Addiction, does it ever get better.

[sunexomega]

I have a few friends who are addicted to various things. I apparently have some issues with a prescription drug. I had a past experiance with a prescription drug as well. The withdrawals really throw you off. Many of you have been on some serious stuff and got off of it. I see many people who had severe addiction problems and they seem better but are they really. I guess my question is. Can you quit your addictions, go through the tough withdrawals and the havoc on your body and come out on the otherside and feel good again. Without the help of various prescriptions afterwards. I see actors on tv who went to rehab and come out all happy and healthy. I just wonder did they quit the drugs and get better, or did they quit the drugs and get medicated by a doctor.

Does your body recover and do you feel good without this stuff. Can you quit and just live a healthy life with healthy diet and supplements and feel good or do you forever need something.

I feel a little bit of a need to drink come on and I don't want that. But at this point I just wonder does it matter. I dont want to be on any meds, drugs, or alcohol, but I fear that maybe its impossible.

I just want to hear some success stories. Some inspiration. my problem that led me to have some issues was stress and anxiety and stomach distress. I got medicated by a doctor and have since started adding drinks. I just want to live a different life now. I want to not depend on anything but healthy living.

I know some of you went through some real hell so I am hoping to hear your story.

Thanks

[shay4bliss]

Hi Sun,

There are alot of success stories around here. Some really good ones are Mike7625, Kadee, Reach, Meddguy, Coder, and Chrissy's on her way....Check out their stories and posts...there is a whole lot of inspiration to be found from them.

Have you ever been to AA or NA? You will found MOUNTAINS of success stories in any one you go to. There are wonderfully suppportive, understanding and just like you and recovering from their addictions. The successful ones all felt at one time just like you explain you feel, and are living...sober...to tell about it. They are really there for each other (people still using and just quitting as well) and will hold your hand all the way if that's what you want.

You really sound like you are on the right track. We all have to have a beginning to and end and you sound like you are at your beginning...You seem to know you have a problem, somewhat accepting it and seem to know it may be more powerful than you are because you are here asking for help. That's a perfect start! No one depends on a drug for years and just one day wakes up out of the blue and says, " I'm not going to take this anymore...stops...and life is bliss....It's a process like anything else...Just like your upcoming arrival....you will have trials tribulations, up &downs, goods and bads.....You will not know the perfect thing to do the first time, but you learn....and perfect....BUT you will never be perfect. You will never do absolutely every single thing "perfectly".

Same with recovering from addiction....there's no perfect way, there are mistakes, but there's learning how to live without addiction...

Keep you're head up and keep reading the stories here....they'll be ones that pop up and hit you with inspiration!
Shay'

[skych]

Hi Sun,

Welcome to the family.

I can honestly attest that it does get better. Time, time, time. It won't happen over night! It takes work and practice.

I had almost 4 years clean and sober from my drug of choice, methamphetsmines, and other street drugs. I went to 12 steop programs, but I was not continuing to do the things that I needed to do to stay that way! I lost the conscious contact with a power greater than myself and I relapsed for about 60 days.

I now have almost 3 years in again, and my life is completly different and a huge blessing.

Right after I got clean the last time in Sept. of '04, I went back to work and 3 or 4 days later re-injured my left hand! I have since been on workers comp and I still am at this time.

I have had 4 surgeries on my arm and 2 female surgeries. I have been through work issues school issues medical stuff relationships break-ups and alot more but have not found it necessary to use substances to kill those kinds of pains.

With my injury, I have been on an off pain meds for the last almost 3 years. I have always followed the docs orders. Taking them only as prescribed! Yes it is hard to believe this but it is very true. I have always hated the medications for pain and nerve pain. I can not stand the side effects. Constipation is the worst for me and I do not like the feeling of being buzzed from them! It scares the **** out of me.

So durining the last 3 years I have been going to about 4 or more Cocaine Anonymous, and Alcoholics Anonymous, and an occasional Narcotics Anonymous meetings every week. I have completed the 12 steps 1 time in the almost 3 years with a sponsor. I have recently changed sponsors and I am working step 1 again. My sponsor has 32 years of sobriety.

