I have been pondering this question lately....I think because before pain pills...I seriously did not think that I was an addict.
I have dabbled in drugs and have done cocaine...mushroom...acid..lol..ok thats not funny it was horrendous....all mostly in my teen years and never gave these drugs another thought. Oh yeah pot and drinking....I never got into pot...I always thought I had a very high tolerance to drugs and booze....in my mid 20's I never did any other drug..maybe the occasional line of cocaine....I did drink...socially...sometimes alot...I would get drunk and get hungover from time to time...but in never interfered with my life...my kids never saw me drunk....
I have been thinking about this because of the meetings that I am going to...my doctor asked me if I have a strong desire to not drink? I said no....and he said yes you do.....he wanted me answer that way...he is an alcoholic himself and does the meetings...he is always a cutting edge addiction specialist and helps alot of people.
Anyway....I am not sure if I am an alcoholic....since he asked me that question I have been pondering it alot...I don't crave alcohol at all...I have a six pack of Coors in my fridge that I have had for 8 weeks...each time we have relocated I have packed it up.
My hell began when I found pain pills...thank god I never tried Heroin....it was offered but I declined...does that make me an addict that can be cured? Will I be able to drink again without guilt?
After I am done with the sub therapy...don't know when that will be....but will I be cured?
Anyone else wondering these things....I feel so good now for the first time in over 5 years when this nightmare began....I am cognisant of the fact that I have alot of work to do regarding my recovery and what brought me here but will it be over someday? Any opinions...oh o......LOL
I believe that addicts have a chemical in our brain that makes us not able to metabolize certain substances correctly.
I am an alchy; there are drugs that I have walked away from, but there are others that got me by the balls.
I think that in order for "addiction" to set in, the use has to be a certain level. You may not be an alchy; you may not have gotten addicted.
I just believe that if you exhibit tendencies for addiction to anything, you have to watch yourself in other aspects.
I know for awhile I was completely addicted to exersize; I can get addicted to anything. But that is just me.
I don't know if that helped...but have a great day!
I am an alchy; there are drugs that I have walked away from, but there are others that got me by the balls.
I think that in order for "addiction" to set in, the use has to be a certain level. You may not be an alchy; you may not have gotten addicted.
I just believe that if you exhibit tendencies for addiction to anything, you have to watch yourself in other aspects.
I know for awhile I was completely addicted to exersize; I can get addicted to anything. But that is just me.
I don't know if that helped...but have a great day!
Hi KeeKee-As you can see I'm stuck home today.LOL...posting frenzy.
I don't think it's cut and dry like that.Some people get hooked on pain meds for legitimate reasons and become addicted.Were they addicts before?Not always.
All opiates have these intrinsic qualities regardless of what type of personality takes them.
a)........a physical dependence develops with continued use.
b)........tolerance develops with continued use
c)........withdrawl symptoms occur after continued use and abruptly stopping.
I think an addict has certain personalities before they even ingest substances.I also believe it is an inherited trait.
When I was in IOP care one of the things we talked about that seems to be a ubiquitous trait is this.
When you took your DOC how did it effect your emotional side.
1.Did you feel omnipotent
2.Did you finnaly feel less fearful and able to be social
3.Felt like you could accomplish anything?
4.Did you feel you finnaly found something you had been looking for your whole life
5.Did you have an unusual obsession with your DOC?Like how can I get more?
How can I make sure I don't run out.How much time did you think about your DOC?
Normal people don't think about substances like that.
They don't plan their days or even social events around drinking or drugs.Its more an after thought.
Only you can answer your own question.It takes rigorous honesty.
No one can tell another they are an addict.You can draw a summation by what they tell you but I've been surprised before.
Hope you get some good feedback.
I don't think it's cut and dry like that.Some people get hooked on pain meds for legitimate reasons and become addicted.Were they addicts before?Not always.
All opiates have these intrinsic qualities regardless of what type of personality takes them.
a)........a physical dependence develops with continued use.
b)........tolerance develops with continued use
c)........withdrawl symptoms occur after continued use and abruptly stopping.
I think an addict has certain personalities before they even ingest substances.I also believe it is an inherited trait.
When I was in IOP care one of the things we talked about that seems to be a ubiquitous trait is this.
When you took your DOC how did it effect your emotional side.
1.Did you feel omnipotent
2.Did you finnaly feel less fearful and able to be social
3.Felt like you could accomplish anything?
4.Did you feel you finnaly found something you had been looking for your whole life
5.Did you have an unusual obsession with your DOC?Like how can I get more?
How can I make sure I don't run out.How much time did you think about your DOC?
Normal people don't think about substances like that.
They don't plan their days or even social events around drinking or drugs.Its more an after thought.
Only you can answer your own question.It takes rigorous honesty.
No one can tell another they are an addict.You can draw a summation by what they tell you but I've been surprised before.
