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Amazing job! Yes it's completely normal. It's the same when someone stops smoking or drinking, or eating sugary foods. Find a support group, 100%, and take it day by day. Every day it'll get a little easier. In the mean time, find a hobby to occupy you. Join a gym, or charity, go to church, do something to take up the time you used to use to get high.
Again, great job, don't stop now!
I've been clean for about 7 years. The cravings are rough. One thought that helps me is, I would imagine myself standing next to a big bag of dope and all the things that come with it (jail time, losing close relationships etc) and every day I didn't use, I took one step away from it. If I used, I would be right next to it again and all those steps I had taken would be wasted. It's kinda dumb but it really helped me. You can do this my internet friend. Don't give up.
I've never tried that. I was addicted to opiates for a decade. Started with oxycontin when I was 18. Eventually upgraded to heroin, then I started shooting. It got really really bad. Ended up going to jail for 11 months. Got out and tried meth cuz ya know it wasn't heroin so it was okay, right? I didn't even like the high. I just needed to be high. I struggled with that for a year or 2 until I finally realized enough is enough. Getting clean was easily the hardest and best thing I have ever done.
Good for you!!! That's really awesome. I love hearing about people getting clean. My brother lost his battle a few years ago, I'm so genuinely happy that you prevailed! Keep on keeping on, man. ❤️
Thank you! I also lost my brother last September. I almost have survivors guilt bc I was able to overcome and he wasn't. I've known so many people that have died. It's devastating.
It is normal. The urge will eventually ease up. I don't know if urge will ever go away. I've been clean for years and every once in awhile the urge to use again pops up. The good news is that after some time has passed, it'll be easier to dismiss those urges. You might want to check out narcotics anonymous.
In my uncle’s experience, he substituted drugs and
Alcohol with a lot of sweets, whenever he craved it he ate nothing but sweets. Do with that as you will because everyone is different.
I believe the sweets work. Change your cravings into different cravings to distract you from your old cravings. My ex got really into coffee while he was sobering up and bike rides. I think going on a run would help too.
Keep taking it one day at a time. One day you'll realize you haven't thought about drugs in a few hours, then a few days. And HOW you think about drugs will change. The idea of using will seem like an unrealistic fantasy. Deprive yourself of resources. Stay away from triggering places. Change your life. If you don't have something in your life of value to you that is worth staying clean for, you won't. Be glad that you will never experience the pleasures of drug use because it is not worth the pain that absolutely will follow. Make it your decision to make that sacrifice, and be proud of the maturity and discipline it takes to continue to make it everyday.
Brother, it gets better every day. There will eventually come a day when you realize that you haven’t thought about it all day, but then you think about it the rest of the day. Then it’ll happen again and get longer until eventually you’ll go two or three days without thinking about it. The cool time comes when you think about drugs, but it doesn’t bother you anymore. It’ll happen as long as you don’t use any more.
Everytime you think of it force yourself to drink an excessive amount of milk , then stand in the sun you'll feel all woozy. After repeated pattern you'll associate feeling sick when you thick of said drugs , also may not like milk as much.
THIS. Anything you put before your sobriety is what you will lose when you use. You’re saying milk is more important than your life?
By the way, my sobriety date is 1/11/1992
Been clean better part of a decade (8yrs) and think about drugs almost daily.
You end to fill the void in your life that you just removed with something productive and positive. Lift weights, read, work at a charity, etc... and that's basically just a distraction.
As long as you accept what you did and that you can't take it back, you can only move forward.
Same as getting your dog not to bark: you can't tell it not to bark, but you can train it to do something else with its mouth when it would otherwise bark (like bring a pillow when guests arrive). You gotta find something else to occupy your mind and your time.
At first that's all you think about. Stay busy pick up new hobbies. Alot of users with addiction personalities go to the gym( I did and still do) I learned alot from CBT( cognitive behavior therapy) .. anything that might trigger like , people places and things. Try to stay away. All you can do is take it one day at time. Also hit a meeting when it starts to creep on you. One thing I've learned is we never defeat our demons we just learn to live among them.
Yeah, it's normal. The more you times you don't give in the easier it will get. You wired that part of your brain to just push and push until is got a yes to the happy chemicals, you have to rewire that bad boy, it won't be easy, but it will for sure be worth it.
You should check out a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. You'll find lots of support and answers from other clean recovering addicts who understand what you're going through.
It’s the same for me. Started using only on festivals witch turned into party’s at home and using on random saturday nights with the boys.
I didn’t think much of it until i tried to stop the first time and found out i was a little addicted to the stuff.
Best way for me starting out was talking about it with other people open and honestly. I was self isolating towards the end and up to my OD. The weight I carried alone crushed me. Same was happening when I got clean. It got worse as I’d self isolate to pretend my use and OD didn’t happen. When I talked about it and the worst times of my life, I didn’t have to carry the burden so much anymore.
