Say No To Pot » intervention

Before I quit – Part 3

admin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:55:57 +0000

By age 25, I was really addicted to Marijuana. Anyone who tells you that Marijuana is not addictive is a complete liar. This was my drug of choice hands down. In fact, at the age of 25 I really didn’t drink that much or do any other drugs regularly. My one and only drug was Marijuana. Well, I tried and tried to quit on my own. My little brother who lived with me at the time was constantly trying to get me to quit. He said that he tried to be “Mean”, then he tried to be “Nice” and no matter what he did I kept on smoking pot. I used to write notes on my dresser at night when I went to bed title “DSP”. This meant, Don’t Smoke Pot. I lived in a garage apartment behind my parent’s house and did not want them to accidentally see the full writing, so I created this short abbreviation. I cannot tell you how many times I put this note on my dresser at night. It just didn’t matter; the mental obsession to smoke pot the next day was just too strong. No matter how hard I tried, I could not stop smoking pot.
Well, you can probably imagine what happened next. That little brother of mine had given up trying to help me in his own little way. So he finally told my parents about my problem. I woke up one morning to a phone call from my parent’s home (about 100 yards from our little apartment). I believe my sister was the one that called me that morning. She told us that we were all going to the doctor for an issue regarding my mother. Well, I gathered my things wallet, keys, half and once of pot, etc. and went to this doctor for my “Mothers” problem.
I noticed as we were pulling into this place that the name looked a little familiar. “Ridgeview” I thought to myself, why is my mother going to see a doctor out here. Of course, the entire family was with me and we all sat down in a circle with this doctor. The first thing out of his mouth was “You must be Steven”. That’s when it hit me that I had been intervened. Oh yes, just like the famous Drug Intervention show on TV today. Everyone went around telling me all these things about how I needed to quit. I should mention that my parents never even knew I had a problem until my little brother told them. They were absolutely clueless naive parents. Anyway, this circle of absolute humiliation and crying continued. The thing that still makes me a little mad to this day was that “I would have gone if they would have just asked me in the first place”. However; my parents were not willing to take any chances, so it went down as described and of course I went right into Drug Rehab “for a couple of days”.

At the time, I thought “How will they fix me?” I had thoughts like maybe they were going to just hold me there for a while and give me some medicine. I really didn’t know what was going to happen. The first day consisted of staying in cottage “C”. Cottage “C” was really for everyone including the mental patients that were entering the facility. I had to stay there for 24 hours. I guess you could say that it was also the detoxify room. Yes, on January 4, 1996 I was admitted to into drug rehab. This is where my story of recovery begins. I’m going to continue adding to my recovery story on a regular basis. Right HERE….
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The Dangers of Withdrawal After Drug Abuse

admin — Sun, 31 May 2009 07:50:07 +0000

You are ready to quit, to put down the “dope,” to stop putting powerful and dangerous chemicals into your body. If you’re ready to quit drugs, it often comes down to far more than simply saying “I want to quit.” Yes, that is incredibly important and powerful! However, most strong drugs out there require professional help from doctors and detox centers.
So what can you expect in terms of withdrawal? If you don’t know, usually powerful drugs like painkillers or cocaine where you have a heavy dependence require the help of a detox center. Some don’t always require it, and it’s a personal family decision, but it’s always best to be safe and go to a doctor if you trying to come off painkillers and anti-anxiety medications.
Asking for medical help isn’t a weakness, because drug addiction is a serious affair. It’s also nothing to be ashamed of. What should you expect in terms of withdrawal? This guide goes over major drugs you may need help with.
Withdrawal Symptoms of Major Drugs:
Cocaine: Cocaine is such a powerful drug that it often takes professional help to come off from. The incredible highs, followed by incredible lows, can take you to a point near suicidal or completely manic. According to studies, you will often experience agitation, insomnia, anxiety, depression, fatigue, shakes, and many other states of high and low.
Heroin: While not as popular in some forms as cocaine, heroin isn’t something to be played with, as it’s one of the most addictive street drugs available. You can expect problems with body functions like watery eyes and stomach aches, as well as major mental problems like panic and anxiety.
Oxycontin: Like many painkiller drugs, Oxycontin numbs your senses. Its effects on the body are highly addictive too. You can expect extreme cravings, fatigue, hot and cold sweats, insomnia, and depression.
This brief list offers the common withdrawal symptons different forms of drugs have. There are, as you can see, many clear distinctions between them—but also similarities. Highs and lows, feelings of mania and panic—are all common to drug abusers. If you try to beat all of this on your own, you will likely not only go through a struggle mentally, but face major health problems. It’s simple: you’re dependent on the drugs physically, and you risk death by not getting professional help. On more positive note, there are thousands of clinics across the country who can help you. Once you get out, the support of family and friends is crucial in defeating drug addiction once and for all.