Hope you get some good feedback.
Keekee
Sounds like your Dr has completely bought into the "labeling" hysteria...Your this or your that, and God forbid you dont fit exactly under one specific label..
IMO, just because you had a problem with pain pills, became ADDICTED to pain pills, does NOT mean that you are also an alcoholic, that just happens to be subconsciously suprressing the urge to drink.What a load of bull...
I have absolutely no desire to drink, no desire to find heroin and try that, do mushrooms or any other mind altering drug. i am NOT fighting an urge to get blot-toed...Does that mean i wasn't really addicted to my pain pills? Hell NO..i was absolutely positively addicted to them, took them for most of 15 years, and even though the majority of that time it was taken only for pain, it doesnt change the fact that in the end, i became PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY addicted, freaked out when i ran low, worried about them all the time, took them just to "feel better" and felt like absolute hell when i didnt take them for 24 hours or longer....I WAS 100% ADDICTED to those horrible pills....
Does that make me an "ADDICT" for life??? Therein lies the differences..some would say yes, some say no....personally i dont care what anyone thinks, as i will not wear an assigned label on my head just to make someone else feel better about themselves....
I was addicted to the pills, dont ever want to go through that hell again, and learned a valuable life lesson having gone through the experience. i have more compassion for others, am even less judgemental then i used to be, and would never tell anyone what to call themselves. Just dont call me an "ADDICT" cus thats their word not mine, and its a label i dont plan to walk around with for the rest of MY life..
Some very avid Twelve steppers will probably jump all over an opinion like mine, but i respect their right to their own beliefs, and would ask the same consideration likewise.
Vive la Difference....
Hugs to all
Ali
Sounds like your Dr has completely bought into the "labeling" hysteria...Your this or your that, and God forbid you dont fit exactly under one specific label..
IMO, just because you had a problem with pain pills, became ADDICTED to pain pills, does NOT mean that you are also an alcoholic, that just happens to be subconsciously suprressing the urge to drink.What a load of bull...
I have absolutely no desire to drink, no desire to find heroin and try that, do mushrooms or any other mind altering drug. i am NOT fighting an urge to get blot-toed...Does that mean i wasn't really addicted to my pain pills? Hell NO..i was absolutely positively addicted to them, took them for most of 15 years, and even though the majority of that time it was taken only for pain, it doesnt change the fact that in the end, i became PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY addicted, freaked out when i ran low, worried about them all the time, took them just to "feel better" and felt like absolute hell when i didnt take them for 24 hours or longer....I WAS 100% ADDICTED to those horrible pills....
Does that make me an "ADDICT" for life??? Therein lies the differences..some would say yes, some say no....personally i dont care what anyone thinks, as i will not wear an assigned label on my head just to make someone else feel better about themselves....
I was addicted to the pills, dont ever want to go through that hell again, and learned a valuable life lesson having gone through the experience. i have more compassion for others, am even less judgemental then i used to be, and would never tell anyone what to call themselves. Just dont call me an "ADDICT" cus thats their word not mine, and its a label i dont plan to walk around with for the rest of MY life..
Some very avid Twelve steppers will probably jump all over an opinion like mine, but i respect their right to their own beliefs, and would ask the same consideration likewise.
Vive la Difference....
Hugs to all
Ali
Ali- I agree with you. And the whole labeling thing too. Hell, I even do it sometimes and I'm not even a professional. This is only MY opinion, but some people tend to lump various addictions into one big addict thing and I don't buy it. I think there is such a thing as multiple addictions though and there probably is some kind of preponderance thing going on but because you are an alcohol addict doesnt mean you will become a pain pill addict and vice versa. I do however, think that people who are profoundly addicted to something have some kind of chemical thing going on inside their body that ensures addiction. And nobody is an addict before they use a drug or drink, simply because people arent born holding a prescription bottle or a pint of Vodka. I quit drinking because it would flat out kill me. Literally, and not because of any kind of addiction and I had no problem stopping. I was addicted to other things though.
Kee-Kee, if you didnt have a problem before, most likely your are not an alcoholic. However, the key is cross addiction so why chance it?
I think however, there is also a HUGE difference better an addicted user and an addicted abuser. Both are problematic on their own way.
Kee-Kee, if you didnt have a problem before, most likely your are not an alcoholic. However, the key is cross addiction so why chance it?
I think however, there is also a HUGE difference better an addicted user and an addicted abuser. Both are problematic on their own way.
Hey KeeKee...awesome questions and ones that I think about often. I am and always have been an addict. I think even as a child, I did everything to the extreme. I was always looking for a way to stop "feeling". In my teens, same thing, only then it was with drugs and alcohol. It's only because I found pain pills that I didn't do the rest any more. Had I kept drinking, I think that I would have become an alcoholic. Am I cured? No.Never. It doesn't work that way for me. I will forever and always fight this. I traded pills for smoking, pills for gambling, pills for shopping. And am now battling those three things. To be honest, I have been sneak smoking. Really stupid considering my health. I have 0 control over it.
