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Old habits, coming back to haunt me!

mcffy

Greenlighter
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
8
33 days clean from suboxone! (Yes!) I don't know if it's just me but now thinking about all the drugs I've ever done before suboxone and have "almost" cravings for random shit. Got on sub to kick pain meds, (ten yr habit, 28yrs old) did sub for two years and decided it was enough. So thirty plus days later and now thinking about other drugs and what they felt like and wanting to do dumb shit. (Not going to but wth??) Not even wanting sub anymore. Is it common for previous drug interests to return after sub use and withdrawal? Confused. Even dreaming about other things on a nightly basis. Anyway, life is still so much better overall. Still have bad days but was well informed about everything with the exception of "high dreaming/wanting" it's like I've lost a loved one or something.
 
Its completely normal. Your brain chemistry is still pretty out of whack at the point your at so you shouldn't expect to feel normal yet. In a philosophical sense you have lost something very important to you. I always associated opiates with an abusive lover. So I think its natural to morn that loss. After all you hope to be leaving that entire part of your life behind.

Are you in therapy or getting any kind of professional or peer support? Many people say that in order to stay off opiates they needed to find the reason they where using in the first place. What pain where you trying to escape so to speak? I am not trying to overwhelm you though the main thing is just to live in the moment and continue with sobriety from all drugs for at least a little while. You should also look up "Post acute withdrawal syndrome from opiates" and be aware of its symptoms.

Congrats on the 30 days though! I have kicked suboxone before so I know just how brutal those withdrawals where so you have my upmost respect for making it through!
 
Indeed. Congratulations for quitting suboxone.

What you are going through is part of a process and it's okay to feel like that.
With time you'll feel better and learn to cope with cravings.
Something that worked for me; instead of living one day at a time, start with a couple of hours at a time, keep yourself busy and you'll soon you'll get into a routine that your body needs.

Have you considered doing exercises? It can helps us immensely. I have also quit opiates (Methadone) and it took many months until I started to feel normal again. I had moments of depression or lethargy that made me feel empty, with intense emotional responses to life's smallest things. So exercising made me feel okay for a couple of hours every time.
I felt my endorphin coming back to me. ;) Yesterday I mentioned that even watching TV was something hard for me to deal with. After so many years you'll be a different person and the strength that you acquire in the way makes a difference.

I'm still doing follow ups with my doctor and haven't stopped doing therapy which I think it's super important in my life.
I look forward for that moment in the week where I can really talk about anything and everything.

One more thing, try to find a hobby. Something meaningful (or not) whatever makes you happy.
Remember that you can do this! You've gone far and give yourself some time.

Wish you good luck and success!
Take care,
Erik
 
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Its reassuring that this is normal. I don't know why I thought the suboxone took those feelings away (along with all other feelings towards the end) permanently.... I am doing AA and attend "therapy" once a week. But it's just different to my expectations. I exercise as I was told this helps...but I was doing so before I quit and try to stay as healthy as possible. Just now it's like pulling teeth and I have to force it on myself. I'm worried that my thinking is obsessive... but knowing it gets better helps, and I am so happy it's not just me!!! It's so odd that I DON'T want to do any drugs but can't stop thinking of this memory or that one. I've heard weird things about NA but If anyone has any experience with that I'd love to hear it. Maybe that's what I should be going to versus the AA. Or both? not an alcoholic... at all. Loved other things. But isn't addiction, addiction??
 
Oh and about hobbies, I've lost interest in everything I did before. And realized that everything I did, I was high and it's hard to do the stuff I liked sober. I know it doesn't stay like this. Just feel like my focus is all over the place right now.
 
It will take quite awhile to get past the post acute withdrawal phase and general disinterest in everything. It is very important to be eating healthy and getting proper nutrition as well as getting lots of exercise. You will be faced with cravings until you rewire your reward circuits and that takes a lot of patience but it wont always be this bad. If you can stick it out it will get easier and it is normal. Keep busy, engage in intensive recovery work and learn new skills, find new hobbies and do fulfilling work and have positive interactions with other people in similar situations. This will encourage neuroplasticity which is just the brains ability to change and "rewire" itself. You will learn to enjoy new things and slowly those old behavioral tendencies and cravings will fade but it takes a lot of hard work.

It's important not to remain stationary and have positive supports to interact with when you are having cravings. The 12 steps can help you accomplish this, I have likened the 12 steps to a sort of grieving process for addiction that helps encourage neuroplasticity as well as meeting new people who you can converse with about your problems and can be there for you as well as understand what you are going through. Don't get me wrong I hate many people I have met at meetings and there is a die hard devotion to the scripture and any dissent from information held within the book and they get defensive and attack you and tell you that you are wrong. I think it's the closed minded oppression of anything different that really kind of makes me feel completely disregarded but most people have the best of intentions and want to help you.
 
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