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staying clean with out rehabs/outpatient programs

bomber

bomber

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
1,055
I went to an outpatient little after I quit heroin, but didn't stay long cause I couldn't stand the way of life they suggested/demanded. I remember that they kept telling me that it's imposible for someone to stay clean for long without proffesional help, but I did stay clean for many months and only used once during christmass with out plans of returning to using.
So,what do you think?Is it possible to quit a hard drug and not return to addiction with out help from rehab/outpatient program?
 
It depends upon the person, if they really want to get/stay sober, change their life completely, and realise that they cannot use any other drugs recreationally at all including herb, psychedelics, alcohol, cocaine/meth, and other opiates besides heroin. You also will have to cut off all contact with dealers, friend/acquaintances/people that you know who use drugs or who can get you drugs, and you have to be committed and want to stay sober/clean.

Having a support network including both family and friends who are supportive and do not use drugs helps. A lot of people find AA/NA and even non-12 step sobriety groups to be helpful.

Seeing a therapist who specializes in drug addiction will help as well.

Good luck, and stay safe.
 
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white knuckling vs sober support

The friends that I have that got sober from hard drugs without a rehab did it by changing their entire social scene. Left their connections, freinds & often family as well, leaving the people that know & often care for them TOO well. The ones they will give em 40$ or whatever to help em out in a pinch & keep them content that much longere. Rehab, geographical solutions, social scene, 12 steps, none of it is going to do a thing until you decide that thats the ONLY way you've got that doesnt put you in a box too young. I've spent all the money that could be scrounged up on rehab only to have my fiance decide to walk right out the door a week in. Ive had my husband dumped on my lawn with kidneys shutting down after 2 weeks gone shooting meth & had him tell me, that he's done, he scared himself, he'll go to rehab or do whatever, stay a year if deemed nec. because he is out of ideas & knows the shit he thinks is not going to save him. That time it stuck for him, for 4 years. Funny thing is when he was willing to go to rehab the places I spoke to said he was not a priority because he KNOWS he has a problem. & they were right. He didnt do it through rehab, he DID do meetings every day work the steps & when he relapsed I believe it happened when AA had gotten too far from his daily life. That community & losing the lonely selfishness that addiction brings, working steps & reaching out & being of service to others is such a powerful thing when you're ready for it. But you CAN do it without rehab, it is going to take dicipline to do it fully, but you DO need connections with people working to stay sober & you need to come to terms with the fact that your ideas like "i dont plan to shoot up again, just this one time" are part of a cycle of sickness & you cant listen to that cliche demon talk anymore. Connect with people in recovery whether its SMART recovery or AA or whatever clicks in your head, dont let it be all on you, having a recovery community and support system can make a huge difference in your psche. The difference between white knuckling it & recovery is HUGE.
 
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bomber, I understand where your coming from. Truth is some rehabs suck horribly while others a great. I would keep my eyes and ears open as far as rehabs go. They help a lot. The place I went to outpatient was wonderful. The first rehab I went to was a joke. If I say they were dicks, that would be a complement. I did some research and went to a better one and it changed my life. Good places exist. Back to your question. Priest said it spot on. When your dealing with a hard drug that can be easy to relapse on, you want some kind of support group. This is why one of the conditions of rehabs, etc tell you to go to a 12 step meeting. That can greatly help fortify your recovery and get you through the rough paarts. IMO. AA is probably the top 12 step program. I am not knocking NA, but AA is all about being sober. You learn how to be responsible to yourself. Everyone thinks AA is strictly alcohol, but once you go, you can substitute anything in for alcohol. Eventually you realize that a drug is a drug. I recommend it. Also, there are AA meetings happening all the time, almost 24/7. Back to your topic. IMO your first rehab was sort of full of shit. Statistically, they may be correct on paper, but to say you cant, is bullshit. Again, IMO, you can beat your habit by yourself, but it takes a heart made decision. It takes dedicated work to be successful. Even lightweight support is much better then none. The point is, if say you started getting urges, etc, it would be nice to have someone to talk you through your issue. I explained this because I went through rehab and AA meetings for over a year, The rehab and AA support kept me sober. Whatever your decision, remember that you are stronger then some bullshit thought or feeling. Bluelight is always available to help you out. If you ever want to bounce something off somebody, rant, vent (within reason). PM me anytime you want. Keep your head up, Speed King.
 
