The Addict's Mind

[Depressicaa]

I don't know what to look for, but I would love to see any stereotypes or profiles of addicts, drug, or otherwise.

The reason behind this is that I would like to see what kind of person I am, so I might combat addiction better. I have ADD, I love using drugs, but I usually take a low dose. Whenever I have a lot of a drug, I will usually do more. I also have 'fixer' drugs so that if I don't like something like weed, I can take a benzo to get the edge off. Usually in social situations I will say yes to almost everything, except weed.

 

[DeMiZe-420-]

lol i'll say yes to anything but heroin or crack

but one thing about addicts i can say is when neurotransmitters in your brain get destroyed from drug use, they repair over time but come back in a negative way which promotes drug use
its called neuroplasticity i believe.

just from my personal opinion u seem normal.. nothing wrong with liking uppers..those are my DoC other than weed

 

[hobhead]

for this inactive addict : it all stemmed from a truly fucked up upbringing . abandonment by both parents lead to self loathing and untreated severe medical problems lead to life long physical and emotional problems
peer pressure lead to sex, drugs, rock & roll and i found a way to attempt to end an unwanted life by OD's etc.

 

[Depressicaa]

Thanks for both your replies. hobhead, that sounds like my profile. Is that your own experience as well? How is it?

 

[crushcamel]

I think all addicts are looking for something to satisfy a craving that they have. Its like an urge, or a space that needs to be filled by something. And these "cravings" can be a result of alot of different things, such as family issues(abandonment, abuse, etc..), self confidence issues, or maybe just a brain that is wired in a way that makes someone feel a constant "unsatisfied urge" for no particular reason. Maybe it could even be a result of a lack of pleasurable experiences while growing up so you crave the feeling of dopamine/endorphin release. Or it could be the oppposite and you grew up with to many pleasure simtuli and as a result, you have a constant need to satsisfy what you have come to know as "normal behavior".
This can apply to any addict situation whether it is drug related, or not. There are sex addicts, adrenaline addicts, anger/rage addicts, food addicts, money addicts, gambling addicts, shopping addicts(hoarding), work addicts, and then there are even addicts that are so unusual that they dont fit into any category....
Like the woman on a television special who had been addicted to eating chalk every single day of her life since she was 12 years old. I think she was like 24-26 when they did the special on her. She would eat 2-8 large pieces of chalk every single day because it fulfilled an internal need for her....it satisfied that craving that even she didnt know where it came from.
And addiction isnt necessarily a bad thing. It usually does have a negative impact on the persons life, but sometimes it can be a beneficial part of someones life. Like someone who is addicted to work, this may be a bad situation for many people, but for some, it could be a good thing...like if that person is happiest without a family and wishes to live life un-married so he/she can have time/money to do the things in life they have always wanted. If they are "addicted" to there work, this could act as a release for him/her, almost like a hobby to help pass the time in a constructive way, yet it pays money, so it allows the person to be financially stable and in a better position to fund any out of country trips they want to do, or buy a certain home, or anyhting.....this may not be the best explanation of a beneficial addiction but I think you can see my point.

 

[fizzle]

Homeless--->DC

 

[deez_nuggs]

It does indeed provide a physiological release. Be it dopamine, serotonin, GABA, adrenaline, whatever.. the actions of molecules in these drugs establish feelings of euphoria, well being, and self-satisfaction amongst users; a syndrome dubbed reward deficiency. The neurotransmitters responsible for these effects, in the brain of an addict, are overstimulated not only by the body's synthesis of the drug but simply by the cognitive thought processes and experiences regarding a lifestyle of substance use/abuse. In Layman's terms, I've found it is your own personal biochemistry, attitudes and egoistic tendencies (set) in conjunction with your familiar environment, whether social, isolated, or other (setting) that lead us down the paths of addiction.

