chase_in_56ace
Ex-Bluelighter
There are many factors that can lead a drug user to put down their drug of choice for good. Most commonly is the presence of overwhelming consequences that continue to cause chaos in spite of tweaking the way one gets high. Many people try and taper down and use less, use socially, or perhaps move back to pills from heroin or vice-a-versa. It is most common for an addict to reach that pivotal moment encroaching actual change when he is completely spent by the chaos in his life.
I'm going to use myself as an example. I was an oxycontin user for years. I smoked and IVd countless pills. Until my health issues destroyed whatever semblance of life I was clinging on to, I didn't even consider quitting. I then tried to quit but failed. The chaos caused by legal ramifications of my drug use then basically forced my to be clean and I remain clean today for completely different reasons.
I want to be a productive member of society. Despite a disastrous history of IV opiate abuse and seizures undoubtedly lowering my IQ a few points, I consider myself intelligent enough to be successful in chasing my dreams and accomplishing my goals. I no longer play the victim and surround myself with highly successful, motivated people. I've changed my ways of thinking and living enough to make positive impressions on those I've wronged in the past. I've rebuilt many bridges with close friends and am earning the trust back of people I really love, however never dreamed to reacquaint with due to the damage done.
I've reprogrammed my psyche.
I understand that I have a slight degree of mental illness, which carries symptoms that can be exacerbated through extreme bouts of drug use. I crave stability within myself in order to maintain a high-paced business-oriented lifestyle (despite legal issues, I now own my own company and am back in college) and live a life I can fully TOUCH and FEEL. It is amazing what gratitude and a little understanding will do once you stop lying to yourself and actually work to attain real moral fiber.
It is through this understanding that I find my desire to stay clean. To prove to myself and the immediate people I love, most of whom I've wronged, that I'm capable of change, as well as accepting that the person I was once can be no longer. I long to make an impact on society and leave my mark upon this Earth before I leave. I strive for greatness and push myself further than I think I can go, as I've already gone further than I ever thought was possible
So to answer your question, I believe most addicts get clean when their struggle and consequences lead them to understand life. I believe that life is entirely about relationships with others as well as yourself. Both types are impeded by compulsive drug use.
I'm going to use myself as an example. I was an oxycontin user for years. I smoked and IVd countless pills. Until my health issues destroyed whatever semblance of life I was clinging on to, I didn't even consider quitting. I then tried to quit but failed. The chaos caused by legal ramifications of my drug use then basically forced my to be clean and I remain clean today for completely different reasons.
I want to be a productive member of society. Despite a disastrous history of IV opiate abuse and seizures undoubtedly lowering my IQ a few points, I consider myself intelligent enough to be successful in chasing my dreams and accomplishing my goals. I no longer play the victim and surround myself with highly successful, motivated people. I've changed my ways of thinking and living enough to make positive impressions on those I've wronged in the past. I've rebuilt many bridges with close friends and am earning the trust back of people I really love, however never dreamed to reacquaint with due to the damage done.
I've reprogrammed my psyche.
I understand that I have a slight degree of mental illness, which carries symptoms that can be exacerbated through extreme bouts of drug use. I crave stability within myself in order to maintain a high-paced business-oriented lifestyle (despite legal issues, I now own my own company and am back in college) and live a life I can fully TOUCH and FEEL. It is amazing what gratitude and a little understanding will do once you stop lying to yourself and actually work to attain real moral fiber.
It is through this understanding that I find my desire to stay clean. To prove to myself and the immediate people I love, most of whom I've wronged, that I'm capable of change, as well as accepting that the person I was once can be no longer. I long to make an impact on society and leave my mark upon this Earth before I leave. I strive for greatness and push myself further than I think I can go, as I've already gone further than I ever thought was possible

So to answer your question, I believe most addicts get clean when their struggle and consequences lead them to understand life. I believe that life is entirely about relationships with others as well as yourself. Both types are impeded by compulsive drug use.