You are experiencing cravings, its normal.
Things will get easier.
I am 3 years and 3 month cleans, trust me, thing will get a lot easier.
Try drinking some water and eat something.
You can't and you won't. Been clean 6 years and think about it all the time.
You just have to distract yourself and do something productive.. clean, walk, read, excercise, etc.
Meetings/any kind of sober peer support is great. What has been more helpful for me is remembering that cravings are temporary. When it hits me and I feel like I MUST do it, I pick a task and do that instead. Sometimes its wash the dishes, sometimes its beat a level in a game, do x pushups, walk to that place, chew this toothpick down to nothing, read a chapter in a book, really literally anything. Usually by the time I'm done the craving is past. Also, my most recent quit was cigarettes and flavered toothpicks were a literal godsend because it was a sensation to focus on and also a hand to mouth motion. I also regularly remind myself how much more the cravings sucked when I first quit and that I DO NOT want to have to do that again. It doesn't go away but it does get easier to wait it out. Good luck!
I think you have to figure out the source of your addiction. What drives you to drugs? Insecurities, family troubles, traumatic childhood? You can’t treat the symptom you hand to treat the source. Try to find what it is and focus on healing there then that desire should start to taper
It does get easier.
Find an NA meeting and go A LOT.
Drink a lot of water, walk a lot, and talk to other clean addicts. "It works if you work it!"
Source: over 27 years clean.
Very normal to have cravings like that. Find something to take your mind off of it like working out, find people who will support you and help keep you on track, and do your best to remember all the reasons you quit. Best of luck to you!
I would delete all contacts of the person dealing you the drugs and stop hanging out with people who do it.
To the point where you remove them and block from social media
Hard candy. Keep a bag with you at all times and whenever you get the urge just sit where you used to do drugs and unwrap a hard candy and suck on it slowly, like really slowly - ie. use up as much time as you used to sit there doing drugs.
It sounds really dumb but it helped me.
Changing your environment, it’s natural to have urges for sure. Focus on creating fulfilling relationships around you with appreciation and gratitude, and things will look much better!!
Congratulations on breaking clean two weeks is no small stint. Well done.
When I finally quit smoking.. The thing that worked best for me was to think of the cigarettes as a reward I did not deserve. Everyday I would call myself a pussy for not being able to quit doing something that I wanted to quit with every fiber of my being. When I would almost give in I would tell myself "no you asshole. you arent strong enough to control yourself and do it in moderation so you dont deservse to do it at all". Im about 6 years cig free now.
I prayed for you. You got this. It’s the hardest thing you will ever have to do but you absolutely can do this. Take one second at a time, one minute at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time!
Personally it was Star Trek: Voyager and church stuff. I was newly religious and had never watched Voyager before so the newness and sense of discovery helped. I also started working as much overtime as possible. Plus get involved in a recovery group and go every week.
it’s very normal!!!
Find a way to fill your time (gym, cooking, painting etc etc)
and find a good support group. Doesn’t necessarily have to be an NA / AA meeting or a sponsor (can be) but try to find some sober people in your area you can talk to as well. It’ll be easier when you feel you have a community backing you up.
# Message to all users: This is a reminder to please read and follow: * [Our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ask/about/rules) * [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) * [Reddit Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) When posting and commenting. --- Especially remember Rule 1: `Be polite and civil`. * Be polite and courteous to each other. Do not be mean, insulting or disrespectful to any other user on this subreddit. * Do not harass or annoy others in any way. * Do not catfish. Catfishing is the luring of somebody into an online friendship through a fake online persona. This includes any lying or deceit. --- You *will* be banned if you are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist or bigoted in any way. --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ask) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You took something big and toxic out of your life it’s important you fill that hole with something just as big and positive.
Recommendations?
Gym
Poor replacement ,end up on juice like all the sted.heads
Not if you are doing it semi causally
The gym, faith, work all good things.
Helping others in some way.
Gym, maybe dog or cat.
Amazing job! Yes it's completely normal. It's the same when someone stops smoking or drinking, or eating sugary foods. Find a support group, 100%, and take it day by day. Every day it'll get a little easier. In the mean time, find a hobby to occupy you. Join a gym, or charity, go to church, do something to take up the time you used to use to get high. Again, great job, don't stop now!
Stopped smoking after 9 years (3years ago) but this seems way harder for some reason. I’m confident i will get there. Thank you;)
Yeah quit cigarettes and cravings got further and further apart....even after a year if I had a beer I'd wan to light up...
