Aa
Kicked my Norco / Lortabs Mild Addiction, How soon is too soon to use recreationaly?
I kicked a mild (4 month?) addiction, it's been about 3 days since I've had any.
I was taking up to 90mgs per day (3 Morn, 3 Afternoon, 3 Night) and went down to 60mg a day for a week, then I went a full day without them Day 1, 30 mg Day 2, full day without them Day 3, 30 mg Day 4, and then days 5, 6, 7 I've had 0. I feel like I'm back to normal. Sleep is back, no anxiety, no RLS, no cravings. (That was the blunt of my WD)
For recreational purposes, how long would you guys think is safe to hold before recreational use? I kicked the habit fairly easily, but I just don't want to take anything too soon that would flip a switch in my brain.
You guys are great and I read on this board A LOT during those Day 1 and Day 3 with 0 MG. (Toughest days, BTW even though I cracked Days 2 and 4 it was at night and after Day 4 I never craved them again.)
I was taking up to 90mgs per day (3 Morn, 3 Afternoon, 3 Night) and went down to 60mg a day for a week, then I went a full day without them Day 1, 30 mg Day 2, full day without them Day 3, 30 mg Day 4, and then days 5, 6, 7 I've had 0. I feel like I'm back to normal. Sleep is back, no anxiety, no RLS, no cravings. (That was the blunt of my WD)
For recreational purposes, how long would you guys think is safe to hold before recreational use? I kicked the habit fairly easily, but I just don't want to take anything too soon that would flip a switch in my brain.
You guys are great and I read on this board A LOT during those Day 1 and Day 3 with 0 MG. (Toughest days, BTW even though I cracked Days 2 and 4 it was at night and after Day 4 I never craved them again.)
O lord how I wish I was you. If I stop - when I stop I should say - that's it. Put them to rest, nothing good comes from taking them.
I'd had a BAD Lortab/Vicodin habit - out of necessity(?). For more than a year I was taking them for the pain of what turned out to be a cancerous tumor. Once that was excised, I weaned myself down and that was NOT easy ... then WHAM! ... another 'growth' had to be removed after a painful trocar biopsy, and then surgical removal of that growth - and I was back on them. Weaned myself down again and then WHAM! ... a brain tumor and surgery ... and then WHAM a broken hand ... and then WHAM a fractured hip ... ughhhhh ...
It got to the point where I knew what to expect while trying to get off of them and would deal with it, but it was not fun.
It can be VERY difficult, but you can do it ... keep in mind that at some point, all that will happen is that the acetaminophen in that stuff will kill your liver ... and then you.
Damn, whatta downer-thing to say, huh?
It got to the point where I knew what to expect while trying to get off of them and would deal with it, but it was not fun.
It can be VERY difficult, but you can do it ... keep in mind that at some point, all that will happen is that the acetaminophen in that stuff will kill your liver ... and then you.
Damn, whatta downer-thing to say, huh?
I understand what everyone is saying. On a side note let me start off by saying EVERYONE is different. From my last post, my main goal in weaning off was to feel it again.
After about a week of not using, I used sporadically. First time was terrible, I felt sick from 30mg. I thought to myself, strange... Let me hold off. A few days later.. 30mg.. Again, I felt sick. No cravings, no nothing. Used just to use. I didn't understand it. So the next time I used.. 40mg. Felt nothing, not sick, not a buzz, nothing. I took this as a blessing in disguise. It is time to just be off of it as it serves me no purpose to be on them.
I want to start by saying the most obvious: everyone handles this differently. I was able to kick the short habit fairly easily and tricked myself into thinking I could kick it on and off again. I sleep right, no physical withdrawals. The biggest battle is motivation to work.
After about a week of not using, I used sporadically. First time was terrible, I felt sick from 30mg. I thought to myself, strange... Let me hold off. A few days later.. 30mg.. Again, I felt sick. No cravings, no nothing. Used just to use. I didn't understand it. So the next time I used.. 40mg. Felt nothing, not sick, not a buzz, nothing. I took this as a blessing in disguise. It is time to just be off of it as it serves me no purpose to be on them.