kddid said:
The friends that I have that got sober from hard drugs without a rehab did it by changing their entire social scene. Left their connections, freinds & often family as well, leaving the people that know & often care for them too well, the ones they know how to might know how to manipulate into giving em 40$ or whatever to help em out in a pinch. Rehab, geographical solutions, social scene, 12 steps, none of it is going to do a thing until you decide that thats the ONLY way you've got that doesnt put you in a box too young. I've spent all the money that could be scrounged up on rehab only to have my fiance decide to walk right out the door a week in. Ive had my husband dumped on my lawn with kidneys shutting down after 2 weeks gone shooting meth & had him tell me, that he's done, he scared himself, he'll go to rehab or do whatever because he is out of ideas & knows the shit he thinks is not going to save him. That time it stuck for him, for 4 years. Funny thing is when he was willing to go to rehab the places I spoke to said he was not a priority because he KNOWS he has a problem. & they were right. He didnt do it through rehab, he DID do meetings every day work the steps & when he relapsed I believe it happened when AA had gotten out of reach in his life. That community & losing the lonely selfishness that addiction brings by reaching out & being of service to others is such a powerful thing when you're ready for it. But you CAN do it without rehab, it is going to be rough though but you DO need connections with people working to stay sober as well & you need to come to terms with the fact that your ideas like "i dont plan to shoot up again just this one time" are part of a cycle of sickness & you cant listen to that cliche demon talk anymore. Connect with people in recovery whether its SMART recovery or AA or whatever clicks in your head, dont let it be all on you, having a recovery community and support system can make a huge difference in your psche. The difference between white knuckling it & recovery is HUGE.
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^^ Excellent post ! Having a support system makes life way easier.
 
Even if you go to them you need to stay clean after without one I mean if you decide that I know I will need to get all clean like they told me one day so at the end of the day they cannot keep you clean really how I see it now
 
kddid said:
white knuckling vs sober support

The friends that I have that got sober from hard drugs without a rehab did it by changing their entire social scene. Left their connections, freinds & often family as well, leaving the people that know & often care for them TOO well. The ones they will give em 40$ or whatever to help em out in a pinch & keep them content that much longere. Rehab, geographical solutions, social scene, 12 steps, none of it is going to do a thing until you decide that thats the ONLY way you've got that doesnt put you in a box too young. I've spent all the money that could be scrounged up on rehab only to have my fiance decide to walk right out the door a week in. Ive had my husband dumped on my lawn with kidneys shutting down after 2 weeks gone shooting meth & had him tell me, that he's done, he scared himself, he'll go to rehab or do whatever, stay a year if deemed nec. because he is out of ideas & knows the shit he thinks is not going to save him. That time it stuck for him, for 4 years. Funny thing is when he was willing to go to rehab the places I spoke to said he was not a priority because he KNOWS he has a problem. & they were right. He didnt do it through rehab, he DID do meetings every day work the steps & when he relapsed I believe it happened when AA had gotten too far from his daily life. That community & losing the lonely selfishness that addiction brings, working steps & reaching out & being of service to others is such a powerful thing when you're ready for it. But you CAN do it without rehab, it is going to take dicipline to do it fully, but you DO need connections with people working to stay sober & you need to come to terms with the fact that your ideas like "i dont plan to shoot up again, just this one time" are part of a cycle of sickness & you cant listen to that cliche demon talk anymore. Connect with people in recovery whether its SMART recovery or AA or whatever clicks in your head, dont let it be all on you, having a recovery community and support system can make a huge difference in your psche. The difference between white knuckling it & recovery is HUGE.
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I have been white knuckling it I see that now
 
This is quite the bump but I’ll chime in. How many people feel they need to give up their identity and family to stay sober? Given those methods fall to pieces after one use.. how viable is this approach?

castles made of sand.. hey but the alligators hold the truth.. just have no memory of themselves?

thoughts, even from the reptiles.. original thoughts if possible
 
bomber said:
Is it possible to quit a hard drug and not return to addiction with out help from rehab/outpatient program?
Click to expand...
A fuckin huge hell yes.
Takes a lot of work, though. If one is scared to work forget about it.
Just my take from expeience of this same "hard drug" use/abuse.
 
Not sure what the solution is but if an outpatient thinks they can fix this they got another thing coming I gotta say they woulda done it by now
 
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