How long do crack withdrawls last after you quit?

[potter01]

My boyfriend and I are both recovering crack heads. I find that I am having no problems, but my boyfriend seems to be suffering alot more then me. He constantly feels sick to his stomach and always has a headache. He also has flu like syptoms that only seem to get better for a short period of time. How long are these symptoms to go on and can he look forward to them ending soon?

[AnandR]

Quitting drug or alcohol or even cigarettes has one main difficulty. It has become a part of your life. Now when you remove it, there's emptiness, which drives you physically and mentally insane just like losing a loved one.
Apart from rehab, couselling, etc, it's very important to develop a new lifestyle which keeps you busy. There will still be withdrawl symptoms but if the new life is interesting and busy, you will be too involved to think of something else..
Stay busy through out the day till you are exhausted and crash off to sleep. In a few months, you will have a whole new life..
Most people relapse bcos they come back to the same lifestyle and there's this emptiness which cannot be filled at all..

[ariley13]

Hi there and welcome! You are definitely in the right place my friend. Lots of good advice, support, and encouragement here. This is an old thread that you have posted on. If you go to the main page and hit the post a question link you can start your own thread. Cut and paste if you want. That will help more folks to see it and get you more support and answers. I don't have any personal experience with crack, but I know there are some people on here that do. Hang tight and they will be along shortly. Good luck to you! Take care.

[Sonrissa]

Hi! First, I would like to recommend that you read a book called: Broken. It is written by a man named William Cope Moyers. It is his story of addiction and Redemption. His story sounds very similar to yours. Please do not give up hope that you can quit. Think of your family. They need you, and they need you healthy. I'm praying that you will seek out the help that you need to beat this addiction. Do it today!

If you would like some advice and support from the wonderful members here. Start your own post (just click the Post a Question button at the top of this page). We will give you help and support in any way we can.

Take care, and please seek out some help!

[tttrrra]

the only way for me to stop in the past - was to move away even move country..i moved back to australia and i couldnt get it here, it isnt around and i lived without it for the past 7 or 8 years. I got married and had 3 kids, and i another coming in January.
I got a business and i got money and i know my ways around a computer. i probably should not say how i was able to get crack again cause it will mean that someone reading this may also find that way...you know i thought i can just give a go for old times...im 41....but that was march and no we are headinf into november and my health isnt good, and my heart especially...and you know it makes me sad......but i keep doing it..Ive managed to keep a secret from everyone too.....but the longer you go without the healthier you feel and the closer i get to re-using....
im scared i will die, im scared my wife will find out, im scared i will never ever be able to stop using crack. it is such a secret part of me, and i continue to use it even though i feel like i am having a stroke or heart attack or even when i think of my kids and wife that i keep doing it.
I dont think rehab is any good...its in the mind...maybe you do rehab for 1month 6months 12months 5years....crack is still there and i feel helpless. and i feel disgusted in who i am when i do it too.

[Bubbleguppie100]

Hi friend! Don't do it!!! Dude, you've been clean for 5 years and 3 freaking months?!? Hollaaaa!!!! You should be very proud of yourself. I would do anything to be 5 years and 3 months clean. I detoxing from pain pills. I'm on my second day.. Fml. You can do this! You did it!! Why go back to hell? Try not to think about the drug. Watch a movie, take a bath, hang out with ur family. If you're married, tell ur spouse that u r having a craving. She can help u through it! Or tell a friend, anyone! Call a sponsor. Don't go back. I have faith in you.

[idontknow297]

I have been clean from smoking crack for 5 years and 3 months now. I still have cravings. I am having such strong cravings tonight, my mind went to thinking about the areas I know I could get some. (And, I'm in a city I've never bought any in and don't know anyone who smokes it.)
I came here because there is not an AA or NA meeting this time of the night/day in my area. This is a crazy strong craving like I haven't had in years. I don't know why it came on so strong. I'll be honest, if I had some in front of me right this moment, I would smoke it. No doubt about it. So, I'm glad I don't. I don't want to, really. My children and family are too important to me and I've come way too far to go back to that sort of life.
Why am I craving so strong after such a long time of being clean?! I hate this!

