I have been reading the posts tonight and thought I'd do a "public service announcement" for those of you who are asking about withdrawal symptoms - what to expect and what to do. I am clean now for almost three months, and this is what I know to be true, at least in my case:
1. Something will happen that will make you decide to stop - you'll run out of money, out of friends, out of chances, SOMETHING will be your deal-breaker with the pills.
2. If you have any pills, or an understanding doctor, you will try to taper. You may have success, but eventually, no matter how little you taper down to, you will have to . . .
3. Cold Turkey. You will have no sleep for at least a few nights and probably not more than a few hours a night for a week or so. You will begin by sneezing, then you'll get a headache, then you will have body pains that culminate in terrible leg pain/cramps at night. During this whole time you will have diarreah and upset stomach of some degree. You'll feel extremely anxious and depressed and probably have feelings of worthlessness (in some cases, they'll be extreme). The head games that cold turkey plays are brutal. Hang on, it goes away. The severity and duration of all this depends on what dosage you jumped off from and how long you took the drug. I think age also plays a factor. After the physical symptoms are gone, you will still have to deal with . . .
4. the psychological cravings or what I like to call "romanticizing the drug experience". When that phase is over for me I'll let you know
This part is tough, but if you remind yourself of how you felt during #3 above, you'll continue to stay clean in order to not have to experience it again.
Over the counter stuff will help with some of this, nothing is going to take it away or make it easy. However, as far as I know, no-one ever died from NOT taking a recreational drug. Don't try to do this alone; especially if you are responsible for another person. You may spend a day or so in the bed UNABLE to get up and take care of yourself, much less someone else. It is a gritty thing, this withdrawal - I don't want to scare anyone into not doing it, but it is very hard. It takes courage and determination and lots of support. The good thing is that, if you are here, you have the support thing taken care of. This board can be a lifeline for you if you let it. Your life will improve countless times over once you are clean, I promise. The best part about it is that finally, you can trust yourself and your own judgement again. That is worth any amount of temporary physical discomfort/pain. Just as I don't want to minimize the pain, I don't want to minimize the great feeling of freedom from the pill bottle. It is worth every minute spent awake, in the bathroom, with leg cramps. That stuff goes away - your self esteem stays forever. People with drug problems are not necessarily bad people. A lot of us are good people that have made bad choices in the way of the pills; we can get over it and live life like we really want to.
For all of you who are doing it now, or about to do it; I applaud you! It is the best thing you'll ever do for yourself and those that love you. For those of you considering it, please don't think you CAN'T do it. It is a hard thing, but you can get through it. I have been graphic, because knowlege is power. You can know what to expect, prepare and white knuckle yourself through it. It is SO worth it. There are a multitude of support systems out there for addicts like us - find one if you are so inclined; or just post here, I'll reply to anyone who needs a friend to help them get clean. Folks on this board helped me and I'd like to return the favor.
my name is walkersma and I am an addict
from a recovering/recovered hydrocone addict - these are the w/d symptoms
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Some days, it just ain't worth chewing through the straps
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