Is taking other drugs taking a break?

[doofhard]

I go out nearly every weekend and consume 2-3 pills on a night out. I would love to go back to one a night but don't really want to give up all the goods. If you take other drugs instead eg. speed or 1,4B does this work as a break still. I understand it's not a break from drugs but will it make E work better after not having just that for a while.

 

[johnboy]

Well taking any of the other drugs you mentioned is going to put stress on your brains neurochemistry so I'd say it isn't going to help.

Thinking that "ecstasy=serotonin" "speed=dopamine" etc is way too simplistic, and thinking that if you give one drug a break, the corresponding neurotransmitter will get better is also not helpful.

Your brain, and body, are far more complicated than that, and if you are feeling the need for a break you should consider having a break from everything. Sorry if that isn't the advice you wanted but you have to think holistically when it comes to looking after yourself.

 

[nc.]

If you are after an increased effect of drugs, take a break from as many substances as possible and then come back.

 

[SteveElektro]

While not the best harm min. advice I know, from subjective experience I can say that if you get off E and just take speed for a while, it will make the E work well again.

 

[goatyoghurt]

Maybe a break from all froms of amphetamines may be on the cards ?

 

[BigTrancer]

In general terms, trying to break a psychological dependence by turning to another drug is simply diverting the nature of the compulsion - you're still taking 'something' by habit. I also think that sometimes when people want to have a break from drugs, and make themselves stay home instead of going out and taking pills, it reinforces the idea that you must take 'something' to enjoy yourself when you're out.

But, that being said, if that's what it takes to limit your intake and enforce a break, then go for it. Subsitution of speed for MDMA on the other hand, is definitely not the best advice, because you can easily develop a dependence on speed.

Enforcing abstinence upon yourself through willpower is the only way to convince yourself you've broken the dependence. I caution against the idea of choosing a 'short' break, because it's too easy to hold out for a couple of weeks and then 'reward' yourself with a binge. The goal, IMO, should be to reduce your dose slowly, and then take longer and longer breaks between doses, until you realise that you're completely in control.

If you absolutely must substitute one drug for another because you just cannot bring yourself to abstain altogether, it's my opinion you should try to choose a drug that is EASIER to get off than the first one. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a deeper hole than before.

BigTrancer

 

[hoptis]

A close friend and I were talking on Saturday about breaks (while we were off our heads of course) and he said that while it's all good and well to stay home and not go out, it's much better if you can take a break but stay in your environment. That is, to continue to go and hang out with friends, go to clubs or whatever it is you normally do but without the substances. That is, it makes you mentally stronger.

Ultimately, I think whether substitution is okay depends on the reasons why you need to take a break. For example, I'm sick of dealing with the emotional headfuck of it all and I'm sick of spending the first three days of the week in Zombie-land. None of the other drugs that I know of can fuck with my head the way pills do, so I have no problem substituting them for ecstacy.

Speed I only do to stay awake, coke is too expensive, pot makes me stare at the walls so the only viable option is alcohol.

 

[johnboy]

Speed I only do to stay awake, coke is too expensive, pot makes me stare at the walls so the only viable option is alcohol.

Hence alcohol's long running (6000 years at least) and continuing popularity. Not saying it is "safe", far from it, but it can be the lesser of evils.

 

[SteveElektro]

It seems to me that his question is not regarding dependance or the need to quit drugs entirely, he just wants to be able to go out on only one pill again. Like I said before, for me speed doesn't seem to affect my brains tolerance to MDMA, at least not subjectively. But as is mentioned, developing a speed habit is not great idea.
Instead of taking pills every weekend, why not at least try to limit your ecstacy intake to once every 2 or 3 weeks, you'll find you'll get alot more out of a good pill that way. The weeks in between you could go sober, but if thats an impossibility, just have a drink or something.
If you are having speed and/or 1,4b with ecstacy anyway at the moment, just hold back on the ecstacy for a couple of weeks. This won't be a 'break from drugs' so to speak, but the magic, in my experience , will come back.

 

[middle finger]

In a way I believe taking other drugs is a break. An example for me to a lesser extent is weed. Normally I smoke quite a bit of weed. When I stop or cut down, I usually hit the cigarettes. I am still causing damage to my lungs, but it is giving my brain a chance to recover from all the weed. And when I do smoke after that, I will get really stoned. It's still not the ideal situation though, stopping pills to take speed isn't the smartest way to "have a break".

 

[Timmmmmy]

kind of off topic, but would anyone care to comment on the relative harm of BDO compared to alcohol? in the context of using it as your substance of choice when out socialising...

 

[BigTrancer]

*bump*

 

[doofhard]

Im glad this thread is back again I started it a while ago when I was thinking of taking a break and now I really am going to take one.

I know I am definately taking a break from pills for a while an I do personally think I could go out straight and have an absolute ball, but I have had this conversation with my friends.

They seem to think if I go out without I will bring anyone I talk to down, I know this is a bad way to think but some people around here have to have some first hand experience with going out straight.

What happens when people ask that most common question "What have you had tonight?" and I say "Na I'm straight" Will this end the conversation because they are looking for a scattered talk with someone fucked. Or can people except the fact that someone doesn't have to be off chops to enjoy themselves.

I'm sure some people here have gone out straight whats it like it's been years for me and I honestly can't remember?

The other thing I was thinking about doing was ringing someone like Ravesafe and asking if they need any volenteers to help out at raves. Those guys always have fun but never look fucked!

 

[En_warp]

it's funny going out straight because you notice alot of funny shit that otherwise will go unnoticed due to being off chops.