[No1Be4Me]

I smoked crack everyday all day for 6 months at 17 years old. I quit after telling my dad I was a crack head and he moved me to New York where there was no crack at all. For 30 days straight I dreamed every night I was smoking the hard and would wake up with sweats and sort of high for 5-10 seconds. After that no more trouble for 28 years. I'm 45 now and started smoking the hard again. I don't know why but I do know I can quit and what to expect. I never had withdrawal but the dreams were intense. Best of luck to anyone hooked on the devil ****. I will be quiting very soon since money is running out...No1Be4Me

[razzy2011]

I am so sorry you have to go through this. First I have gone without crack for almost four year.
Those symptoms your bf is having is his brain and body recovering. All the short period of time inbetween feeling better and feeling sick will get better after time. His body is trying to retune it self. Let him ride it out he should be better in a couple of months or even sooner. Also after this has pass it will be a rebuilding time for both of you. It will be like starting over. I wish you both the best. I will pray for both of you. Look toward the Lord it was a real family at a protestant church that help me. It was April of 2010 was the last time i had anything to do with crack. Continue to stay free of it. I lost my career because of it. Whatever happens you stay on track dont look back keep going forward. When youf bf is 100 % you tell him the same thing. Look forward in your life dont look back. I will pray for both of you that you and him stay free of it.

[lightndarkworld]

I found myself here reading posts as I was looking for an answer to a ?. You are not a wasted life or space. There is a reason and purpose you are here and you just haven't found it yet. You have been looking to fill an emptiness and void in you only he was made to fill. And until you realize that and accept it, you will keep filling it with destructive, empty things. Your life will be wasted and painful.  His name is Jesus! You can't stop this alone, but with him, you can. If you will receive what he has done for you and make restitution with him, go after him, seek him, surrender to him, he will be a mighty help in this battle with you. You then can overcome. An added bonus, all the guilt, shame, regrets and reasons to hold your head down will be washed away and healing with come and you will be able to hold your head up high and walk with peace, joy, and integrity in this life no matter what your past is. Life will never be the same and neither will you.

[HelpMeStopThis]

I am a crack addict and dont know how to quit. Rehab wont take me because crack doesn't have the withdraws as alcohol or heroine  and such. I was going to an out patient program were we would just sit around and talk about crack and then I go home with a serious craving and be on the phone trying to score me some. I was living in a crack neighborhood for a while there, as my family owns a lot of land in this particular area and had nowhere else to go ..... I finally moved outta there and was able to stop for a lil bit (a few weeks) but just meet new users/deals in the area I am in now. Its not like I even enjoy the high anymore I just get super paranoid and find myself sitting in a closet with tears running down my face paranoid as a Mother F**ker *  I got the nickname Huckabuck as my body twitches/jerk like due to nerve damage I am guessing from the crack as I get nervous/paranoid and it really messes with my nerves. I would "huckabuck" so bad that the next day my body/muscles be in such pain. It's not enjoyable at all But the second I got a few bucks on me I gotta call the dope man. Im not working, havent worked in a few years I make money having sex by placing Ads on Craigslist and after making the money I feel so disgusted that I have to smoke to "feel better" I used to be a hard worker and tended bar for years so I am use to making good money semi fast But now my reputation is so bad if I can get a job it feels demeaning to me and Im just back to smoking just cause I hate my life/job. As I am typing all this Maybe I am just making excuses But the bottom line is Im a crackhead/***** and dont know how to make it stop. Having money is a big trigger and cant seem to give to my family fast enough to hold before I am on the phone calling the "man" I sometimes feel I am just a wasted life/space/nuisance and think the only way to end this is ending me ...which probably is what I am doing now with my use ....I just need some serious Help!!

[gizzy32]

I am so glad he's has quit, but staying clean from crack is extremely difficult. Reading that rehab don't think coke/crack addictions are a disease makes me angry cause i know that is sorta true here also, because there are no serious physical w/ds. It is so much easier for a person who takes 10 pills a day to get in rehab than a crack addict and it's a joke to me. Doing coke and crack is not even in the same catergory as someone that takes a few pills a day then w/d's and goes to detox. It's not fair and without offending people on here quitting crack is 1000000X harder than quitting vicodin and most other pills, yet they will take someone  for rehab trying to quit that but not crack or coke or speed.

Most of the drugs you mentioned, he won't w/d from. It's more of a crash for those days, but after intense cravings will come, with severe depression. I am a coke addict and if you would like to talk send me a message. Tell him to get himself to some N/A meetings and see if he would come on here for support, I would like to help. Good luck and hope to hear back from you. You can't put yourself through this all again because of HIS addiction so I hope he sticks to it this time. It's such a shame he can't get to rehab cause after reading this post he's gonna need all the help he can get cause crack is a monster to beat.