I must say this...For the last almost year I have been in the worst pain ever in my life! The last 2 surgeries were very painful. About March when I had the last surgery the nerve pain got so bad that the Pain Management Doc. put me on Methadone. I have heard such terrible things about that drug and it too scared the **** out of me.
I was willing to try it because nothing else was working. I absolutley hated the side effects. I could not stay awake, I would nod out on my toilet at night, slurr words in the begining. I just hated it. I kept taking it because it took my pain away.

I have now since told my doctor that I do not want to be on it any more. How would I know if I had pain any more if I continued to take it? I am in the process of getting off everything now and I don't have any pain any more.
I will say that just because I took them as directed this does not mean that my body does not have to detox. I hated taking that stuff so much that i sometimes would cry when I had to take it everyday!

Through the help of my sponsor and the people of this board I am almost done with these drugs.
I am proud of my self for not abusing them and I am lucky that I hated the effects that much! I believe that was my higher power working in my life. I also know that because of working steps and going to meetings and maintaining a fit spirtitual condition that I have been able to and continue to get to have a daily repreive from my addictions.

Long story! I want you to know that I will always have the disease of addiction! What I get is the daily repreive based on my spiritual condition. This is what the "Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous tells me.

I practice the 12 step and 12 traditions in my life everyday! I am learning and will be forever, to have love and kindness for my self and others. It is a beautiful life that I can not even put into word how gratefull I am to have. It is a gift of life and sobriety.

I have in the last 3 years gone to college, for 6 semesters, summer spring, winter and fall. I would liek to be a nurse! I have maintaind A 3.65 or higher G P A for the entire time. It has been very challenging to juggle meeting/recovery, shcool, workers comp and doc appointments surgeries. There were days that I would really really want to just lay down and just shrivel up and subcome to all of my discomforts!

I do not know where all the courage and all the drive to pick my self up and continue on this journey has come from. I can only put it all in my higher powers hands. This is his doing with a lot of effert on my part.
I own a condo with my Mom but she lives in another state with my Dad. I have beautiful people in my life and I get to go through the good and the bad with dignity and grace! Wich is sometihing I have learned over time!
Right now although I have not misused the pain medication it is kicking my bodies *** and making me very sick. Night sweats shakes vomitting fever chills and all. I still go to a meeting when I am sick and if I look funny in there because I am wiggling all around and sick to my stomach well so what! That is where I need to be.

It gets better, it gets even better, and even more better!!!

Clean and sober life rocks!!! You can have all this goodnes and love and, well just all of it, if you continue to be abstinent form all mind altering substances...except coffee...hehehe!! and do the work to change some behaviors and attitudes and ways of thinking.

Sorry that it was a novel that I just wrote.....but we are all here for you and stay and enjoy the journey.
Chrissy

[doddsgirl1]

Welcome Sun!! Glad to see you here and you have some really good questions. I was on opitiates for back pain for about a year. Yes I am an addict and I abused everything I was on. I know some of you go through self detox but for me that wasn't an opition. I couldn't do it alone or I would still be on drugs. I went into a wonderful rehab and was weened off of the drugs with subutex. Yes it is an opitiate but I was only on it for about 7 days. It really made a difference with me. Yes I still went through w/ds but they only lasted a few weeks. I am now a little over 2 months clean from all drugs except Cymbalta which is an antidepressant. I have a history of depression before I ever even started the opitiates. Antidepressants are mind altering but not in a way that you feel high or whatnot. They just curb the depression and some of us are lacking the chemical in our brain that allows us to not be depressed 24/7. I still feel things and still get upset but I don't walk around not wanting to live anymore and that is how I felt before I was put on antidepressants years ago. So to answer your question, yes you can be free of drugs and be happy without them. It just takes some time for your body to heal. The drugs get into your bones and everything else and just takes awhile to get out but once the body is cleansed you do start to feel normal. As far as living sober, you have to want to. If you don't want to then no you won't be happy. It's a lifestyle and a life long journey. Living sober is much nicer then chasing a drug. I never realized how much time I put into it until now. I would have been to the doctors at least 5 times in the past two months. Something I really don't miss!! My home life is so much more relaxed because my moods are stable and my children have their mommy back. So yes you can be happy and sober at the same time if you coose. It's a choice. Sorry so long but I hope I helped. We are who we are because of the choices we make in life.

[randy6802]

You get a daily reprive if you dont use, thats as good as it gets. Life can be great as long as you accept this Randy