• Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Harm Reduction Addicted and need help??? Click here

sixpartseven

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Oct 13, 2005
Messages
12,092
After being addicted to opiates myself, and seeing lots of people go through addiction I thought this this forum could do with a sticky on how addictive certain drugs can be, how to avoid getting addicted, and if you already are, how to get help.

Addiction is real and very very common with these kind of drugs, you can try and plan as much as possible to avoid getting addicted but you can certainly still get hooked. Hopefully having this thread in everyone's face will make people think twice and do their absolute best to avoid addiction, as it can ruin lives, destroy careers and ultimately kill you.

The main categories of drugs with very high potential for addiction are as follows:

Opiates:
Heroin
Fentanyl
Oxycodone
Hydrocodone
Morphine
Poppy pod and seed tea (make no mistake, this can be as addictive as nasal heroin)
Codeine

These are the most common opiates, usually prescribed for pain. Opiates are incredibly addictive and habbit forming and you also risk death by using large doses.

Stimulants:
Methampehetamine - Crystal, Ice, speed
Amphetamine - oldschool speed, very rare
Dexamphetamine- ADD medicine, lots of uni students use it to study with
Cocaine

This is the 4 most commonly abused stimulants.

Benzos:
Valium (diazepam)
Temazepam
Clonazepam
Xanax
Lots more

These are some of the more common benzos, usually prescribed by a doctor for muscle spasms, cronic anxiety and sleep issues, usually only for short term use.

Another warning, Benzos withdrawal can kill you and can be far worse than opiate or stimulant withdrawal. It will lower your seizure threshold can if you suffer from epilepsy will guarantee you need to do the detox in professional medical care.

Alcohol
Alcohol is generally far less taboo than the above drugs but it is more toxic than most of them and can be just as addictive in certain types of people. If you are planning on getting clean, be careful that you don't accidentally replace the addiction with alcohol.

Alcohol withdrawal can be similar to benzo w/d causing seizures and if you are in deep death. Don't forget that theres also roughly 90 calories in a single shot of vodka so this can contribute to being overweight more than your diet if you drink everyday.

Opiates and getting treatment:
No junkie has ever said 'I plan to get addicted' even if you have read 100 stories of people getting addicted and you have a fancy plan of how to use and not get addicted, you probably still will succumb eventually.

The first signs of addiction are withdrawal, you will have flu like symptoms, pain in your legs, depression, anxiety and often become suicidal until you have your next dose.

The best way to get rid of an opiate addition is to catch it in the act, hopefully the majority of you reading this will be at this stage, you aren't hooked but you are starting to realise its inevitable. To beat it at this stage you can start by increasing how many off days you have, then start either tapering the dose, or replacing it with a weaker opiate and constantly lower the dose.

Drug such as benzodiazapines, soma, anti-histamines, lopermide etc can be used to treat the withdrawal symptom via stopping the depression, helping with sleep and helping diarrhoea/stomach upsets.

Another great drug that stops the vascular bounce back caused by masses of adrenaline and testosterone spiking is clonidine, this drug will greatly reduce the sweating, cold/hot flushes, irritability and inability to sit still, it will also make you kind of sleepy. Clonidine has absolutely ZERO potential for abuse and any doctor will be willing to give you a basically unlimited script. 200ug taken a few times a day will half the symptoms you get, it does however make you very lethargic and totally stops your dick from working.

If you are in deep and using daily going on to a legal opiate such as suboxone or methadone is probably the 'easiest' treatment, however they can be just as hard to break as you drug of choice.

Most opiate users simply cannot use opiates recreationally, a single dose is often too much as the next day you will want to dose again. I highly recommend you avoid opiates if you suffer from anxiety or depression as when you quit theres a very high likelihood you will worsen the depression making it far harder to quit.

