Those who've gone sober...are you glad you did?

[footscrazy]

I want to know if most people who have got clean are glad they did...?

Being drug free is a goal of mine, but it's a pipe dream in every sense...

I don't think I've ever learnt to deal with anything without drugs; despite the negatives that come with it, I am much more comfortable with my life now than I ever was before I started using drugs. I've been asked before, 'remember when you had fun before you started using drugs?!' but, the answer is, no...

I use methamphetamine and alcohol most days, as well as other stimulants, opiates, etc, anything that gets me off. I don't feel like this is the best life I could be living, but I'm not convinced being straight would be better...

 

[Georgie25]

After being clean from daily IV heroin use for 6 months I can honestly say now I am def. feeling a lot better about myself without having to use drugs. I used because of my depression and anxiety issues so I am actually doing something productive to help change or better those things. Drugs made my situation a whole lot worse and made me feel even more depressed. Of course they're good when you're actually high, but the down fall is enivitable and someday the drugs you use to cope with will stop working like they have in the past..

 

[burntserkits]

^nicely said...

I still use recreationally but am glad to say I haven't been dependent for nearly 2 years. I feel really good about this and it's a testament to will when you can use only occasionally but not everyone can do that. It took me AT LEAST 9 months to a year to get to that. But, yes, I feel much better...

 

[NoPromiseMade]

Going sober is great you learn so much about yourself and get to work on the things that make you want to use in the first place.

Now if only I could take my own advice.

 

[Z Y G G Y]

I am on methadone for pain so I dunno if people consider that clean. It doesn't get me high, just takes away my chronic pain, I don't even feel that I am on anything.

I have been clean from all other substances for quite a while. My life has improved drastically. My relationship with my SO is like it used to be before I started using. It is so great, there are really no words to describe it. I am back in school. I am getting stuff done. In the past I used to not give a shit about anything. I would blow things off. But now I take responsibility for my own life again.

Getting sober is just one part of the solution. By becoming sober your life will not just automatically become great. The problems that you had before you were using will surface. So while being sober grants you the opportunity for your life to become great, you still have to work on things in order to have a good and happy life.

Some people function better when medicated, like me for example with methadone. I can sleep well which allows me to be more functional during the day. I am not spending time crying about my pain, but I don't think about it because the methadone takes it away. I function much better when medicated by methadone. This can be the case for many other people. There are prescription stimulants because some people do function better when give daily amphetamines. So being totally sober is not the best choice for some people. My goal is to have the best, most functional, happiest life I can have. If this means I need to take medication daily in order to achieve that, then let it be. I am not going to fight it, just so I can say that I am totally clean of all substances. So, while for most people being totally clean is the best option, for some people it is not. People should never feel guilty or feel bad about taking medications if they are helping them live better lives.

So for me, someone who takes daily medication, a sober equivalent is not abusing my medication. I treat it solely like a diabetic would treat insulin. I need it to function. I do not get high off of it. I don not chase euphoria. I think not chasing euphoria is key. Living life on its won terms is key. Accepting the highs and the lows. When feeling low or anxious I try to deal with it on my own, without meds. I sometimes still have the need to take a benzo when I am really stressed out or anxious, but I don't do it. I tell myself that these bad thoughts and feelings will pass and tomorrow the sun will come up again and there will be another day that has the potential to be a good day.

so yeah, the key for me was starting to treat opiates like a medication and not a euphoria producing drug. If I catch myself trying to chase that high again I do everything to put a stop to it.

Ever since I have started thinking this way, my life has improved drastically for the better. I still have lots of problems and issues that I need to work on. Problems with my life and problems within myself. But having a straight head on my shoulders definitely helps. The decisions I make are not made based on my current emotions but on logical reasoning. I keep my promises. If I promised something to someone I try to do everything to keep my promise. The most important thing about me is my word so I try to keep it. I care to be seen as a responsible person and when i was getting high all the time I didn;t really care about that too much.

Even thou not chasing euphoria has helped my life tremendously, I work every day on improving myself and my situation. I write down goals and what I need to do in order to reach them. I have a notebook where I write down daily goals and long term goals. I read lots of books on spirituality, especially Buddhism. I read lots of psychology books. Not chasing the high is just one part of improving your life after substance abuse, the other part is making a conscious effort to improve. Your life will not just get better on its own. Your old phobias and problems will still be there when you quit. You need to reach out and find ways to fight these issues. there are many different ways you can do that, but its important to do it and not wait for things to improve just cuz you quit using drugs. It's probably not going to happen on its own. A strong and consistent effort will need to be made on your part in order to get your life to where you want it to be.

So let me say this again cuz I think its key to recovery and a lot of people seem to miss it. Stopping drug abuse is just one part of recovery. We need to make a conscious effort to improve ourselves. The reason we started using will still be there once we stop. It will not just magically dissapear. All we did was medicate so we forget about those issues, but deep inside they are still there. We shouldn't surpsirsed that once we quit drugs we start feeling worse. That's because me are not madicating out problems anymore. They are clear and raw for us to see them. We need to address those problems ASAP so that we don't relapse. IF we don't fix these problems we will never start feeling better and we will at some point decie that life was indded better on drugs because at least we forgot about the hurtful issues.

Recovery is not an easy process but if we do it right we will end up in a much better place than we were before we started using. We can start seeing our drug abuse period as something positive because it has made us improve ourselves. Without this push towards improvement that substance abuse caused us, we might still be living the painful, mediocre life that we were before. But if we really take our recovery seriously and improve all the things that caused us to use, we will be much happier with our lives and will end up in a much better spot than we were before we used.

