"Method of Use" / Ritual Addiction?

[vine000]

Hi,

Heroin user got to everyday for a few months purely smoking off foil (chasing the dragon), got clean thanks to suboxone but relapsed last week so withdrawing this week again, the cravings to smoke have been the worst, got meth and the pipe is helpful. How do you get over these behavioural ritual addictions? It's like I enjoy the whole pipe experience and then basically don't feel anything from the drug itself.

This happened earlier in the year with snorting, I became obsessed with snorting drugs, not even for their effect, loved just snorting ambien particularly but anything, crushing up pills and snorting.

The METHOD and behaviour associated with the effects of the drug become the primary addiction for me. Any tips/experiences?

Thanks

 

[neversickanymore]

Hey vine. Here is the explanation I have for this. I have been thinking quite a bit about the phenomenon of the ritual and why we do this. Here is what I think it is... I f you take a minute to watch this video and if we tie in the idea of loving to do the ritual but then not getting high off the drugs we can equate this to what happens with the monkey and the dopamine from the juice. The researchers hooked the dopamine monitors up to the monkeys brain and were surprised to see the dopamine response getting earlier and earlier in the process of getting the juice. This same effect is likely what is happening with drug rituals. Initially we received the dopamine burst with the drug itself.. but now as time has passed we get the dopamine earlier and earlier, so we get it when we are preparing to use the substance. This is why people will sometimes get really nauseous on the way to score their drugs, cause they are already are getting hammered with the dopamine. Here is this short audio program on dopamine which has the part about the monkey. You can also tie in allot of compulsive behaviors of tweakers to the ideas they discuss about pattern seeking behavior associated with dopamine.



Congratulations on jumping off again.

 

[ohshea]

^oh man thats so true, when i was in my iv coke addiction it got to the point where id throw up while fixing the shot, before id even done any.

 

[NotaCaterpillar]

NSAM, thats really interesting, thanks. I know when I used if I was dopesick I would feel a bit better once I knew for sure I was getting dope. Ive heard other junkies say that too. Perhaps its the same effect?

 

[elittle]

I quit meth for almost 8 years and the thoughts of twirling the pipe and making pipes in my garage for days on end were still going through my mind all day, sometimes for hours at a time. Even after 8 years off it I would still think about the whole ritual once or twice a week. I had a whole shop set up to blow glass. I had mapp torches, propane torches, dremel tools for cutting/scoring glass, shears for cutting the red hot glass to seal the ends of the tubes, it was a whole ritual I followed.

After 8 years off it one night I got blacked out drunk and got really high smoking meth and that night ended badly. I didn't touch the stuff again for years. I went on a small run a while back and now I'm trying like hell not to get any more of it.

Like I saw in another post on this thread, I would crash when the meth ran out for 2 or 3 days, only getting up to piss once a day then back to sleep. As soon as someone I knew was at the door with the sack or I knew it was going to be at my place soon it was like I was already high again. Just knowing it was almost there was enough to snap me out of it.

The best tip I could give you is if you really want to quit using black or meth or whatever it is you're using is get back on your subs if you can and try and find stuff to keep yourself busy. I know that sounds like bullshit like it does to me sometimes but I know a lot of people that have quit all this stuff that tell me the same thing.

It's a habit you've built up over months or years just like smoking cigs or drinking coffee. You're programmed to want to do it. The only way to change that behavior is to try and replace it with something else.

I should add my FAVORITE way to do good meth is a nice fat 2 or 3 point rail. Over the three years I used it daily I came to fall in love with the burn of good meth. It puts me into a quick rage then a super calm mood followed by a gigantic rush. After I open my eyes and tears start streaming out and I can feel it start to kick in, that's the shit right there. I crave the burn and euphoric rush I get right after snorting it more than the high that lasts hours after.

Get back on subs, talk to a shrink, go to rehab, do a 12 step thing, find something that works to get the thoughts of the ritual/behavior out of your head, most of all don't use anything if you really want to stop. I know that is way easier said than done, I've tried to quit various substances something like 20+ times now I think. I know subs won't stop you from using meth but it's a start.

Eventually you'll be forced to make a choice and it might not be choices you like and having to choose which pile of shit to eat really sucks.

Or you could just die from it like a lot of people I know.

Good luck.

 

[Allein]

I've been very much a 'poly drug user' I've had long term habits for various substances but it's my belief that I'm strongly drawn to the rituals of use, every habit and RoA has its little quirks and in retrospect much of my behaviours are obsessive, add stimulants to the mix and there is a great recipe for disappearing up you own rear end 8)

I'm still working out a great deal of this stuff out, my advice is to get rid of anything that you associate with your substance abuse issues, not just the obvious stuff, the little tins, the boxes, that stash of zip lock plastic bags...why do i still collect those things ?? I've whittled this stuff down to one small tin of 'articles'. This purging process does seem to be directly linked to my actual drug use which is much reduced these days but still lingers in a dark corner...along with that tin