Drug Addict Mindsets and the Road to Recovery

admin — Sun, 31 May 2009 07:47:47 +0000

Drug addicts don’t start out abusing chemicals by falling into a hole. They start by jumping in. This guide offers personal solutions for the drug addict trying to defeat the social, family, mental, and physical health problems of addiction after the fact. It builds upon positives, and starts with a philosophical note.
Forgive Yourself:
The first step on the road to recovery is simply to forgive yourself. Most families will be willing to help you turn over a new leaf, but more often than not society and families are only willing to forgive after you forgive yourself. In philosophical terms, this means building on the positives—you quit—while also remembering the negatives. That means, no matter the drug or pain it caused, you can’t entirely forget that you used. Why? It’s said history is society’s way of not making the same mistake twice. In terms of drug abuse, it’s the same.
Defining Drug Addiction:
According to many studies in print and online, you can define drug abuse (or substance abuse) as “the repeated and excessive use of chemical substances to achieve a certain effect” (Helpguides.com). What does that mean in basic terms? It means you’re using marijuana to be higher, happier; you’re using cocaine to feel invincible; you’re abusing prescriptions drugs to go lower. You are zoning out of the world and of society. What are you trying to forget?
Forgetting:
Again, remembering isn’t a bad thing. It’s part of life to remember mistakes only so you don’t do it again. As different drugs have different effects, and no two drug users are trying to escape the exact same thing, you need to start exploring what you’re trying to forget from the past. This is far from easy, especially for highly experienced drug addicts. Addiction is powerful, and it disrupts everything in your life. However, what happened before? Again we are at philosophy and therapy: you need to bring the skeletons out of the closet and deal with them.
Road to Recovery Help—Using Family, Doctors, Friends:
Recovery is definitely not something to do by yourself. Don’t! This guide isn’t the finale to defeating drug addiction, to escaping marijuana or cocaine, crystal meth or pain killers. One of the most powerful tools you will have is the help of friends, family, and doctors. If you are lacking in positive people to help you, and many are, you might consider reaching out. There are many 12 step programs, some for specific drugs like cocaine and marijuana addiction, while others go broader and help with physical abuse and all narcotics (like Narcotics Anonymous, a 12 Step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous). It’s important to find the cause of your drug abuse so you won’t repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

New Ideas on Addiction:
Finally, there is a wealth of sources on defeating addiction in today’s modern world, whether you live in New York or Shanghai. These ideas are becoming powerful as more and more governments are seeking to help people beat drug addiction. This article itself uses notes from many top agencies like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. By exploring solutions like this, you are expanding your knowledge. There are also new ways for you to combat drug abuse via addiction counselors, and even many homes across the country that aren’t entirely rehab clinics but more living spaces for addicts to find positive environments. You are not alone in this, but you will often feel like it.
The road to defeating addiction can be long and dark, but it will almost always make you a better person to your family, friends, and society.

Light out of Drugs: Drug Addiction Roads

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:25:54 +0000

Wondering is a dangerous place to be. It often means going down a road and making a choice. Drug addiction, the bane of modern society, means going down the same road again and again expecting different Results. Do that and you will get sick of walking. Meaning: drugs do things to each of us which asks to be repeated, and when you repeat them you are a drug addict.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, a place close to heaven (just south) where you can go in times of struggle. Follow this light all your days and you may change, you may take a different road.

Changing means:
Doing things differently is change. When you put down a drug-for good-you are making a big change. You can see it however you want to. What’s important is noticing the change and rewarding yourself for it. Change is good. Change is a different road.

Forgetting the pain:
Forgetting pain is a path down a different road. This road may be a little different than the original drug addicted road. It will lead to relapse. Don’t forget your days as a drug addict-remember them. It’s important to go towards the light, with all that you are, because in essence, what you are doing is seeing yourself going forward. Movement is a positive. Remembering is crucial to taking this road.

Learning from the pain:
Learning is one of those things you got in school. It made sense to you. Did drug use ever make sense to you? Sure, it can be a path to happiness. True: you will be happy for a while. Then you will hit the road of pain again.

Ending the Pain:
This is the true road to take. You can be creative with this, that path so many take. You can go meet people with your same drug problems. You can follow the light all the way to your own personal heaven. There is more, so much more. Just follow the signs along the way.

Asking for Help

admin — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:56:45 +0000

Asking for help isn’t easy for many families, because it so often means you’ve “failed” somehow. However, substance abuse extends beyond the family, and it is a worldwide problem. There is nothing to be truly ashamed of, and the only mistake is accepting that the addict can use. Whether it’s a father downing painkillers … a mother smoking marijuana … or a son or daughter drinking underage—substance abuse is about asking for help immediately before anything major happens. We’ve all heard the war stories of drug addicts losing everything to their addiction; the answer is to ask for help before that happens.