Mental Addiction

[mrrstracy]

I would like to know how long the mental addiction lasts after the physical withdraws are gone. And what can be done to help relieve the anxiety after opiate withdraw that always follows, without drugs. I have tried Kava Kava, melatonin, St.John's Wort and other natural minerals but haven't foung anything that works well.

Thanks,  Tracy

[ThePhoenix75]

Hi there aok,
Just wanted to bring up to you that this post is 12 years old and these members aren't around any more so you probably won't get a lot of replies.  To get more responses, please go to the top of the page where it says "post a question" and start your own thread.
Any questions let me know.
Good luck!
Phoenix

[aokstoelker]

I'm 13 days clean.  I feel ok physically. But I'm so mentally drained. Can't get outta bed. What is life w/o opiates? Is that normal?

[aokstoelker]

I'm 13 days clean.  I feel ok physically. But I'm so mentally drained. Can't get outta bed. What is life w/o opiates? Is that normal?

[FesterTool]

Hi. I feel like this alot. I have found myself thinking, "What if I just had one more. I would never do another, ever again. If I could only have one more." Then I realized how much It was ruining my life, because it was always just one more. It was always on my mind. It still occasionally pops up. IT's a little easier to control now though. I find thing to distract my mind from the drugs. I especially like to cook a little now. I'll even watch some of those shows on TV. This form helps me alot too. A bunch of addicts like me, with stories I can relate to. What I'm trying to say is, I think I'm  going to "miss" my drug of choice until I get a new one. Chocolate Chip cookies, perhaps???

Staycool!!!
Festertool

[tjfromnj]

Hey everyone, one week clean and feeling better. Thanks for all the advice, and yes getting my mind off of things does seem to help. Anything natural I could take that might help me with sleep? I feel that I havent slept in a week.

[diso]

Congrats on getting clean!! The tough physical part is over.  I am on day 15 and while I still definitely have some lingering effects it gets better every day.  Today has been my best day.  Sleep makes a huge difference.  I hit a bought of insomnia last week for some reason.  It is a bit strange because I slept fine during my first week.  Perhaps, my body was so worn out during the initial detox that it just crashed.  Last night was my first good sleep since Tuesday.  I tried melatonin it seemed to help a little.  Actually, I would recommend 3 things to you.  Eat a lot of bananas so that you aren't cramping bad at night.  The leg cramps make it virtually impossible to sleep.  Also, take a warm bath before bed.  It really helps.  Finally, if you can muster the energy, work out before going to bed.  Make yourself physically exhausted.  The physical work out I think is the best way to get some sleep.  It is so tough because even at a week you still feel tired and weak.  If you can force yourself to do it I believe it will help.  This all just takes time.  Be patient.  You are very close to feeling good again!!

[groovygirl]

Hahahahaha...that was funny! I've been having erotic dreams about Chiropracters...does that mean anything to anyone?  Dreams are very weird...their meanings can be very subtle or right there in your face.  I think I need my back cracked.

[Bodymechanic]

A joke explained loses it's punch.  Umm...I guess you don't speak any spanish.  

But thank you for taking the time to look it up.

[lisabet]

Oops - am I read-faced! When I read your last post it just hit me that you were teasing Mariposa (butterfly)....
...as RosannaRosanna Danna would say...."never mind"....smile.

[lisabet]

Mariposa, I know what you mean about your husband. I'm the same way with my companion of 9 years; seems like I just want to withdraw and be by myself. I've recently tapered on Vics by about 50%, plus cut back on alcohol drastically. I'm feeling better pysically and mentally, but I just can't seem to make the effort to make more time for my partner, especially sex, I'm just not interested, and it makes me feel bad for him.  Maybe I'm scared of the intimacy, especially after being so wrapped up in myself with my constant preoccupation of getting my next refill. I probably need to see a counselor, but I'm hoping things will get better on their own (yeah, right).
Bodymechanic - your dreams about butterflies aroused my curiosity, so I went on google search engine and typed it in - according to this: "Dreaming about butterflies flying around denotes news from absent friend by letter or from someone who has seen them."  You wouldn't happen to be yearning for an old flame, would you?  heh-heh.  Since you say your dreams are erotic, that was the first thing I thought of.  I used to have dreams all the time about losing teeth, and being horrified at the fact.  I haven't dreamed that for a long time, but it used to be a recurring dream.  Thank I'll go back and look that one up (But it's so weird it probably isn't even on there!)..smile
Have a good evening, Lisabet