P.S. You can make your own post by going to top and posting question, you will get more feedback on your own post. take care

[skyy07]

my husband is a crack addict.. he has been using drugs weed, speed, coccaine, crack, LSD since he was 12 years on and off. he was never out of control until last feb 09 when he admitted to me that he needs help cuz he is heavily addicted to crack.  He smokes about 200 dollars worth a day.. He started smoking it september08 once to two times a week and developed into an everyday thing .. he became a different person of course, does not come for days, does not answer his cel phone, recently lost his job cuz he would do it on his lunch time and if he gets too high he does not go back to work anymore. The worst is that one day i left our son 13months old with him to just walk the dog and when i came back he was gone with the baby for 9 hours with his cel phone shut off. when he came back he admitted to me that he did not have the intentions to go get drugs with the baby but the cravings was too intense that he brought our son to the crack dealers and smoke it for 9 hours with our son in the back seat of his car.... i can not tell you the hell i went through sitting at home waiting for my son and him to come back.. I called 911 three times cuz i was so desperate and each time i called they blamed me for leaving my son to him when i knew that he is using drugs and that they can not do anything about it because as the father he has as much rights to our son as me... our savings almost gone.. our lose we will most likely lose since he lost his job and my salary wont be enough to pay all the bills... two days ago he ordered checks under my name got it mailed to a different address and wrote himself a check worth 3000 dollars... so i told him that i will work with the FBI's and get him for identity theft, fraud and grand theft and that he only has two choices now either he goes to rehab or go to jail... so yesterday he went to rehab he stayed there the whole day while they assessed him and evaluated him and then just for the insurance company to refuse to admit him into inpatient rehab cuz they said coccaine addiction is not a disease.. if it was alcohol and opiates we would be covered... so we went home checked out online private rehabs but unfortunatley they were all too expensive and they all want 75% cash out... 26,000 rehab for a month... detox was 1,300 a day for 5 days... we checked out governement funded rehabs but they have a waiting list of 4 months.. if we wait that long he would probably be dead or homeless...... so my question is this we decided that if he really wants to quit he's going to have to do it by himself..cold turkey.. well this is his plan he decided to give all his credit cards, checks, bank cards, car keys and cel phones to his mother to keep then we are just going to stay home for few days maybe 4 to 5 and he will go through the withdrawal.. he bought some detoxification stuff from GNC a lot of movies and a lot of playstation games and he said he is determined to do it.... we started yesterday afternoon at 5pm it is now 4:30pm the following day.. so it has been almost 24 hours now and so far so good.. he has been cleaning the house and keeping himself busy... after 4 to 5 days of detox here at home we have plans to go to a cruise so that he can relax and get some fresh air and sunshine plus where is he going to get crack if we are in the middle of the pacific ocean....any suggestions and comments???? pls help i am exhausted if this wont work i am running out of ideas....

[gizzy32]

The only way to quit crack is c/t and ty for the laugh.  Yes there are no physical w/d's to crack, but there is not even a comparison to the mental side, nothing like  pills, not even close. The obsession is so strong and i guess that's why you used for past 8 months everyday. Im glad to hear your clean again, but there will come a time you will crave so bad, regardless where you are travelling and i hope you don't go on another 8 month bender. They call it crack cause it fries your brain and makes you so paranoid. It will eat your teeth, wreck your lungs and take all your money, that is just a start.

[LIZZIE LOU]

wow...arent you the strong one ! ! !

stopping crack is a little different than many other drugs.  you dont have the HELLISH physical withdrawals that can last for weeks.  having your body wretched with PHYSICAL PAIN...is definitely not a case of mind over matter.

so what you are saying is that if you did not travel...you would probably be still using crack on a daily basis?  just curious.

[anonon]

O.K! I smoked crack every day since i was about 23! I turned 27 started travelling, and quit, cold turkey! I had been close to two years until i had some again. That was about 8 months ago, and I used every day til about 2 weeks ago. It's different for everyone i guess but  i firmly believe in mind over matter! I don't think drugs waste your mind, i thik it makes it stronger! When and only when you come out the other side that is! Travelling is the best way to quit anything for me because I ust don't know where to find any!

[hopefullgal]

my mum has been doing crack for years now i recently found methadone in her draw but she doesnt no i did, i asked her if she did heroin but she said no.
she has asked for mine n my sister help to quit and we start on friday morning we stay will her at her house while she takes "sleepers" as she spends most of the day sleeping this will help her to come off the crack

we give her supplements like omega 3 vit c multi vits antioxidants and amnio acid when she is awake,

we take it in turns over the course of 6 days as we cant get much time off work coming up to x mass.

im really scared about doing it ive tried to research it but nothing, this is the only way she will do it as she wont go to rehab
please help and giv me as much advise as possible as this has torn our family apart for as long as i can remember,
she doesnt have a job as all she does it sleep wiv men for money in her home to pay for her adiction i need this all to end

[TrayCee]

I smoked rock EVERYDAY for 2 years and had NO "physical" withdrawls.  

