I have a very addictive personality. It seems I overcome one addiction just in time to develope a new one. For example When they started using splenda in diet pepsi I tried it and the next day I developed a twelve pack a day habit. It’s the darndest thing. Well at least it wasn’t meth this time. Tell me about your struggle with addictions.
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Oh that meth can be a good pick me up in the morning, but oh so bad side effects. I would be lying if I didn’t say I had an addictive personality. I tend to replace one with another. Gives life meaning in some way. But these days I’m not addicted to anything illegal
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I’m an alcoholic, 3 years sober.
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I’m very proud of you, three years or one day, I can’t even imagine how hard that is.
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I’m like you in that I am polymorphously addicted, but my worst addiction is alcohol. I’m also profoundly addicted to caffeine, but caffeine doesn’t get me thrown in jail. A couple of years ago I spent four days in jail for a “drunk and disorderly” charge. I got a nasty fine to go with it. Alcohol has caused me so many troubles it’s amazing that I haven’t quit it long before now. I used to go into blackouts and do all these crazy things and not remember it the next day. That’s common to most alcoholics. It’s amazing I haven’t gotten in worse trouble from drinking.
have you quit now?
It’s been five months since I last drank. I’m hoping I can build on this record. You’d think that with all the trouble alcohol has caused me I would shun it like the plague.
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I think that’s amazing and fantastic, great job!.
They say people with mental health issues self medicate, do you self medicate with alcohol? What does alcohol do to help with the symptoms of sz? What other addictions do you struggle with?
Alcohol gave me temporary relief from a lot of tension. It felt good. However, it caused me so much turmoil and anguish when I sobered up. I’m also addicted to caffeine, but that’s not nearly as bad as the alcohol. I can control the caffeine.
how much caffeine do you take? Do you get good sleep?
Alcohol is very good for self-medicate alcohol addiction. 
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I usually take two 200 mg caffeine pills a day. I still get good sleep. I’ve drank at least ten cups of coffee a day for over forty years. I finally switched to caffeine pills. I’ve recently started taking a nutritional supplement called “black seed oil”. It comes from pressed cumin seeds. I’ve taken it a little over two months. One effect that I am noticing from it is that I sleep longer and harder than I used to. The promoters of black seed oil proclaim almost miraculous healing properties for it, and I’m a little skeptical about it, but I’m willing to pay for this nutritional supplement, so I guess I hope it will help me with my sz.
I googled caffeine content of coffee, it says there’s 91 mg of caffeine in 8 oz of coffee so you’re getting like 1300 mg of caffeine a day. Holy macaroni, I’m getting like 360 mg, that’s a lot too.
I remember in the psych hospital they wouldn’t let us have caffeine and I was miserable for a few days but then felt better. But with everything else going on I wasn’t sure if feeling better had to do with caffeine cessation or not. I may try to quit again but that means giving up coffee and diet pepsi. Oh my!
Psychedelics were my “thing”. All types of psychedelics. It’s been over a year and 2 months since I took them. Ecstasy, lsd and dmt were my favorites but I also liked shrooms.
Marijuana is a psychedelic too but I have smoked it in the past month.
Beer is the hardest for me to quit as it is much more addicting than any psychedelic drug. Even though I don’t like it as much I find it to be the thing I go back to the most. Although I had 1 beer on Sunday , i have been sober since.
Yesterday I hung out with a friend with a medical marijuana card. He offered me weed 5 times. It was easy for me to say no though.
I told him I’m trying to be sober. But if in 2 months, 1 month, 1 week, im driving myself crazy, I will not torture myself with sobriety, but for now I’m trying to be sober.
I haven’t had ill effects of substance use in a while, it’s more of a pride thing not to drink or smoke. Today I will be sober. And tomorrow I may say the same thing. We will see. I can only worry about today.
It was always self medication for me. Every drug or alcohol I did was self medication. Even nicotine. But then u get addicted. I’m feeling good about being sober this morning. Yesterday I watched three lectures from a Yale psychology professor. Couldn’t do that even if I had ONE beer.
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I like… I like… I like cereal! Don’t put that box away I’m about to have me some more!
It’s a real song.
You might be careful about hanging out with this friend
I like that! Good for you for working hard to make a positive change.
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I’ve been in hospitals where they didn’t let us have caffeine too. I felt miserable, but I can’t help but wonder how much of that was psychological. One time I was in a hospital where they only put out decaffeinated coffee, and because I had grounds privileges, and I also had some food stamps on my card, I walked to the nearest convenience store and bought some instant coffee. I didn’t get caught, but if I had I might have gotten in trouble.
did they say why no caffeine?
No. I guess they thought their reasons were self evident.
I may be dumb, but it’s not evident to me.