xburtonchic
Bluelighter
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
- Messages
- 1,009
It's been my experience (and from threads here and also discussing it with people I know irl, the experience of many others as well), that a large part of withdrawal is psychological. I know first-hand that the attitude you go into a kick with and maintain throughout, whether positive or negative, it can literally make or break whether you are successful at seeing it all the way through or not. I'm not talking about PAWS but rather the initial acute phase of withdrawal - that agonizingly looong week (or weeks depending what you're detoxing from) - where you're writhing around in agony hating life.
I've noticed heaps of threads geared at giving advice about all the physical symptoms and what meds to take, but where's all the advice about how to keep yourself positive and mentally sane? I feel like that's one of the most, if not THE most, important part of it all. You can take all the comfort meds in the world, but if you go into it with a shitty attitude, you're gonna have a shitty time regardless. On the flip side though, you can go into it with hardly any meds at all but an amazing attitude, and have a better time with it than the latter. So this thread is dedicated to the mental aspect of withdrawals - the things you can do to give yourself the stamina, energy, positivity, willpower, hope, and faith that one needs in order to have the best experience possible.
I'll start.
- One of the biggest things that's helped me is music, music all day, every day. Not just any kind of music though, it has to be positive and uplifting and inspiring. My favorite music to listen to is anything with heavy bass and a strong drum beat. Electronic dance music and Eminem give me an instant mood and energy boost, and if I'm really lucky, I forget about the withdrawal symptoms entirely for a little bit. But anything that gives you energy and makes you feel good is helpful; use whatever works for you. The best part about this is that, since our emotions are heightened during withdrawal, it can be a very euphoric and powerful experience.
- Sitting with the discomfort. It sounds paradoxical, but it actually works. The more you try to forget about or avoid the pain, the more power it has. But if you sit there and really FEEL it, even welcome it, it loses it's power for the time being. It's not that it goes away entirely, but it somehow makes you more tolerant of it. This also applies to any overwhelming negative emotions like anxiety, fear, and cravings.
- Visualization. Normally when we think of withdrawals, we think of this big, scary, impossible thing we have to conquer. I tend to picture them as a black shadow of all these faceless demons standing there hovering over me laughing as I cower in a corner. When I catch myself dwelling on those feelings, I turn the mental image into a more positive one. For instance, fearlessly charging into the demons, standing tall and ready to fight and fully confident that I will conquer them. Sounds dumb, but it helps to take the fear away and help you feel better equipped for the battle you're facing
- Distraction. This is a big one. The second I feel a craving, I immediately go play video games or start texting friends (sober ones) or take a shower or watch trashy reality TV or listen to music or read or go on here or something. Next thing I know I've forgotten the cravings entirely.
- Positive thoughts. About EVERYTHING. Constantly repeating positive affirmations about every aspect of your life. Example: "I can beat these withdrawals", "I deserve an amazing life and that's what I'm doing for myself, right now", "I have people who love me", "Things aren't so bad; there's always hope and I'm going to have an even better life after this", "I love myself", "I'm awesome/sexy/confident/a good person/etc." It's hard when you're feeling shitty, but it helps.
- Prayer and meditation. Talking to your higher power can help a lot.
- Counting your blessings and constantly reminding yourself of all the ways your life will improve once you're clean.
I'm getting ready to kick again tomorrow for the 2nd time. I've kicked too many times to count, but it's always been someone else's idea as well, never just mine - a doctor or my family or the courts - when I've been forced to go to detox or rehab or jail. Those times were NEVER successful. This will be the second time where it's been 100% my choice, doing it at home, because I AND ONLY I want it.
I'm hoping this thread will be helpful to other people like me, people who are getting ready to kick and are scared or people who are in the midst of it and are having a hard time holding on. I'm hoping that people will read these and gain some hope, inspiration, and new ideas to try out for themselves and maybe even add their own. A lot of these things I feel can also be useful for those who are dealing with PAWS.
So yep, I figured it was about time that we had a thread dedicated to the mental side of withdrawals
I've noticed heaps of threads geared at giving advice about all the physical symptoms and what meds to take, but where's all the advice about how to keep yourself positive and mentally sane? I feel like that's one of the most, if not THE most, important part of it all. You can take all the comfort meds in the world, but if you go into it with a shitty attitude, you're gonna have a shitty time regardless. On the flip side though, you can go into it with hardly any meds at all but an amazing attitude, and have a better time with it than the latter. So this thread is dedicated to the mental aspect of withdrawals - the things you can do to give yourself the stamina, energy, positivity, willpower, hope, and faith that one needs in order to have the best experience possible.
I'll start.
- One of the biggest things that's helped me is music, music all day, every day. Not just any kind of music though, it has to be positive and uplifting and inspiring. My favorite music to listen to is anything with heavy bass and a strong drum beat. Electronic dance music and Eminem give me an instant mood and energy boost, and if I'm really lucky, I forget about the withdrawal symptoms entirely for a little bit.
But anything that gives you energy and makes you feel good is helpful; use whatever works for you. The best part about this is that, since our emotions are heightened during withdrawal, it can be a very euphoric and powerful experience.- Sitting with the discomfort. It sounds paradoxical, but it actually works. The more you try to forget about or avoid the pain, the more power it has. But if you sit there and really FEEL it, even welcome it, it loses it's power for the time being. It's not that it goes away entirely, but it somehow makes you more tolerant of it. This also applies to any overwhelming negative emotions like anxiety, fear, and cravings.
- Visualization. Normally when we think of withdrawals, we think of this big, scary, impossible thing we have to conquer. I tend to picture them as a black shadow of all these faceless demons standing there hovering over me laughing as I cower in a corner. When I catch myself dwelling on those feelings, I turn the mental image into a more positive one. For instance, fearlessly charging into the demons, standing tall and ready to fight and fully confident that I will conquer them. Sounds dumb, but it helps to take the fear away and help you feel better equipped for the battle you're facing
- Distraction. This is a big one. The second I feel a craving, I immediately go play video games or start texting friends (sober ones) or take a shower or watch trashy reality TV or listen to music or read or go on here or something. Next thing I know I've forgotten the cravings entirely.
- Positive thoughts. About EVERYTHING. Constantly repeating positive affirmations about every aspect of your life. Example: "I can beat these withdrawals", "I deserve an amazing life and that's what I'm doing for myself, right now", "I have people who love me", "Things aren't so bad; there's always hope and I'm going to have an even better life after this", "I love myself", "I'm awesome/sexy/confident/a good person/etc." It's hard when you're feeling shitty, but it helps.
- Prayer and meditation. Talking to your higher power can help a lot.
- Counting your blessings and constantly reminding yourself of all the ways your life will improve once you're clean.
I'm getting ready to kick again tomorrow for the 2nd time. I've kicked too many times to count, but it's always been someone else's idea as well, never just mine - a doctor or my family or the courts - when I've been forced to go to detox or rehab or jail. Those times were NEVER successful. This will be the second time where it's been 100% my choice, doing it at home, because I AND ONLY I want it.
I'm hoping this thread will be helpful to other people like me, people who are getting ready to kick and are scared or people who are in the midst of it and are having a hard time holding on. I'm hoping that people will read these and gain some hope, inspiration, and new ideas to try out for themselves and maybe even add their own. A lot of these things I feel can also be useful for those who are dealing with PAWS.
So yep, I figured it was about time that we had a thread dedicated to the mental side of withdrawals