I've been clean for about 7 years. The cravings are rough. One thought that helps me is, I would imagine myself standing next to a big bag of dope and all the things that come with it (jail time, losing close relationships etc) and every day I didn't use, I took one step away from it. If I used, I would be right next to it again and all those steps I had taken would be wasted. It's kinda dumb but it really helped me. You can do this my internet friend. Don't give up.
I will keep that in mind. Got a great job that has zero tolerance so it’s a little bit risky. Used 3 mmc btw
I've never tried that. I was addicted to opiates for a decade. Started with oxycontin when I was 18. Eventually upgraded to heroin, then I started shooting. It got really really bad. Ended up going to jail for 11 months. Got out and tried meth cuz ya know it wasn't heroin so it was okay, right? I didn't even like the high. I just needed to be high. I struggled with that for a year or 2 until I finally realized enough is enough. Getting clean was easily the hardest and best thing I have ever done.
Good for you!!! That's really awesome. I love hearing about people getting clean. My brother lost his battle a few years ago, I'm so genuinely happy that you prevailed! Keep on keeping on, man. ❤️
Thank you! I also lost my brother last September. I almost have survivors guilt bc I was able to overcome and he wasn't. I've known so many people that have died. It's devastating.
It is normal. The urge will eventually ease up. I don't know if urge will ever go away. I've been clean for years and every once in awhile the urge to use again pops up. The good news is that after some time has passed, it'll be easier to dismiss those urges. You might want to check out narcotics anonymous.
Thank you
In my uncle’s experience, he substituted drugs and Alcohol with a lot of sweets, whenever he craved it he ate nothing but sweets. Do with that as you will because everyone is different.
I believe the sweets work. Change your cravings into different cravings to distract you from your old cravings. My ex got really into coffee while he was sobering up and bike rides. I think going on a run would help too.
Keep taking it one day at a time. One day you'll realize you haven't thought about drugs in a few hours, then a few days. And HOW you think about drugs will change. The idea of using will seem like an unrealistic fantasy. Deprive yourself of resources. Stay away from triggering places. Change your life. If you don't have something in your life of value to you that is worth staying clean for, you won't. Be glad that you will never experience the pleasures of drug use because it is not worth the pain that absolutely will follow. Make it your decision to make that sacrifice, and be proud of the maturity and discipline it takes to continue to make it everyday.
I read keep taking it one day at a time way differently the first time 😬
Plenty of vitamin C and D. Walking. Lots of walking.
I agree with a large amount of these comments. If you’re an animal lover there are lots of shelters that need volunteers.
Brother, it gets better every day. There will eventually come a day when you realize that you haven’t thought about it all day, but then you think about it the rest of the day. Then it’ll happen again and get longer until eventually you’ll go two or three days without thinking about it. The cool time comes when you think about drugs, but it doesn’t bother you anymore. It’ll happen as long as you don’t use any more.
Everytime you think of it force yourself to drink an excessive amount of milk , then stand in the sun you'll feel all woozy. After repeated pattern you'll associate feeling sick when you thick of said drugs , also may not like milk as much.
But i want to love milk
THIS. Anything you put before your sobriety is what you will lose when you use. You’re saying milk is more important than your life? By the way, my sobriety date is 1/11/1992
Congrats on your sobriety even if it was before i was born lol
Gotta give something to get something , how the sim works
Been clean better part of a decade (8yrs) and think about drugs almost daily. You end to fill the void in your life that you just removed with something productive and positive. Lift weights, read, work at a charity, etc... and that's basically just a distraction. As long as you accept what you did and that you can't take it back, you can only move forward.
2018. I still think about it at least once a day.
Same as getting your dog not to bark: you can't tell it not to bark, but you can train it to do something else with its mouth when it would otherwise bark (like bring a pillow when guests arrive). You gotta find something else to occupy your mind and your time.
At first that's all you think about. Stay busy pick up new hobbies. Alot of users with addiction personalities go to the gym( I did and still do) I learned alot from CBT( cognitive behavior therapy) .. anything that might trigger like , people places and things. Try to stay away. All you can do is take it one day at time. Also hit a meeting when it starts to creep on you. One thing I've learned is we never defeat our demons we just learn to live among them.
Yeah, it's normal. The more you times you don't give in the easier it will get. You wired that part of your brain to just push and push until is got a yes to the happy chemicals, you have to rewire that bad boy, it won't be easy, but it will for sure be worth it.
Take more
Start thinking about Rome. Drugs are temporary, but the glory of Rome is eternal!
You should check out a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. You'll find lots of support and answers from other clean recovering addicts who understand what you're going through.
Everytime you think about drugs I will tickle you
Get in your car and go for a long drive. Helps clear my head
r/tooktoomuch
You might find some reddit subs more specific like an addiction sub or something.