[Bodymechanic]

I know what you mean with your husband and all that, about getting frustrated.  My wife gets that way sometimes. Of course I just turned 48 yr and you could just as easily tempt me with a cookie as with a cookie box.  I think it all happened after the birth of my daugher last year.  I finally learned the true meaning of having sex.

For some really wierd reason that I cannot explain, I have been having these very errotic dreams about butterflies.  I wonder what that could mean?

[groovygirl]

I don't know of any "tricks" - I'm not sure if there are any.  I try to throw myself into something that interests me.  I'm a avid reader, so I can easily escape into a good book.  My husband is getting frustrated (in more ways than one) about my distance.  Lately, I've been going to bed really early, with my book, and reading for hours.  Our daughter is staying at her grandma's house tonight, and my husband wants to go out on the town.  I have no desire for that or for anything with him lately.  He is very supportive, but right now I feel like I need time for me, and I don't want to do anything with him...I don't know what to do.

Look at me...I went off on a tangent and didn't answer you question.  I don't really have an answer I guess.  Get into a hobby, be with good friends - go to the gym...anything to get your mind off getting high.

Good luck...hang in there.

[tjfromnj]

Thanks so much for the support. I can feel every day that passes get a little better, and that gives me hope. My strong wife gets me through the toughest times (primarily night). Do the Amino acids help with the Mental addiction? Is their any tricks or things I can do to help when the night calls and I dont know what to do with my self?

[groovygirl]

Sorry, I meant to add this to the post above...I'm so glad you decided to move your post up to the top - good move!

I'm sure you will get a lot more support than you thought you would here...it is a great place!

How are you doing today?

[groovygirl]

1day, sorry I didn't get back to you on that.  The bottle says, "Twinlab, bodybuilding Amino Acids - Amino Fuel 2000."  It has 8 amino acids in it.  

You can get it at any health food store.  The pills are gigantic, so be prepared!

[Bodymechanic]

Welcome to our friendly but somewhat insane little tribe. So your going to be a dad. Being a dad is the greatest thing in the world. But now you have a little one that depends on you and everything else that goes along with it.

Give yourself another week or so.  It took you 2 years to get into this mess, don't expect to get out overnight. You will get better every day especially if this is your first time getting clean.  Keep in mind that it will get harder every time you get addicted.  You will probably be prone to addiction for the rest of your life.  That simply means that anytime you need to use a narcotic for more than 3-4 days you may go through a withdrawal. Not the worst thing in the world but you don't want go through what many of us have gone through. It is totally up to you.


Peace

[Rex1]

The subject raised today is really what frightens us all, I believe. Isn't it?

What I wonder more than anything else is "What have I done to myself?". I am already talking to my kids about drugs and alcohol and the anology I use is that of quicksand. You can't see it until your in it, and then when your in it trying to get out you realize the more you try the worse it gets. How do you get out of quicksand? Well I remember the old Tarzan show where someone came along with a big tree branch and pulled him out. Answer: You can't get out alone.

And for me, that's what this place has become. I hope I am not being to pushy too soon (About a wekk and half here), but I know that next week, and in the weeks to follow, I am going to need you guys, along with Mike (methman)and Hippee if he ever comes back.And I promise to be here for you.

To summarize, we are all looking for the same thing - hope. We hope that we can reverse the process that we have either voluntarily or involuntarily set in motion, only to find out that we wish we could Click Edit/Undo on our lives when we made that decision.

