Substance Abuse Recovery Thread

[Gemini]

Be aware of the cult behavior in AA. There are those that will tempt you. And they disguise it well.

I've been to several groups this week, but my "home" group is an LGBT-friendly group which seems to be pretty free of that. Seems like a very liberal and intellectually mature group of people.

Anyway, this is day 9 without alcohol. Go me!

[brewer]

Be aware of the cult behavior in AA. There are those that will tempt you. And they disguise it well.

I've been to several groups this week, but my "home" group is an LGBT-friendly group which seems to be pretty free of that. Seems like a very liberal and intellectually mature group of people.

Anyway, this is day 9 without alcohol. Go me!

That's great. Keep stringing them together.

[LastPoet]

Since age 11 to 22 I was riding the dragon. It was heroin and one might be sure if you are in a gutter grasping for air amidst one's own vomit, you still feel the king of the universe.

It was 2 years of recovery and altough I still sometimes feel urges to use in the form of dreams ending in nightmares.

I am going well now 14 years later.

[abaris]

Since age 11 to 22 I was riding the dragon. It was heroin and one might be sure if you are in a gutter grasping for air amidst one's own vomit, you still feel the king of the universe.

Wow, glad you survived. Quite a few of my friends didn't, starting at that early age.

Don't answer if you're not comfortable with the question, but how did you get to the needle at age 11?

[LastPoet]

Since age 11 to 22 I was riding the dragon. It was heroin and one might be sure if you are in a gutter grasping for air amidst one's own vomit, you still feel the king of the universe.

Wow, glad you survived. Quite a few of my friends didn't, starting at that early age.

Don't answer if you're not comfortable with the question, but how did you get to the needle at age 11?

I didn't went for the needle straight away. I smoked it the first 2 years then moved to the needle. As to why? Well the only answer is puberty angst and a need to releave the pain.

Since my dad sent me by train at that age to buy lottery tickets, in Losbon I learned I could mingle with people on rough neighborhoods and I was introduced to it by a girl that I watched dying of OD 8 years later.

[brewer]

2016 Surgeon General Report Alcohol, Drugs and Health. There is a lot of good material here. I'm still wading through it all. 

https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/

[Aegon]

2016 Surgeon General Report Alcohol, Drugs and Health. There is a lot of good material here. I'm still wading through it all. 

https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/

Muthy is the first Surgeon General to talk in-depth about addiction, and say point blank that it is a disease and not a character flaw.

[paulpablo]

I'm pretty hedonistic and pleasure focused so I think if my heart never skipped beats when I drank and smoke and all the other stuff I'd probably still be doing a lot of that now so it's sort of a blessing in disguise that it does.

Nicotine is definitely the most monstrously difficult drug I've had to quit.

It took me a few tries but by the final try I really put psychotic effort into it.

I think that's the bottom line is that anyone who wants to do it enough can quit.  Apart from in circumstances of extreme physical addiction the body won't die from a withdrawl so you just have to do whatever you can to physically not take the substance.

I used distractions, will power, forward planning.  Like I used to think to myself even if a family member dies I'm not going to light up a cig to cope.  Or if I get an injury or I've just had a bad day.

Twice I actually found full packets of cigs on the floor in the street at separate times while I was trying to quit.  That was a fucking hurdle. I ended up just giving them away to some grateful smoker at work.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Yep -- dealing firmly with triggers is vital to recovery.

[Catholic_Lady]

Wow, had no idea any of you were dealing with addictions. I am so sorry for what yall are struggling with and am really rooting for each one of you. <3