 

[crushcamel]

It does indeed provide a physiological release. Be it dopamine, serotonin, GABA, adrenaline, whatever.. the actions of molecules in these drugs establish feelings of euphoria, well being, and self-satisfaction amongst users; a syndrome dubbed reward deficiency. The neurotransmitters responsible for these effects, in the brain of an addict, are overstimulated not only by the body's synthesis of the drug but simply by the cognitive thought processes and experiences regarding a lifestyle of substance use/abuse. In Layman's terms, I've found it is your own personal biochemistry, attitudes and egoistic tendencies (set) in conjunction with your familiar environment, whether social, isolated, or other (setting) that lead us down the paths of addiction.

Do you think that applies to all types of addicts as well? Not just drug addicts?

 

[MeddieFrac]

The only happiness I experience is that which I derive from using drugs. So maybe watch out for that, as long as you have other things in life which make you happy you might not turn into an addict.

 

[ironman7]

FOR ME.I've been using drugs of ALL kinds and all methods of administration for about 15 years.I've never been completely comfortable in my own skin,even when I'm high,but it helps.I have adhd pretty bad.Extremely hyper-active.I've done lots of research and seen many doctors and shrinks.It all comes down to the chemicals in your brain (or the lack there of) and how your brain uses them. After all this time, it seems I have a problem with Dopamine production and use in the brain.That is why I feel "normal" only after getting good and ripped!
I come from a broken home.My father was a manic-depressive alcoholic who drank himself to death.I grew up with an abusive step father..etc......etc......etc....The more pain and emotional upheaval I go through,the more I feel the need to escape.When I was in school,sports was how I escaped.I was a national finalist my senior year of high school wrestling.After high school drinking and drugging was a must as I tried to figure out who I am.I'm still not sure.Anyway,I'm ripped right now,so I hope some of this was readable.I'm gonna go pass out now.....peace!

 

[axl86]

I will try just about any drug. infact ive done almost every common drug out there except LSD and Crack. I am currently a heroin addict. I snort my heroin, so to me it seems no worse than taking a pain pill. I use drugs purely because I think they are fun and help me to cope with the pressures of life better. In moderation I think drugs are wonderful and dont understand why something that fucks you up as much as alchohol is legal but something that just mellows you out like weed or some dope is jail time. This is where the mind of an addict is different. we justify drugs as being good because we have done them and realize they are only as harmful as you allow them. Just about any drug in small doses is not going to hurt you or cause you to harm others. we know that but people who have never touched a drug dont. They only know what they have heard or read. I think if anti drug people just tried the drugs they are against they may think differently about them. I dont know if what im sayin even makes sense. Got some good jersey dope in my blood right now so im feeling good and this is ruining my buzz, thinking so much.

 

[just me101]

for me it's really anything but like.. H, Crack, ect..

Shroom's, acid, E, Dank, Crank, It's all gravy.. The mindset is life kinda blow's .. i just wanna get high I feel more motivated to talk, do anything, and general activities when im high.
On anything really.

Sober, (i think ive done to much) everything seem's pointless

 

[deez_nuggs]

Do you think that applies to all types of addicts as well? Not just drug addicts?

Absolutely. From Methheads to cigarette smokers, to people who exercise, shop, or fornicate excessively. It's the repetitive, consuming memories and thoughts regarding the addictive practices that trigger relapses, overdoses, etc. After all, its the conscious mind that controls everything.

 

[Khadijah]

now that i read this thread more in depth, i realized that it realllllly dont belong here. I read the first sentence when it first showed up in this forum and didnt realize wat it was really about, that was my bad for not payin attention. Today i just came back to give it another look and check out the thread and realized that I shoulda moved it the first time. Sorry for slackin folks. now that I do know wat this thread is askin, i can tell you that it definately should not be in drug culture. Ima move this to the dark side...they will tell you about that kind of stuff there. This aint related to drug culture at all and is more of a darkside appropriate kind of topic.

 

[Depressicaa]

Thank you lacey.

I'm really happy that you guys replied in my thread, I appreciate it, I just didn't know what to say.

I agree that drugs aren't harmful in moderation, and they are fun and some may even argue good for you.