I want to start by saying the most obvious: everyone handles this differently. I was able to kick the short habit fairly easily and tricked myself into thinking I could kick it on and off again. I sleep right, no physical withdrawals. The biggest battle is motivation to work.
no offense, but day 3 isnt "kicking a habit" - its just getting past withdrawal/detox somewhat physically but you still see the pills as a "high" not a problem as you want to know when to do them recreationally. Take it from someone who knows (me) - you can fool yourself all you want into thinking it is "recreational" but if you thought you had a problem and needed to "kick the habit" you are already past that point.... and i speak from several years of on/again off/again and i'm still struggling. They don't even get me high anymore...
I STRONGLY agree with Becca......if you can look at your addiction in the 3rd person it can help to make more sence.
If you are an addict your addiction has created a mind of it's own.....Becca couldn't have put it any better, because it is your addiction asking when can I come back? It's your addiction that wants u to use again and by calling it "recreational" then maybe it can trick you just to stay alive and thrive, don't fall for it. Stay Clean! Good luck.
If you are an addict your addiction has created a mind of it's own.....Becca couldn't have put it any better, because it is your addiction asking when can I come back? It's your addiction that wants u to use again and by calling it "recreational" then maybe it can trick you just to stay alive and thrive, don't fall for it. Stay Clean! Good luck.
The voice that asks when can I use for recreation is the addict voice inside doing it's best to lure back where it wants you in active use. It will lie, sweet talk, baby you, rationalize with you in short your addict voice will do what ever it can to get you to use. You may have heard people in recovery say "don't use no matter what" I say stay clean by any means nessacary.
Becca
Becca
I can't even believe you're asking this question on a substance abuse forum !!!
Then again...I can believe it. Addiction wears many hats...
Then again...I can believe it. Addiction wears many hats...
Hi,
Well everyone else has already answered your question.
You've done so well this far and you should be proud of your achievement. It shouldn't even be entering your mind to use recreationally.
If you do, you'll go right back to square one, perhaps not immediately, but before very long.
What you're listening to are the voices of experience. Wonder why you got so many posts back so quickly? Pay attention to all the posts, and fill the void in your life with something other than drugs or alcohol. A hobby is a good idea. Not all hobbies are lame you know.
Please stay clean. You owe it to yourself, everyone who cares about you, and everyone who supported you through this.
Thinking of you.
Well everyone else has already answered your question.
You've done so well this far and you should be proud of your achievement. It shouldn't even be entering your mind to use recreationally.
If you do, you'll go right back to square one, perhaps not immediately, but before very long.
What you're listening to are the voices of experience. Wonder why you got so many posts back so quickly? Pay attention to all the posts, and fill the void in your life with something other than drugs or alcohol. A hobby is a good idea. Not all hobbies are lame you know.
Please stay clean. You owe it to yourself, everyone who cares about you, and everyone who supported you through this.
Thinking of you.
DO NOT DO IT! Once you take that pill you are going to continue to take them. Flush them and cancel the script - TRUST me.
Hey ...I agree with the above posters once you get rid of the monster it lays in waiting for you to return to it and as others have said it comes back with vengeance and gets worst
I would also like to add you can scratch weed and alcohol off the list of thing you can do
they often lead right back to our DOC being clean is going to be one of the best decisions of your life....its going to take work to keep yourself there like the others said addiction dosent go away on its own....with aftercare you can treat it and learn the skills and tools to stay one step ahead of it....N/A and A/A are good programs and there free many here use them successfully theres conslors and therapists out there if you prefer one on one but get pluged into something and save yourself from being chained to active addiction
please take all of our advis otherwise your heading into some unsafe territory
good luck and God bless....Gnarly
I would also like to add you can scratch weed and alcohol off the list of thing you can do
they often lead right back to our DOC being clean is going to be one of the best decisions of your life....its going to take work to keep yourself there like the others said addiction dosent go away on its own....with aftercare you can treat it and learn the skills and tools to stay one step ahead of it....N/A and A/A are good programs and there free many here use them successfully theres conslors and therapists out there if you prefer one on one but get pluged into something and save yourself from being chained to active addiction
please take all of our advis otherwise your heading into some unsafe territory
good luck and God bless....Gnarly
if you use again you WILL reactivate your addiction - you will flip the switch to ON.
you may be able to flip it ON and OFF with no problem now.
you may be able to flip it ON and OFF with no problem for a long time.
but if you keep flipping it ON, there will come a day when you can't get it to stay OFF for long, then a day when you can't get it to OFF at all.
most of us keep using and flipping the switch until we reach at least that first point - we think we're unique and that the "rules" don't apply to us, that it will be different this time . . . . that we can control it and that one day we'll quit for good (when we want to) . . .