I highly suggest getting a therapist to anyone who has had substance abuse issues. Preferably a psychologist that does CBT. Psychiatrists are often too into prescribing medications and because psychologists can't give out scripts all their focus is on therapy. I suggest going at least once or twice per week for as long as you need which might be a year or two even. Most insurance plans cover mental health therapy. IF you don't have insurance you can check out any university in your area that has a PhD program in psychology. They often have clinics that operate on a sliding scale where you pay as much as you can. Those are the best option. You can often get an hour session for 10-15$ and the therapists are in the final stages of getting their PhD's. I have had nothing but good experiences with these types of clinics. The therapists are really into their work, really smart and have more charisma than older therapists that have been in the field for a while. Some older therapists seem a little bored, while the younger ones are really pumped up about you being their patients and do everything to help you succeed in the therapy.

 

[footscrazy]

So let me say this again cuz I think its key to recovery and a lot of people seem to miss it. Stopping drug abuse is just one part of recovery. We need to make a conscious effort to improve ourselves. The reason we started using will still be there once we stop. It will not just magically dissapear. All we did was medicate so we forget about those issues, but deep inside they are still there. We shouldn't surpsirsed that once we quit drugs we start feeling worse. That's because me are not madicating out problems anymore. They are clear and raw for us to see them. We need to address those problems ASAP so that we don't relapse. IF we don't fix these problems we will never start feeling better and we will at some point decie that life was indded better on drugs because at least we forgot about the hurtful issues.

This really is the crux of the issue...Just recently I've identified that this is the reason I've never been able to stay off long before. Because I was just white knuckling it but not addressing the root problems. But I just don't know how to. I see a psychologist and he's really good, but being straight just feels so unattainable to me...
Sometimes the reality of my life hits me and I feel pure fear, because I don't see how I can ever get out of this, I don't know what else to do, I feel like I'm running out of options...

I want to give it another go but I've tried so many times, and failed so many times that I feel like I can't even let myself be positive about it, because I'll just let myself down more if I let myself believe I might be able to do this...I've never been straight for more than a few days since I was 16 and I don't think I've ever learnt to deal with life.

 

[ocean]

Without a doubt, sobriety is a better way for me.
I prefer to be in control, not feel paranoid or like there is a chance things could go wrong in any number of ways, I like being clear headed and knowing when I'm happy, it is real happiness- not given to me by something.......
I've been sober for years (mostly).

 

[MR Candyslut]

I don't feel like this is the best life I could be living, but I'm not convinced being straight would be better...

Being high all the time ISN'T the best life you could living!

And I don't mean that to sound patronising because we obviously don't know each other but I know from experience that staying high for as long as possible, and as much as possible, isn't a life; it is an existence. A half-lived, hideous, artificial existence.

Sure, being high makes it easy not to deal with all the shit that many non-drug users have to deal with everday. But also consider that being high all the time means:

• hideous comedowns
• spending all money on drugs
• spending what seems like ALL your time waiting for drugs
• struggling to keep a stable job
• losing good friends
• risking both your physical and mental health

Sure, some of the above might not apply to you but sooner or later most of them probably will. And then your drug abuse (versus use) just creates a whole new set of problems that you wouldn't have to deal with if you weren't trying to stay constantly high in the first place .

Drug use is fun. Not many people would deny that. And I still get tempted to go boot meth if i am with the wrong people. But the reality is that almost nobody can sustain getting high for the rest of their life. Sooner or later you will have to deal with these underlying issues.

So, in short, sobriety isn't always 'fun'. But who said life is always meant to be fun? In my experience, it's not. Life is meant to be fragile and precious and scary and shit and breathtakingly beautiful. And when I am sober I get to experience any one (or all) of these emotions, with the knowledge that I am not living in a drug-induced bubble that regulates how I act, feel and think.

If you don't want to stop drugs, then don't. But just remember that you cannot stay high for the rest of your life. Sooner or later the bubble will burst and you will have to deal with the underlying issues. So be it pain you get from dealing with these issues or the pain you get from long term drug abuse you will eventually have to experience pain. This is what makes us human.

 

[hyroller]

My periods of sobriety have been good... but usually I'll substitute one vice for another lesser vice, or a different one altogether (I think even you mentioned that you have a tendency to do this).

It's been a very long time since I went longer than a week without some form of intoxicant.

But the daily habit is at least gone, and I am beginning to subject my body to the consumption of more productive products like protein and whole foods... I blame the shift on old age, and can also link it to really enjoying my alone time and my headspace since I moved out of my old man's.

 

[burn out]

of course i'm glad i did. if i hadn't, i would probably be dead. but that's not to say i am happy now. i do plan to use drugs again at some point, but in a much more controlled sort of way. i don't ever want to become a hopeless addict again. i have finally learned to think long term.

drugs just make life more interesting for me and i have an obsession with them beyond the feeling they give. that's one reason why i won't say i won't use them again.

 

[bagochina]

Not having to use just to make it thru the day is nice. No more strung out madness. I do wish I would have done this when I was younger as I think my body/mind would have bounced back a little quicker. Things are good but I always want them to be better. I do miss somethings but not really. It is real hard getting use to a new type of lifestyle/friends/low motivation/etc. Yes I am glad I am doing it.

peace.
seedless

 

[brutus]

I absolutely hate being completely sober, which to me is no methadone or bupe. I don't even feel like myself even for weeks. Probably why I can't stay clean.