Addicts who quit and now use occasionally?

are there any? is it possible?

 

I don't have a clear answer to that question as it is very complicated and should be evaluated on a case by case basis.

This I do know: an addict who quit and is able to just use occasionally has way more control over their problem then an addict who quit and now abstains totally. The former is much, much more rare.

 

might be possible but i doubt it he will prolly become an addict again

 

I used Oxycontin, Heroin and Morphine daily and heavily for just over a year, with several times a week use for around 3 years prior to my full blown decent into the hell of total addiction.
I stopped using right around this time last year, and have since used low doses of pharmaceutical opiates maybe 30 times total, most of that during this past summer.
Amazingly, when the thought of opiates comes to my mind, I no longer salivate or get restless. Im actually turned off by them.
But if someone hands me a few percocets, I will take them, and thankfully the very next day, they are as far removed a desire from my immediate consciousness as going to work. They have become just a temporary relief from stress that I use, at most, once a month, and as I type this I havent had any for about 2 months, with no interest in looking.
It is most definitley possible, but it takes a powerful redefining of your priorities and overall outlook on life. I know that my addiction came during the most confusing and mentally stressful period in my life to date.

 

wow, well congrats to you! how long was it between when you quit and when you first used again?

 

I think about 3-4 months? And it was 2 percocet 10's, after being used to at least 120mg's Oxy or MS Contin, and I was very moved :tongue:

 

man thats awesome. I'd really like to be able to use occasionally and im glad that theres hope that i will be able to someday

 

It's definitely possible, but rare. It takes a deep recognition of what behavior patterns got you to the point of addiction in the first place and willpower of steel to not get back into those patterns. However, willpower alone isn't enough to avoid addiction permanently and will eventually lead to trouble, so like the above poster said, you'll also have to drastically shift the priorities in your life so that you don't even WANT or THINK about drugs unless they find YOU. Willpower is just being able to tell yourself "no" or deny yourself something, whether its junkfood, sex, drugs, etc. and isn't the same as putting something out of your mind. The thoughts are still there, and it's your thoughts that drive you to act.

The key is in being able to stop the thoughts and cravings, the "wow man, this concert is so great...sure would be better with some vicodins" preoccupations. Thoughts are just actions that haven't materialized, and if you can put opiates out of your mind, you can probably have a healthy relationship with them.

As for just how to do that, I'm at a loss. It's one of the great mysteries of mankind. Let me know if you figure out how to do it!

 

yeah it all sounds great but definitely easier said than done

 

half the battle is in your mind... maybe 40% lolll

 

Well to answer your question I do think it is possible to accomplish that task it is probably not in your best interest. Once an addict always an addict. From my personal experience with this very topic I have not succeeded at doing this. I was a heavy oxy user (160mg-300mg daily) and eventually quit cold turkey with the help of my family. After about 8 months of no drugs I decided that I would be able to chip away and use occasionally and it went well for a month or so but eventually I ended up with a larger habit and also moved up the ladder to iv'ing heroin. I know everyone is different but I suggest that you don't try to do this. If you do decide to try and chip I highly suggest you set a very very strict schedule and stick to it no matter what. Also try not to use for more than a day or two at a time with at least a 2 or 3 week break in between. No matter what you do do not pass two days of use in a row because for me withdrawls came back after the third day of use. I am just trying to help you and this is my personal experience. I suggest don't try it but if you do be very careful because it is a lot easier to slip into addiction the 2nd time because your body has a memory.

Milkdud39

 

I have been able to use but i go on 3 day binges once 1 - 2 months. I can only get once in a while which really helps

 

SWIM has been using for two years, and knows one guy who used like SWIM in his first 4 months, only doing shit 1-2 days every week, never 2 days 2 weeks in a row; he has never had a tolerance or W/D, whereaas SWIM started using every day affter 4 months

 

I don't think it can work out too well, weed is one thing but hard drugs are a totally different story. I can go weeks without bud, but I always wish I had some. With Ritalin, I've gotten some after months of not doing it and I'm automatically going straight to the levels I did when I really needed it.

 

This is a ridiculous discussion. First of all, an addict can't "quit" being an addict. An addict can only hope to quit using and the chances of that happening are slim at best.(fact, not opinion)

Not directing this at anyone specifically...but the mere fact that an addict would try to come up with a way to convince himself he can stop being an addict and instead become a casual user is some pretty fucked up thinking. To quit something is to no longer do that something.

 

accepting you are an addict, is accepting that you have no power over the drug

 

I hear ya, and you're probably right. I kind of thought that way anyway, but figured i would ask the question to see if anyone out there has done that. Relayer said he quit opiates successfully and now will take a perc or something once every month or two. Thats how I would like to be able to use.

 

i was an addict and now i use occasionally. For almost a year i was brutally addicted to opiates; pod tea, oxycodone, morphine, codiene, and i even would make my own H from poppy pods.

some days i could barely get out of bed without puking and feeling like shit, my most memorable moment is crawling out of bed puking and constipated as hell to my bag of pods, eating a few, and waiting for the relief. At that moment i made the decision to quit.

i finally managed to taper down and eventually quit, i didnt have withdrawl, but my mind craved the euphoria like a motherfucker, opiates called my name every second of everyday.

because i know how to make h and pods are plentiful in my country i was never too far from falling back into the abyss of adiction, but i knew better. i didnt like puking,sickness, withdrawl or constipation so i decided to only use occasionally.

its been almost a year since then, and now i can buy a few oxy 40's and do them sparringly. i can sit on them for as long as i want and have no compulsion to do them.

just having the ability to do them whenever i want is satisfying, and it makes it all that much better when i do choose to indulge.

trichome

ps: if you think opiates are addicting, do NOT try crystall meth

 

I went from using just about everyday to now using maybe once a week. I don't know how but I was able to do it. When I was using everyday I always thought to myself that I would never be able to quit. But I did. So much better now.

 

Truth.. I've seen people who use 2 days a week and act as much a junky as a daily user. Just because you can white knuckle it for five days doesn't mean you control shit. I have been in and out of heavy heroin use for going on my 4th year, at this point the people who think they are golden because they don't use every day aren't fooling anyone. Honestly I have more respect for someone who says fuck it I'm an addict I'll get high when I want, then someone who says I can't use again until Thursday like that proves a damn thing.