"The tragic truth is that if the man be a real [addict], the happy day may not arrive. He has lost control. At a certain point [every addict] passes into a state where the most powerful desire to stop [using] is of absolutely no avail. This tragic situation has already arrived in practically every case long before it is suspected."
"The fact is that most [addicts], for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in [using]. Our so called will power becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first [use.]" AA's Big Book, Ch. 2
"Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our [addiction] most of us could have stopped [using]. But the difficulty is that few [addicts] have enough desire to stop while there is yet time." Id. Ch 3
i won't tell you that you must or should quit now. i don't know if that's true or not. i believe that addiction in general, and my last relapse in particular, was the best thing that ever happened to me. it was a rough road and i was lucky to come out the other side, but at this point i'm grateful that i spent time in the black-hole of late stage addiction. it was exactly what i needed.
maybe it's exactly what you need too.
if so, i hope you make it back.
CATUF
1902
you may be able to flip it ON and OFF with no problem now.
you may be able to flip it ON and OFF with no problem for a long time.
but if you keep flipping it ON, there will come a day when you can't get it to stay OFF for long, then a day when you can't get it to OFF at all.
most of us keep using and flipping the switch until we reach at least that first point - we think we're unique and that the "rules" don't apply to us, that it will be different this time . . . . that we can control it and that one day we'll quit for good (when we want to) . . .
"The tragic truth is that if the man be a real [addict], the happy day may not arrive. He has lost control. At a certain point [every addict] passes into a state where the most powerful desire to stop [using] is of absolutely no avail. This tragic situation has already arrived in practically every case long before it is suspected."
"The fact is that most [addicts], for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in [using]. Our so called will power becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first [use.]" AA's Big Book, Ch. 2
"Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our [addiction] most of us could have stopped [using]. But the difficulty is that few [addicts] have enough desire to stop while there is yet time." Id. Ch 3
i won't tell you that you must or should quit now. i don't know if that's true or not. i believe that addiction in general, and my last relapse in particular, was the best thing that ever happened to me. it was a rough road and i was lucky to come out the other side, but at this point i'm grateful that i spent time in the black-hole of late stage addiction. it was exactly what i needed.
maybe it's exactly what you need too.
if so, i hope you make it back.
CATUF
1902
There is NO such thing as "recreational" using! If you are an addict you know that ONE IS TOO MANY AND A THOUSAND IS NEVER ENOUGH!
COMMUNITY LEADER
Recreational use?? That will never happen. Have you thought about any type of aftercare? Educate yourself on addiction. sara
Everything everyone else has said here is true. You CANNOT use recreationally now that you have stopped taking the drugs. You have admitted to yourself that you had an addiction, therefore you will always be an addict. Taking even one more pill will put you back into that cycle and possibly back into withdrawals once the "high" is over. Why do that to yourself again? It is just your mind and body giving you signals of need that make you even think of recreational use still. That will happen for a long while. You just have to tell yourself that you don't want to go through nasty withdrawals again and soon the cravings will get easier and easier to resist. It just takes willpower and time. Maybe finding a new hobby or taking a class can help keep your mind occupied with something else besides the cravings.....
the more we play the worse it gets.. you may have gotten of easy this time but believe me it gets harder each time.. once you have gone through wd there is no recreational use it will lead you right back and it gets more severe every time.. this is not a game it is a disease and one we have for life.. You need to wrap your mind around the fact you can not use again.. and if you ever need them for true pain you will need someone to dole them out for as addicts we have no control.. Take care of yourself ok Healthy thinking leads to a healthy life.. lesa
The bad newz is NEVER but the good news is that your already off the pills so you can move right into aftercare :)
You do need to research the disease of addiction to get educated as to the consequences of drug use.
Unfortunately an addiction is somethng that youdon't turn on and off.
I would hope that yo would remain clean.
Unfortunately an addiction is somethng that youdon't turn on and off.
I would hope that yo would remain clean.
If you are truly addicted, you can never use again recreationally. And if you don't crave them....why risk it?
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