I’ve found that I almost always wish I had some way to get high. I’m at a point where I know messing around with drugs isn’t good for me. Still, the issue remains. I wouldn’t say I’m really addicted to anything other than the idea of getting a fix and enjoying myself. I just want to be done with them though. I know they aren’t good for my mental or physical health.
Does anyone have any tips? Past experience getting away from narcotics altogether?
Thanks
I got sent to a young offenders institute, and they let me go if I did a 12 month community rehab order.
Basically, I had to cut ties with all my friends, and get drug tested once a week with a threat of being sent back to detention if I ever failed one
If you have SZ, drugs generally do not help at all
I’m glad that ended up steering you in the right direction.
Exercise. It’s good. It’s cheap and it’s addictive in it’s own context…
And. We are on meds that make you gain weight and lose interest in things. I wish I knew that when I first started on the meds 20 years ago…
Replace negative behavior with positive and street drugs or even pot is bad for most schizophrenics. Yeah there’s the small part of our community who can maintain but for most it’s something we can’t do!
I can only speak of my experiences with alcohol. I’ve done other drugs, but alcohol is cheap and legal, so I mostly did that. My biggest enemy is what they call “euphoric recall” - where you remember the best times with doing drugs. (I say “doing drugs” because alcohol is a drug.) Another enemy is drinking buddies. I’ve been sober over four years, and my life is much easier.
Hmm. . .
Maybe Jus Don’t Do The Drug’s That Harm You Psychologically And Physically. Ya’know.
I started using meth when I was a teen, I quickly became addicted. I used for years and years until it got out of hand and I quit in 1995. Since then I’ve fallen off the wagon a few times most recently 2 months ago. So Now I gotta start counting all over again. I got 2 months clean off meth. I’m almost 54 years old. You don’t want to end up a loser like me. Just stay away from drugs. They are nowhere.
I spent many decades wanting to get high all the time. It was because my life was miserable and I just wanted to escape it and what was in my head.
In the beginning I didn’t know what was in my head that I was trying to escape. I just found weed and it seemed to do a fine job of letting me cope, I think that is how it is for most addicts. They are unhappy and find something that seems to make them temporarily happy and that’s it.
The problem that after awhile it fails to reach the peaks of escapism it first promised. You don’t get the high euphoria anymore and it all becomes familiar be it alcohol or weed, or even a drug like heroin. It all becomes passé and blah.
To get over it you look for another drug only to get the same result in the long run.
The thing is all you are doing is running away from your authentic self. Self introspection is what is needed. This can be addressed by doing meditation daily. Thinking about your traumas and getting help for them. Reading enlightening books like Alan Watts or Eckart Tolle and then applying them to your life. Replacing drug taking with something constructive be it an exercise or a hobby.
You need to understand yourself. Why you run from yourself? What are your triggers? What are your drives? Why, just why isn’t the present enough in that I need to get high?
When you’ve answered these questions, you need to get ahead by doing something about them. Avoidance of triggers and doing something fulfilling instead. Getting counselling and doing CBT for example.
Then the need to get high just melts away. You need to set about your life to get happy without drugs. If you can do that then you have conquered yourself and the world!
I’m sure this advise isn’t going to be popular, but it’s my experience, so whatever.
I got off hard drugs by using cannabis.
Cannabis isn’t really recommended for people with schizophrenia but I tolerate it really well.
It gave me that melty feeling of getting high, without tearing my life apart or having horrible withdrawals.
Now I’m smoking less cannabis and feeling even better.
I don’t have any desire to use hard drugs and I lead a productive, pretty normal life.
You could always try narcotics anonymous (NA)
Have you tried counseling or a 12 step program? I have to tell you that even after being clean for nearly 30 years, I’m still constantly tempted by weed. I’ve found legalization problematic and the using threads here are very triggering for me. They don’t cause me to use, but they definitely rent space in my head.
Checking out the 12 step program right now. I think I will call the samhsa today seeing as it’s completely confidential.
I hope things keep improving for you!!
Thank you so much @cathart1c
Can I just add I’m sz since age 19.
K 🥸
Whoops “Do the right things first and things will fall into place.”
-Anonymous
I’ve never heard of this.
Thank you for sharing it.
At least you got clean again.
That takes resolve.
Definitely not a loser.
Well said.
Trauma therapy can be rough.
I’m in Alcoholics Anonymous; it has helped me change my life.
Same. I have no advice.
I’m mostly clean, and it sucks. Had to tho.
I stopped doing drugs because I knew it was making me ill. I still drink casually and with friends despite what doctors say. It doesnt seem to make a lot of difference to me unless I get drunk regularly.
I got rid of a four year crack addiction by going to AA, CA and NA. Also stopped drinking. Been clean and sober 31 years.
its bad enough to have schizophrenia. adding drugs into the mix just guarantees that it will be even worse down the line
And thats why i have a hell of a lot of respect for you mate. My balls aint big enough yet to get past 4 months without the dreaded drink.