Well we are here and we can't. But 1day is ahead of me, and he says it can be done to the point he is at, so that's where I am going. I believe he'll help me up, and then we'll help the rest behind us up.

Someone said earlier in the week "united we stand - divided we fall" Amen to that.

Finally, as I taper down on the Vikes, the depression is hitting me and there is NO worse feeling in the world than despair (for me). One thing I learned from listening to a Christian Radio station is the following, which a pastor used when he was in the the grip of cancer, and could barely get out of bed. He said he repeated over and over "God, I know You are a good God, and I know You love me". This has worked for me before - feel free to use it if you are so inclined.

God, and this place gives me hope. Thanks to you guys for that.

Rex

[tjfromnj]

First Time here. I have been on Hyro, Oxy, Percs, MS Contin, and every muscel relaxant I can find for about 2 years now. Its been a every day habbit that started with my knee surgery. I am now nearing the end of day 5 clean. My wife got her pregancy test on Monday and I said if it was positive I would kick everything cold. It was positive, and I have to say everyone who goes through this is tougher than I thought. It is horrible. Besides all the symthoms, its just the overall crappy feeling that I want to go AWAY! Now that the crappy feeling of the detox has slowed, I am having a hard time dealing with the Mental Addiction. I was very routine with when I would take the pills, primarily at night, in a four our span from 8-11. Should I just expect this feeling, or can I do something to fight it??

[Bodymechanic]

Of course there is an online pharmacy that sells buprenx but I thought everyone was going to be hush about it.

[diso]

Thank you for your kind note.  Its interesting (and frightening) for me to think about what I was doing when I first came to this site.  I was snorting over 200mg of oxys up my nose each day.  I remember at one point thinking to myself that this was it for me, I would be doing oxys the rest of my life.  I tried cold turkey without any assistance once before, lasted about 24 hours and then gave up in uncontrollable sobs.  It was at that moment I knew I was stuck.  I came here and read dozens of posts from people that had actually broken free.  It gave me so much hope.  I wasn't ready to quit at first.  But, I knew I eventually wanted and needed to. I came here everyday.  I found so many inspiring posts.  It just convinced me it could be done.  Its interesting how hard you start cheering for someone whose real name you don't even know when you see them making their run.  Its heartbreaking to hear of their pain or in many cases their eventual inability to make it.  But, as many people have stated above, sometimes it takes a relapse to really convince you to quit.  I want to be done.  I pray I am done.  My desire to use is very low.  I think I am lucky in that respect, I'm not jonesing for any high.  My back pain is real and I had forgotten what it feels like to live moment to moment in pain.  At this point, I don't know how much of the pain is "real" and how much is still a product of my detox.  I've started stretches, I'm actually excited to start exercising again.  I had become such a slug.  My motivation for life had been sucked from me.  I consider this all a second chance at life.  I don't take this opportunity lightly.  I shiver at the thought of to what depths a relapse might take me.  I also don't think my wife could stand by me again.  I've lied to her and hurt her too much already.

I had posted to you earlier inquiring into which aminos you had found effective.  Could you tell me?  Thanks.

[groovygirl]

I'm not sure why you saying that...because there actually is, but I thought I sent you an email about it already?

[Bodymechanic]

Well Maraposa if there was on online pharmacy that sold buprenx, which of course, there is not. I would order some and see what  the lowest dose I can comfortably live with.

[Bodymechanic]

The fact that you are sleeping at all is a very good sign.  I am one of the unlucky ones in that after being on methadone for 3 years I never got a normal sleep pattern back again.  That was over 20 years ago.  

Honestly, I don't think you should take anything at all. I know that sounds hard. It is a well known fact that whatever you take to make you sleep will in the long run make you worse.

[groovygirl]

Your post is the kind of message I miss and the kind that really inspires me.  It is what keeps me coming here and makes it so helpful to others that are just beginning to think about detoxing.  

The thought of going through withdrawal is enough to make anyone in their right mind afraid, but you have shown that it can be done.  You have also proved that this place provides an invaluable service...way to go!!