Getting help in the U.S.A.
SAMHSA Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center Locator - This link is great for finding centres in all of North America
SAMHSA Buprenorphine Physician and Treatment Program Locator

SAMHSA Home Page
http://www.na.org Narcotics Anonymous Main website
Also, you can call this number 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357) for assistance.

In Michigan, SEMCA offers assistance for paying for treatment (not applicable to Buprenorphine doctors, as far as I can remember). When I entered treatment in 2007, their assistance program made it so that I only had to pay 10% of the actual costs. How much you have to pay depends on your financial situation. This is especially good for those of us who do not have insurance to cover the costs. In 2009 when I re-entered treatment, I paid nothing and was in treatment with other people who also paid nothing. This shows that your financial situation greatly affects how much you pay. In 2007, I had a full time job and paid 10%. In 2009, I am unemployed and had no co-pay what-so-ever. - sixpartseven

Getting help in Australia
Drug and Alcohol Services SA
Eastern Drug and Alcohol Services - VIC/NSW
Direct Line 1800 888 236 - Counseling, detox and maintenance in Melbourne
Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Branch - QLD
-Damascus Health Services - Suboxone, In/Out patient treatment of alcohol and Rx dependency in Brisbane
Drug and Alcohol Office - WA
http://www.na.org.au Narcotics Anonymous SA


There is also a great section in this forum called The Dark Side, they have put lots of information in that section for help with problems like these, so I hope this is a stepping stone for some that want to quit.

Tips for staying clean
Get a decent job or go to university/college, if you find something you like (most people will) then stick with it and put as much effort as you can into it, its a great distraction and when you learn something you can get great satisfaction out of it, a great mood elevator and gives you a natural buzz.

Having a regular job also forces good habbits into you, eg not staying up to silly hours for no reason and you can't rock up to work with a bad hangover/comedown.

Whilst I realise this is a simple 'solution' for getting clean and will not work for a lot of people (you might already have all of these) remember you are still a step ahead of someone who is in the same position without a life goal. Having a motivation to get up in the morning and try and get clean WILL help you, any help is worth while, no matter how minimal it is.

Watch Requiem for a dream, also watch Candy, these two movies along with your knowledge of drugs should scare you at least for the short term.

Work in progress
This is all for now, I will attempt to keep updating the post with information, and eventually links to free services to get help in various countries. If anyone could post some great links to getting help with these kind of drugs that would be fantastic, or even if you want to just post up some of your own material on details/how to avoid addiction. Any constructive criticism is also welcome.

edit: updated the opiate section
 
Last edited:
I didn't read your post because i've been an addict over a decade (every possible amphetamine, benzos, alcohol).

Most people in OD are addicts, mostly (strong) opioids, and therefore have first hand experience about addictions and trying to quit drugs.
 
Most people in OD are addicts, mostly (strong) opioids, and therefore have first hand experience about addictions and trying to quit drugs.

Yeah I realise that, but if say someone (eg. me) before they had got into opiates had read this post then maybe they would have been more careful, I was careful but obviously not enough. Although it might not help people like you its not going to make it worse. All this post can do it help reinforce how addictive these drugs are for the naive.

Thanks for the input though, hope I can get some more :)
 
I think a thread like this would have made me second guess myself before I decided to start using opiates. But I can't do shit about that now.
 
If only everyone had the control and was aware that if you want your opiates to be an enjoyable chemical to last a lifetime, you've got to set up a rigid (and infrequent) schedule. Once a week, for instance, would be a good guideline.

Stray from those guidelines and addiction will likely occur.

Another thing that people should be aware of (and that I was not until it happened) is that even if you are considering that an addiction is something you are comfortable with (heh, I had that kind of mentality at first, I just didn't care I guess) the problem is that the euphoria will go away down the road. Then you're really fucked.
 
Last edited:
we should make a sticky on how to quit all differnt kinds of stuff, as in , what to do to combat cravings or relapses.. everyone could pipe in with their experiences

Feel free to dig up some threads, if you want to pull some quotes out for the main post that'd be great, if not just paste the threads in here and I'll go digging.

