Poll Anybody Else Have a Problem with Drugs or Alcohol?

[BlankCanvas]

Addiction is a nasty little bugger. I've seen it destroy many lives and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

There were a few years as a teenage when I definitely had a drinking problem, abusing the booze to escape my feelings. I was really big into the night life, bar hopping every night became the norm for a while. I experimented with a lot of drugs. More than I care to admit. Lucky for me, I couldn't handle the 'hangovers' from coming down. I decided pretty quickly to stop sticking stuff up my nose. I used heroine for a while when I was really young. It wasn't exactly by choice (long story), but I'm amazed that I walked away from it without an addiction problem.

I haven't touched any hard drugs in about 5-6 years now. I drink on occasion with my friends. Rarely get drunk. I'm very mindful of the things I put in my body and my intention behind these actions. I think that's key when it comes to substance abuse. For example, I noticed that I was feeling pretty low the past while and the anxiety was getting a lot worse. As soon as I noticed that I decided no more alcohol until I'm feeling better. I don't need any substances that can negatively affect my mood when I'm already struggling.

 

[supergirl]

I Am An Alcoholic And A Drug Addict

Prolonged, heavy use of alcohol can lead to addiction (alcoholism). Sudden cessation of long term, extensive alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, convulsions and even death. This is why while in detox alcoholics are given valium or some other sort of sedative. Quitting cold turkey can cause heart attack or stroke because of an increase in blood pressure. Alcohol is physically and psychologically addictive. If you can control your drinking all the time then you are not an alcoholic. If you cannot then you may have a problem. Lots of people go through times where their drinking is out of control but eventually "out grow" it. These people are not true alcoholics although they did/do have a drinking problem. Alcohol changes the chemistry in the brain which in turn effects you psychologically. This is not "AA" talking. This is information avalialble from and published by the medical community.

I personally have been struggling with this issue lately. I was a heavy drinker and a heavy cocaine user. It has been almost 3 years since I went to rehab and cleaned myself up but lately I have been drinking a few times a month, most recently tonight. I also have smoked pot once and used cocaine twice. I cannot do these things. Once the substance first enters my body, the "pleasure center " of my brain says "Ah! I remember this feeling! More! More! More!" This is NOT something that I can control. My brain has been programmed to consume these substances complusively. No amount of changes in my thinking will change that result. Changes in my thinking make it much easier to not start to use in the first place but once I start, the "pleasure center" kicks in and it is off to the races.

Today I called my therapist and recommited to going to therapy weekly and facing my demons so the desire to use will receed from the forefront of my mind. What has been making me want to "escape" lately is how overwhelmed I am by the feelings which have been drudged up lately due to an incident back in early December. I know what i need to do, now I just need to but on my big girl pants and go do it. Once I start to deal with these feelings, my thinking will get back on track and I will not struggle anymore (until the next big hurdle of course.) It's all about doing "the next right thing" and using the healthy coping skills I have learned instead of taking the unhealthy route of hopping on "the crazy train."

You can research "Where are the brain's pleasure centers?" online to get full details regarding what that means.

 

[Surviving]

I said no b/c I've been smoking for over 10 years and I don't think it's an abuse issue. I plan to quit but, funny thing, even my doctor said don't worry about it. He said, "Half a pack a day is fine. You need to deal with the more important issue at hand (ptsd) then worry about quitting." The main reason is that before I had PTSD, I had used with some success Chantix but the dreams were so vivid and real, I had to stop taking it because I was confusing dreams with reality. I couldn't remember if I had done something or just dreamed it. To take a drug like that now with PTSD would probably kill me. So, I'm still puffin away but I don't abuse my Rx's, alcohol, or any recreational drugs.