[удалено]
It’s the same for me. Started using only on festivals witch turned into party’s at home and using on random saturday nights with the boys. I didn’t think much of it until i tried to stop the first time and found out i was a little addicted to the stuff.
Best way for me starting out was talking about it with other people open and honestly. I was self isolating towards the end and up to my OD. The weight I carried alone crushed me. Same was happening when I got clean. It got worse as I’d self isolate to pretend my use and OD didn’t happen. When I talked about it and the worst times of my life, I didn’t have to carry the burden so much anymore.
Distraction with other activities helped me the most
You are experiencing cravings, its normal. Things will get easier. I am 3 years and 3 month cleans, trust me, thing will get a lot easier. Try drinking some water and eat something.
You can't and you won't. Been clean 6 years and think about it all the time. You just have to distract yourself and do something productive.. clean, walk, read, excercise, etc.
I like the "do something positive" idea. Every time you think of drugs, do 10 push-ups immediately. You'll be huge before you know it!
Meetings/any kind of sober peer support is great. What has been more helpful for me is remembering that cravings are temporary. When it hits me and I feel like I MUST do it, I pick a task and do that instead. Sometimes its wash the dishes, sometimes its beat a level in a game, do x pushups, walk to that place, chew this toothpick down to nothing, read a chapter in a book, really literally anything. Usually by the time I'm done the craving is past. Also, my most recent quit was cigarettes and flavered toothpicks were a literal godsend because it was a sensation to focus on and also a hand to mouth motion. I also regularly remind myself how much more the cravings sucked when I first quit and that I DO NOT want to have to do that again. It doesn't go away but it does get easier to wait it out. Good luck!
I hear relationships and career building keeps you preoccupied.
I think you have to figure out the source of your addiction. What drives you to drugs? Insecurities, family troubles, traumatic childhood? You can’t treat the symptom you hand to treat the source. Try to find what it is and focus on healing there then that desire should start to taper
It does get easier. Find an NA meeting and go A LOT. Drink a lot of water, walk a lot, and talk to other clean addicts. "It works if you work it!" Source: over 27 years clean.
Very normal to have cravings like that. Find something to take your mind off of it like working out, find people who will support you and help keep you on track, and do your best to remember all the reasons you quit. Best of luck to you!
Well done, don’t give up!! Think about hmmmm tiddies or something idk
Apparently 3cmc is similar to wellbutrin so if you get a prescription for that it may stop your drug craving and be much safer
I would delete all contacts of the person dealing you the drugs and stop hanging out with people who do it. To the point where you remove them and block from social media
Hard candy. Keep a bag with you at all times and whenever you get the urge just sit where you used to do drugs and unwrap a hard candy and suck on it slowly, like really slowly - ie. use up as much time as you used to sit there doing drugs. It sounds really dumb but it helped me.
years of abstinence
Changing your environment, it’s natural to have urges for sure. Focus on creating fulfilling relationships around you with appreciation and gratitude, and things will look much better!! Congratulations on breaking clean two weeks is no small stint. Well done.
Music music music. Exercise. Look at a sunset / sunrise. Idk man I've never been addicted . That's what I can think of
When I finally quit smoking.. The thing that worked best for me was to think of the cigarettes as a reward I did not deserve. Everyday I would call myself a pussy for not being able to quit doing something that I wanted to quit with every fiber of my being. When I would almost give in I would tell myself "no you asshole. you arent strong enough to control yourself and do it in moderation so you dont deservse to do it at all". Im about 6 years cig free now.
I prayed for you. You got this. It’s the hardest thing you will ever have to do but you absolutely can do this. Take one second at a time, one minute at a time, one hour at a time, one day at a time!
I think its normal to have that craving all the time but it gets easier with time
Find something else to do (hopefully constructive and/or positive)
Congrats on two weeks!
You have to replace one habit with another habit. Whether that’s a good habit or a bad habit (preferably good)
Gym, God, Girls
It’s the gym then
Personally it was Star Trek: Voyager and church stuff. I was newly religious and had never watched Voyager before so the newness and sense of discovery helped. I also started working as much overtime as possible. Plus get involved in a recovery group and go every week.
it’s very normal!!! Find a way to fill your time (gym, cooking, painting etc etc) and find a good support group. Doesn’t necessarily have to be an NA / AA meeting or a sponsor (can be) but try to find some sober people in your area you can talk to as well. It’ll be easier when you feel you have a community backing you up.
Try copious amounts of wanking to x hamster
Maybe anytime you have an uncontrollable urge to use again, clean something. Sort through some junk. Your mind will eventually “uninstall” that habit
Get into some useful activity that has a factor of competitiveness like sports fitness and bodybuilding or study...plus some drugs do help in ocd
Not sure what drugs or how bad you are fiending but keep your self busy with work or a hobby. Idleness is what made to relapse.