This will be much more successful if its a group effort. :)

Stray from those guidelines and addiction will likely occur..

Thats the problem, even with this knowledge and strict guidelines people still are tempted to stray. Unless you've had it happen to you, you don't learn, and unfortunately this is the case for the majority. I think the only other thing that helps is being constantly reminded of what can happen, eg this thread.
 
If only everyone had the control and was aware that if you want your opiates to be an enjoyable chemical to last a lifetime, you've got to set up a rigid (and infrequent) schedule. Once a week, for instance, would be a good guideline.

I'd say more like "once a month or (preferably) less." Once a week won't get you addicted ... but how long will it be before you're doing it twice a week, then three times, etc.?

If you've been able to maintain a long-term schedule of weekly usage, you're a stronger user than I am. I'm not saying it's impossible, but I'd say you're getting uncomfortably close to using on a level where you will start to develop physical addiction, with little room for error should you slip off your schedule.
 
rolls said:
No junkie has ever said 'I plan to get addicted'

*raises hand*

I made a conscious decision to become a junky. It was necessary at the time for me. It's probably not that common though and not always the wisest of plans. Worked for me, but I wouldn't advise it.
 
as it can ruin lives, destroy careers and ultimately kill you.
i really dont wanna involve with this discussion but i just wanna remind you that drugs dont do the things you said above. its the people actually do it themselves, you should blame people who "misuse" them instead drugs:|
 
i really dont wanna involve with this discussion but i just wanna remind you that drugs dont do the things you said above. its the people actually do it themselves, you should blame people who "misuse" them instead drugs:|

They give the means for many people to do it.
 
The bottom line is that you will never stop using until you WANT to stop using. Ive been doing oxycontin and dope everyday for a year and a half almost two and never have I wanted to actually stop until recently. I always have suboxone saved up which I started to take this month. Now ive just been using on the weekends and even just a cutback like that I feel so much better. Now to just cut the habit completely...
 
one thing that irked me a little coming to this site in the beginning is that all the horror stories and addiction and stuff is on TDS whereas all the info on getting high is on other drugs. It's pretty easy for an average person new to the site to just look at what they want to see, and maybe not even know there is a forum called TDS. If i had heard bad things about how drugs fucked people over while i was reading about them, it might have changed my mind. i think this thread could be good as either a warning, or as a summary of tips of how people have quit.
 
This has been made a sticky as I think it is a good opportunity to link people and stories here in OD (other Drugs) with other information, be it online on BL (resources from The Dark Side) or other addiction services anywhere on the internet. It would be good to give localised information and general information. The overall goal should be to make something like the FAQ/MegaThreads. This can start here in OD where people can post the relevant information, and then it can be passed through local discussion parts of BL.
If someone wants to put the ongoing information into FAQ form, that would be much appreciated. The whole point is, this should be a group effort by BL members, for Bluelight members.
Keep the good ideas and info coming!
Thanks to rolls, and of course the rest of BL and the wealth of information which is sure to arise from this
 
Anyone that lives in the southeastern U.S. I know of a great rehab that really helped me, if you are interested then just PM me because I'm not sure if it's allowed to post a specific rehab facility.

Everyone who works there is a recovering addict, from the janitors all the way to the doctors. It's a quiet location and is a great place IME. The food is great, all of the counselors have crazy ass stories, and it's a great place to just get away to think.

I'll post the link to their website if the mods tell me it's alright to do. Oh yea, wouldn't it be a good idea for those with addiction stories to post them and how they got clean or how they are trying to do just that?
 
i really dont wanna involve with this discussion but i just wanna remind you that drugs dont do the things you said above. its the people actually do it themselves, you should blame people who "misuse" them instead drugs:|

Yes it is people who are at fault, but he is blaming addiction, not drugs. Food addiction can ruin lives just as easily as drug addiction.
 
