Now that I’m acknowledging and talking about my psychosis (with huge help from this lovely community), I’ve come to realise that the substance abuse issues I’ve had my whole life have been me trying to shut all these voices up and claw my way out of constant cycling realities to just sit in one reality where I can feel comfortable and not have to manage every other reality
I hope maybe if I get on antipsychotics I can have an easier time keeping a grip on this reality and not spend most of my time trying to get away from it
Anyone else struggle with self medicating with substance abuse?
It’s very common in our community. Personally in the past I’ve used alcohol more like benzos but these days as I’ve gotten older I’m tending more to thinking it’s just not worth it health wise. Getting healthy is more of a goal for me than having a drink so it’s not hard to get off things with a better alternative.
I quit drinking and using just before SZ steam rolled me. I do think that my prodromal period likely made my using worse. I’d hate to see what I’d be like drunk or on drugs with positive symptoms at the same time.
Ive used alcohol to scramble my mood to give me a brief break. Thats about it. Weed makes me hallucinate. And im not allowed sleeping pills, and stimulants caused mania.
So self medicating works really well for me as you can see jk
I too self medicated. I felt secure with my bag of pot. And I was in love for awhile but it was a depressing scene. Pot helped me through it but made me an idiot. I don’t understand why some people don’t use drugs as self destructive. We are different people in separate camps and don’t get along- the users and the abstaining ones. Concentration is the first thing I knew I had to work on when the illness waylaid me.
Zyprexa has stopped me from doing drugs for 17 years . If you have sz marijuana and drugs are the worst thing you can do. I don’t see how some people can medicate with marijuana , drug dealers are more likely to lace marijuana they sell to schizophrenics.
Speaking as an addict I actually 100% agree. I know it’s so bad for me but I don’t have the tools nor the support to cope with my psychosis otherwise, and started using too much before I understood it was a problem
It’s part of what I’m hoping to get help for but I can’t tell them I’m an addict, they don’t believe me when I’m sober let alone when I’m using. And I can’t risk them not believing me, I need help so I can stay alive