything he likes to do AFTER taking the bull by the horns. It is also important to know in time he will feel better. It is just that we are complex human beings and all the issues the drugs were pushing aside come back up. That is where the support system helps.

So yeah, maybe a trip to Hawaii after a month of abstinence. :) Something to look forward too. But under no circumstances should any form of enabling happen. It is not negotiable. That is the vibe where it should start. As his mother look him confidently him in they eyes, understand it is tough, but has to be done. No excuses. He is not the first crack addict and certainly will not be the last. No enabling. He is 20, young, strong and can wrestle this bull to the ground. I say that because my mother did not take any crap from me when I had to live with her at times. She set the ground rules and I can say years later it helped.
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I'll have to come up with something a lot cheaper than Hawaii on 900 a month lol.. And I will do my best to stand strong like your Mom. Ty for kind words and good advise
 
I have never been a coke/crack addict but i did use alot of coke a few years back. The hardest part for me was the coke dreams i had which take forever to go away. Quitting coke reminded me alot of quitting cigs actually its so fucking hard mentally
 
paranoid android said:
The hardest part for me was the coke dreams i had which take forever to go away.
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The dreams are the worst.

Even though I haven't touched cocaine in 6 years, and heroin for 11 years, I still occasionally dream about them. The high, especially that first strong one, makes a powerful impact on the psyche and subconscious. The dragon.

The dreams were always emotionally traumatic when in early recovery, really throws you under the bus and ruins the morning.

paranoid android said:
Quitting coke reminded me alot of quitting cigs actually its so fucking hard mentally
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Indeed. About 90% psychological. The physical withdrawal is minimal and can be overcome with positive mindset, but very difficult to maintain that positivity.
 
I've known people who still get cravings even being clean from it for decades, not to dissuade you, but it is a continuous process. PAWS can go on for quite some time. I think that it would be helpful to make sure he knows some ways of dealing with cravings. Most of us have them at times. Staying busy is one of mine that works fairly well. And probably good to explore why he started in the first place, to make sure there aren't underlying conditions that he was trying to self-medicate about. Quite a beast. I have a lot of admiration for you for the assitance you're trying to give him.

Tapering down probably doesn't make much sense, by my layman's opinion. The longer he can function while relying on the minimum of crutches, drugs and otherwise, the better, and the more he can return to a healthy equilibrium, homeostasis, faster. Might be hard to do this, but let's face it, we're talking about crack, not coffee.

Good to know what he's up against to an extent, and to trust the system to an extent, though its far from perfect. At 20, he has a strong chance at getting over it, I figure.

Will pray for you and them tonight.
 
AlphaMethylPhenyl said:
I've known people who still get cravings even being clean from it for decades, not to dissuade you, but it is a continuous process. PAWS can go on for quite some time. I think that it would be helpful to make sure he knows some ways of dealing with cravings. Most of us have them at times. Staying busy is one of mine that works fairly well. And probably good to explore why he started in the first place, to make sure there aren't underlying conditions that he was trying to self-medicate about. Quite a beast. I have a lot of admiration for you for the assitance you're trying to give him.

Tapering down probably doesn't make much sense, by my layman's opinion. The longer he can function while relying on the minimum of crutches, drugs and otherwise, the better, and the more he can return to a healthy equilibrium, homeostasis, faster. Might be hard to do this, but let's face it, we're talking about crack, not coffee.

Good to know what he's up against to an extent, and to trust the system to an extent, though its far from perfect. At 20, he has a strong chance at getting over it, I figure.

Will pray for you and them tonight.
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Thank you, I really appreciate your prayers and all the information
 
I misread, I'm not going to force him into rehab, ik this is all up to him for the most part. It's a choice he's gonna have to make multiple times every day.
Snafu in the Void said:
In truth, this is all you can do, and what you should do. Unconditional love and support when he asks for it. Be informed. Maybe go to an al-anon meeting.

You are unfortunately powerless over his recovery and sobriety. "You can lead a horse to water, but can't make it drink."

When I was 16 I went to my mother for help after recogizing I was powerless over heroin. She had the best intentions, but I was forced into a series of involuntary inpatient programs until the day I turned 18, and this immensely backfired. It wasn't until my later 20s that I truly wanted to get sober, after much pain and hitting rock bottom multiple times.

There are two main ways addicts eventually get sober; they mature out of it, or they hit rock bottom. He is still young, and may have some time yet before he gets there. Everyone has their own path, timing, and journey to recovery.

There may come a time when you need to set some emotional boundaries for yourself, if his actions become detrimental to your own peace of mind.

Best wishes
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amyamyeppie said:
It's a choice he's gonna have to make multiple times every day.
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Absolutely.

Most of the opinions you'll receive here are from experienced older addicts.

Inpatient is only useful if a person truly is ready to quit. Otherwise, it's a waste of money and time.

Ask any older addict how many inpatient rehabs they went through before getting sober. It's fruitless, sometimes.

We unfortunately live in a world where within the US addicts are considered a commodity. Their insurance is a windfall for certain people. Some of them are even predatory, predicated on an illusion of helping.

I am not saying rehab doesn't save lives, it does, but more often than not for 20 year olds it is more or less a waste of money and time if they are funnelled into an institution they did not ask for.

Dedication gets people sober, rehab can be one of many tools for that, but not some magic answer.
 
It helps sometimes as a deterrent or a wake up call.
Honesty and being as realistic as possible.
It is a beginning.

Snafu in the Void said:
Absolutely.

Most of the opinions you'll receive here are from experienced older addicts.

Inpatient is only useful if a person truly is ready to quit. Otherwise, it's a waste of money and time.

Ask any older addict how many inpatient rehabs they went through before getting sober. It's fruitless, sometimes.

We unfortunately live in a world where within the US addicts are considered a commodity. Their insurance is a windfall for certain people. Some of them are even predatory, predicated on an illusion of helping.

I am not saying rehab doesn't save lives, it does, but more often than not for 20 year olds it is more or less a waste of money and time if they are funnelled into an institution they did not ask for.

Dedication gets people sober, rehab can be one of many tools for that, but not some magic answer.
Click to expand...


But you are right again so much. Nice words. <3
 
He has been in placement, been through the system, done involuntary outpatient. That kind of deterrent made it harder on all of us. He's self medicating and imo afraid to face some of his demons head on and I've met some of these demons and they're pretty scary. Um, I mean I know a lot of the things that haunt him, we've been through a lot together and apart. I'm an alcoholic who wishes to be a simple pothead. His dad has a crack issue as well. It feels like we're up against a generational curse of violence and addiction
 
That's tough. Never did crack, thankfully. But in some prisons and jails it can be easy to get drugs too, if things come to that. Still keeping you in my prayers <3
 
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