This is a good thread. I appreciate that you took the time to put this together rolls.

I agree with 99% of what you have to say, but I want to point out one thing for the sake of HR and saving people from addiction.

The first signs of addiction are withdrawal, you will have flu like symptoms, pain in your legs, depression, anxiety and often become suicidal until you have your next dose.

I was addicted way before I ever had to deal with withdrawal. The first sign for me was my compulsive behavior to want opiates. You have to step back and evaluate yourself. If you think you might be getting addicted, then you are already well on your way to being addicted. Addiction can sneak up on you easily. It happened slow and gradual for me. I actually used to be hypersensitive to pretty much any drug. It was nice, but as the years have gone by with my on again off again (mostly on) addiction to opiates and benzos, my tolerance has finally increased. It sucks, despite what some people reading this board might think, being "hardcore" is what you want to avoid. No person is immune to addiction, or overdose. Being proactive and never getting addicted in the first place is the best option. In order to do this, only use on the weekends, or every 3rd day. If you can show that kind of discipline then you aren't addicted, but once you start going on a routine like that, the days you skip will start to suck more and more.
 
I agree with your post sonic. I was addicted to opiates long before I first went through withdrawals. I first started using once every month. Soon it became once every two weeks, then once every week, and so on. I eventually started using every day and didn't think anything about it. I went through withdrawals from 40mg methadone daily and didn't think I was addicted or had any problem. One of the worst things about being an addict is the fact that you can basically bullshit yourself into believing pretty much anything. I would tell myself that I'm not going to get high until the weekend and I would end up taking pills every day. I didn't realize I was an addict until I overdosed twice at the age of 17.

Addicts are stubborn as fuck and even after I overdosed I didn't think I had any problem. I thought I just messed up and I knew it wasn't going to happen again but I was wrong. Long story short, I mixed methadone with benzos and booze and was found the next morning unconscious, blue lips, and wasn't breathing at all. I literally was dead for a few minutes. I had to be shocked twice with a defibrillator to make my heart start beating again along with a shot of Narcan. I went into cardiac and respiratory arrest. I was having seizures. I asphyxiated and had a severe case of pneumonia as well. As a result of the lack of oxygen to my body, my organs basically shut down and to this day I have heart damage from the overdose.

I woke up from the coma in the intensive care unit and tried to speak but I couldn't because of the respirator tube running down my throat. I looked at my family and tried to get them to give me a dry erase board to write on and they found one so I wrote, "Am I dying?" and all my family could do was cry. I actually was dying, the doctor's thought I was going to need a liver transplant and dialysis just to stay on life support. A doctor later told me that she wouldn't bet ten dollars that I would have actually lived. That was over a year ago now though.

Those who are reading this don't think that you are too smart to let this happen to you because it can. Anything can happen to anyone. You can be the smartest fucking person in the world and end up becoming an addict and/or overdosing.
 
I think the biggest thing is actually wanting to not use anything, even if its just some shitty low grade opiate like codeine. Until you want to stop you won't, but once you reach that point you know you will never use again as its an all or nothing thing with opiates.

I've recently made a serious turn around and stopped everything apart from the occasional drink, even then I don't want to get 'drunk' as it does not appeal to me any more.

Good luck to everyone else who has tried or is trying but remember unless you actually want to stop you probably wont.
 
People who fail to see the point for this thread are in denial of their addiction. If it helps heres my experience with addiction.

I never injected it, but I became addicted to meth. The first time I realized this was one night when I couldn't get any. I lost the plot and wanted to smash my best friends. I punched a timber post and broke the stone out of my gold ring. Speed ruined my life and I lost everything that mattered to me. I lost my job, car, friends, girlfriend, place to live, my sanity, clean record etc. I have also been addicted to weed and alcohol. It doesn't matter what you are addicted to, they all suck and put a limit on your life eventually. Some suck more than others. On a rating from the worst to bad I would say speed, alcohol then weed.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top