 

[gOOgster]

doofhard...

geez with mates like that, who needs enemies?? Im glad to see their being supportive and the caring mates that they are. if you really want a break you need you're mates supporting you and getting behind you to make the break easier instead of being tempters, piss takers or just plain moronic.

I have tried many times now to have a break, and ive found that for me it was something more or less i had to ease into. its very difficult to stop cranking it for say, 6 months, after you've been going hard for well over 18 months, as is the case in my example. I think you have to adopt a realistic approach and accept that yyou'regoing to fuck up here and there, but just keep chipping away at.

Ddon'tthink that going out and not being off chops isnisn'ting to be fun - recently i have had an absolute blast sitting back at some events with a bourbon and coke and just taking it all in. ive hi'vesome piss funny conversations with heaps of off tappers and believe me the conversations ddon'tstop when you say you've had nothing - you should watch the look of disbelief on people's faces at 8am when you say you're running on natural. So believe me when i say its a completely 'new' experience that certainly iisn'tthe end of the world (although somewhat less energetic shall we say).

I also believe that in some respects you can fool yourself into thinking that your off tap when you really araren't You know the sensation, you know what it feels like, how you dance on it etc etc. If you want to get on the same level as everyone, a few drinks and thinking back to a time you were really peaking will kind of put you in the same mindset and you can quite easily relate to other off tappers and talk absolute bullshit all night - it helps me anyway.

The other side of the coin is that you will unfortunately start to notice the seedier aspects of the scene, the dodgy hook ups, the bikies, the wankers. I used to go out and never once be concerned or think 'shit, i better not accidently bump this dude' and so on. this can also be a useful reminder that as much as we would like to think the whole world is full of PLUR, realistically there iisn'treally as much about. It certainly opened my eyes a little and made me realise that perhaps you don't really miss out on too much when you go home at 2am.

good luck with it dude, the next bourbs is on me.

 

[phase_dancer]

The other thing I was thinking about doing was ringing someone like Ravesafe and asking if they need any volenteers to help out at raves.

IMO some of the best advice you could give yourself doofhard. You'll be required to stay straight if you decide to work with Ravesafe. With that you'll likely gain an unusual sense of satisfaction - something which feels great at the end of a night - knowing so many have been made safer because of your input.

You would likely make a great RS assistant as you've been/are a user and don't seem to be (yet?) disillusioned with the scene. Depending on how the RS Team works and the position you're given, if you decide to join I would think you should be able to readily identify those in need and relate well to those you assisted.

Those guys always have fun but never look fucked!

Just wait till they get home

Good luck with having a break. Focusing on assisting those in need can be a great reinforcer.

 

[melancholic]

If the main reason you're taking a break from MDMA is simply to reduce your tolerance, then you should probably be prepared to take a longer break than you realised. Sure if you've been dropping 2 or 3 every weekend for a couple of months, taking a 2 week break might make the first following pill come on a little stronger, but ultimately its going to take much longer.

Reducing a common dose from 2 or 3 to 1, is a big step, and it will probably take at least a few months to reduce your tolerance that much.

As suggested above, I think the easiest way is to ease into a lower dose over a long period. If you're used to 3, have 2 and a half, for a month, then reduce it again, and so on.

 

[Pleonastic]

What happens when people ask that most common question "What have you had tonight?" and I say "Na I'm straight" Will this end the conversation because they are looking for a scattered talk with someone fucked. Or can people except the fact that someone doesn't have to be off chops to enjoy themselves.

It might end the conversation, but if it does, then does it really matter? If someone loses interest in talking to you because you admit you're not on drugs, then chances are they weren't a very interesting person anyway. There's plenty of people at parties that like to talk to other people, but don't want to have their ears chewed off by some sweaty munted person who can't string a logical sentence together that doesn't involve talking about what's good and what's not. Seek them out - they'll probably be relieved to have a conversation with someone straight.

If they don't want to talk to you, then don't worry about it - you haven't lost anything. In the real world, unlike on pills, not everyone is interested in what you have to say. But if you find someone who is then it can be much more rewarding. Plus if they're hot then you might get some action later, since all your bits downstairs will be working!

 

[doofhard]

melancholic I don't know whether you read my thread wrong or I wrote it wrong but I think I said Im taking a three month break. I know if I just waited a couple of weeks then nothing would change.

I'm still not exactly sure what my aim is though its definatly to lower my intake ie. 1 pill for the night but when I have it I don't know if i'll dump the whole pill to get munted (which I love) or to start to enjoy MDMA at lower levels ie. 1/2 or 1/3s and be able to actually move around with just that little bit of extra confidence and euphoria feeling.

No. 2. is the smarter choice but I suppose it will depended on how I feel then.

Oh well this weekend is the first one to cheak off i'm going out tonight but already decided to just drink a little bit and bring some big fat J's.
%)

 

[hoptis]

The other side of the coin is that you will unfortunately start to notice the seedier aspects of the scene, the dodgy hook ups, the bikies, the wankers. I used to go out and never once be concerned or think 'shit, i better not accidently bump this dude' and so on. this can also be a useful reminder that as much as we would like to think the whole world is full of PLUR, realistically there iisn'treally as much about. It certainly opened my eyes a little and made me realise that perhaps you don't really miss out on too much when you go home at 2am.

Truer words have nought been spoken. Here's the irony, all scenes come with it's good and it's bad... without drugs though, you can certainly notice a lot more of what's going on around you and suddenly the scene you once felt so positively (or is that naive) about doesn't seem so perfect when you see some of the other stuff that goes down in a straight light.



Doesn't mean it's all bad, but you begin to see things for what they are.