Thanks for showing me your thread as well overdone.

I have ADD but I never really got addicted to anything besides my Adderall. It is probably because it is the most accessible and it remains my DoC because I enjoy something that makes stuff fun, having ADD is horrible just because you can't really focus on one thing.

I used to have three monitors so I could mutitask, and mutitask I did, but I never finished a single project.

My addiction seems to stem from a repetitive activity, something that I think is good because I enjoyed it before, but now times have changed and yet I still do those things even though they aren't beneficial to me at all.

 

[calmAnimal]

I could mutitask, and mutitask I did, but I never finished a single project.

this is EXACTLY how i am. i wanna do a million different things but once i get into them i cant find the motivation to finish any of them.

i fell into drugs cuz i loved the instant gratification they gave. i felt shitty about something that happened to me and instead of trying to improve the situation, i got high or drunk and then everything seemed alright. of course it wasnt and all the problems were still there when everything wore off.

i have alot of social anxiety and when i found drugs, i thought i solved my problem. it was a eureka moment, like this is exactly what i need to be "normal". now that i have been clean i realize the harm i did myself by not learning how to be social and "normal" without drugs and how much work i have to do overcome these difficulties.

i loved getting fucked up. i loved abusing drugs and getting that feeling that i was leaving the boring, pointless life i was leading far behind me. only to come back and find that everything was still there. i realize now how insane it is to abuse psychedelic drugs and how much permanent harm i could have done. i never wanted the benifits these drugs had to offer, i just wanted to be "fucked up".

i wonder which type of drugs are more harmful when abused : hard drugs ( opiates, cocaine, meth, etc) or psychedelic ( acid, shrooms, weed, etc) maybe this should be another thread.

 

[bagochina]

depressica have you ever read the stories in the back of the NA book? It is basically 20 or stories concerning how addictions [light-heavy] effected people. Fairly interesting if you are interested in drugs, etc. I think it starts on page 144.

http://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/BT6E_Webposting.pdf

I have a stack of those books from every rehab/detox I went to. Some of them scarred from cutting out lines or crushing pills on them. The only thing I would ever read is the stories as I as sick as it sounds I loved/like reading about others addictions. All the NA stories are geared toward recovery though, here is an old list I made about some of my favorite opiate related books. You can get a pretty good idea about how an addicts mind works, or rather doesn't work reading some of those.

http://seedlesss.wordpress.com/category/heroin-books/

edit: Oh and I have movies listed to if you dont like to read.
http://seedlesss.wordpress.com/category/lists/heroin-movies/
peace.
seedless

 

[ct209]

-pursuit of happiness... ie instant gratification with drugs
-escaping from the boredom of everyday life
-rationalizing excuses for why you do it, for example: I convince myself i'm snorting this speed so i can be more productive during that day... or week or...

 

[dj_esky]

To escape this reality to visit another reality my mind can't create on its own,
In my mind there are many perspectives of reality however the artificial ones are always more attractive than whats really real. But then again i've been taking all assortments of combinations of drugs (mostly stimulants), for so long, the feeling of normal just seems so strange and abnormal.

I'll say yes to anything other than lsd, in situations where i'm offered something.
LSD isn't on my resume.

I'm trying to re learn normal. As i seem to like it more these days. I'm a drug Fuck. But it doesn't mean its the end.

 

[†∆†]

i've had a similar experience to CalmAnimal, i believe. I first got into uppers because it took SO much work just to get out of bed and go do anything, I felt very slow all of the time and speed/coke etc. made me feel like i was actually alive, actually a real person.

I think addiction is a combination of genetic predisposition and the things you're exposed to. I believe that the first is much more important though. If one has a mental disorder of some kind, statistics have shown that the risk of drug dependency is much higher. I know that had I not had depression issues I'd have had no desire to use drugs everyday. There are people who can use recreationally because they are looking to add something to their experience temporarily, but there are also people like me and many of the people on this site who are using it to change their whole reality because they cannot handle how it normally is