[worried878]

I see giz responded...cocaine, amphetamines etc are a bit different from narcotics...and i always think u have to have been there to understand....physically it is supposedly easier to kick...mentally i hear it can be tougher than narcotics...attitude is so important...hang in there

[gizzy32]

Hi and welcome. This is an old post and gets overlooked. I am a cocaine addict and if you come back, feel free to send me a message or create your own post. Im sorry to hear you smoked again, but 10 months was so good, you will get back there. Hope to see you around and good luck.

[girlnextdoor27]

I `ve smoked again after beeing clean from more than 10 months, i dont want to use this s**** but every time i feel reject it seems like a good ideea to use in order to forget the pain...

[flapjackflipper]

just recovered, just wondering how long the process takes to cleans the body of traces of the drug and when you should start feeling normal again. I Have been eating and sleeping 5x a day. I will wake up, eat a ton of food and fall back asleep for a bout 3-4 hours.  This is the second day I've been doing this hopefully it will end shortly because it is really starting to become tiresome. Any input would be great. Cjm

[Is love enough]

   I was just browsing through this forum and happened to read your's.  I have never been able to talk to someone that has gone through the same disaster as me.  I do not have children with my boyfriend but I have a 12 year old daughter.  I have known my bf since I was 13.  He was my first love.  Two years ago he called me out of the blue, to see how I was doing.  We probably hav'nt talked since High school.  We started dating again and things were going great.  Until one night he said he had to run home for a minute.  That minute turned into five days.  That's when I found out he was an addict.  Since then I have lost cd players, Digital cameras, my daughters bike (twice), etc.  You name it, if it was'nt nailed down it was hocked.  As you said about your fiance, he is great when he's not using.  There gems are'nt they.  All the charm, love and compassion until something they cant handle triggers them then there off to the races.  I even wrote to the show intervention.  Have you ever seen it?  The last straw was Wednesday night and I fell asleep with my purse wide open.  I woke from a phone call from the police saying they had him in the back seat.  I had to be at the town hall the next morning for my first child custody hearing.  Needless to say my car was impounded and I had no car.  I had to call mom and tell her and I did not lie this time.  I finally told her the whole truth.  Next day he got out found my car(of course I had to pay $125.00).  That's the last I've talked to him.  I am in so much debt because of him and I might even loose my house.  I wont answer his calls because I know he'll finagle me back in.  It's so hard to love someone so much but know they are not good for you.  I am writing way to much here.  I know what you mean what you said that you can tell when he's about to run.  Mine gets a blank stare on his face and I cant even talk to him.  I can't remember did you say he has tried rehap?  Write back if you can, so we can exchange horror stories.     BYEEE

[CATUF]

Ahhh, a fellow crack head.
I would suggest that what your bf is suffering is not so much withdrawal, but the effects of the bodily abuse and neglect that go along with being a daily crack user.  If he was anything like me, he considered naps of less than an hour to be "a good noght's sleep" and thought being able to stomach a glass of milk and a few crackers to be a good meal.  The best initial treatment for coming off crack is lots of sleep, good nutrition and lots of water.

The stickier problem is getting the brain chemistry back in order.  Some addiction professionals that I really respect believe that one of the primary reasons that addicts become addicts in the first place is that they have serious deficiencies in the neurotransmitters that allow most

[MomsHadEnough]

I just want to thank you, CATUF, for your last posting. My fiance is a crack addict that has been battling with his addiction for years. Your post helped me to understand what is going on with his mind and body on his good days, when he is not using. I have tried to help him, he had been through rehab once, and it worked for a few months, then his life drastically changed with the death of his father and a sibling within months of eachother, and he got back in to it. Every day is a struggle for him. I can usually see the signs that he is going to use and try to keep him busy, but when he is determined to get out of the house, nothing stops him. His addiction has caused so much stress in our lives, there is never any money,utilities have been shut off due to this,he doesn't come home until 5 or 6 am,if at all, which causes me to lose sleep because I worry if he is okay. We have 2 boys, who are also suffering because dad disappears, breaks promises, forgets about the big camping trips they had planned, etc etc, which makes it hard on me as a mother, to see my boys hurting. He is such a wonderful man when he is not using, and I pray everyday that he gets better. I have been called The Enabler, because I havent walked out on him through the hard times, but the way I see it is that I dont want to desert him and make it worse for him.
Sorry, I didnt mean to rattle on with my personal business, I just havent had a chance to vent about this to anyone because no one really knows that this is going on in our lives.
I give you and your boyfriend alot of credit, Potter01, I wish you all the best. I know the both of you can get through this, stay strong for eachother! I am praying for all of you!