That's also why I'm glad that sub wasn't available to me when I got clean this last time. With my tendencies, I think that it would be another replacement for me and I would stay on it for life. I've talked to those trying to get off of it now and they are so miserable and scared. My addict would take the easy way out and stay on it. But again, this is just me and I'm getting to know myself pretty damn good.
Take care
Lisa
That's also why I'm glad that sub wasn't available to me when I got clean this last time. With my tendencies, I think that it would be another replacement for me and I would stay on it for life. I've talked to those trying to get off of it now and they are so miserable and scared. My addict would take the easy way out and stay on it. But again, this is just me and I'm getting to know myself pretty damn good.
Take care
Lisa
KeeKee, don't have much time but wanted to respond. I, like you, have dabbled in various mind altering substances since my teenage years.
For a year or more, I did speed everyday back in my 20's, but one day I realized how bad it was for me, and I stopped it. I didn't have a hard time doing that, I just stopped and never looked back. No problem.
Other than that, I have never used anything that got a hold on me like hydrocodone did. Once I started using it regularly, there was no turning back. I no longer had a choice. I became addicted.
I will have a tendency for the rest of my life to become addicted to pain pill. I will never be able to use them without supervision. So in the regard, I would have to say no, I will never be cured from that addiction.
But as for anything else, I don't think I am an alcoholic, nor do I think I will ever become one. I could be wrong, but I think with the knowledge I have gained due to my pill addiction, if I ever become a regular drinker, the red flags would go up and I would walk away before it got out of hand. Obviously, I do not consider myself an alcoholic now, although since I do drink a glass of wine on occasion, others might label me as such.
For a year or more, I did speed everyday back in my 20's, but one day I realized how bad it was for me, and I stopped it. I didn't have a hard time doing that, I just stopped and never looked back. No problem.
Other than that, I have never used anything that got a hold on me like hydrocodone did. Once I started using it regularly, there was no turning back. I no longer had a choice. I became addicted.
I will have a tendency for the rest of my life to become addicted to pain pill. I will never be able to use them without supervision. So in the regard, I would have to say no, I will never be cured from that addiction.
But as for anything else, I don't think I am an alcoholic, nor do I think I will ever become one. I could be wrong, but I think with the knowledge I have gained due to my pill addiction, if I ever become a regular drinker, the red flags would go up and I would walk away before it got out of hand. Obviously, I do not consider myself an alcoholic now, although since I do drink a glass of wine on occasion, others might label me as such.
keeKee
I would be amiss not to add that the above statement does not infer that i do not believe that SOME people can have addictions to any mind altering substances and therefor can not touch ANYTHING...thats a personal call and something that only each individual can say for sure..
There are many great books out there KeeKee on the addictive mind, and how society today has a much different view on the word addiction and the descriptions of such state..
In the 60s, many housewives would visit their Drs complaining of the stresses they felt at home and the pressures of raising their children etc..and Drs all over, were sending them home with this wonderful "happy" pill...valium..
A decade later of course, valium was proved to be quite addictive and the women trying to stop taking their "happy pills" were suddenly faced with the consequences of being addicted to their medication. many of these women were not hard core drug users, not drinkers or even smokers, but housewives who were looking for a little help to get through their stressful week...
Research shows that most women from this time period, eventually ( but not easily) weaned off of the medication and in fact decades later were found to never ever have touched another mind altering medicine again....
These women didnt buy into the fact that they were now "addicts" because society wasnt dictating it to them during this time of history...
Same holds true for many of the Vietnam Vets during the same time period...they went over there, saw horrific things, took mind altering drugs, often heroin, acid, LSD and Marijuana, and yet studies consistently proved that the MAJORITY of men came home, and because there surroundings were no longer as stressful and chaotic, were not only able to stop doing the drugs, but did so without help.
When you think that most people get into drugs to self medicate and deal with extreme stress and mental anguish..and when that chronic stress is removed...it certainly makes sense...
The U.S. Government, aware that their soldiers over there were addicted to hard drugs,implented millions of dollars, setting up detox and rehab programs for the backlash of returning drug using soldiers. Fact is that most soldiers stopped on their own simply because the the drug promoting stimuli was removed ( obvious horrors of war.... death, torture friends dying etc..) and they had no more need to self medicate.
The only difference between now and then of course is stigma...societies trend of labeling one another..not just as in the term "ADDICT", but in many ways....It would seem that we are living in a society that now more then ever, needs to put everyone and everything under certain categories...If your a hyper kid, you now have ADD, if your someone nervous and needing order, you have OCD, and the list goes on and on...
when you think of how damaging labels are, how it promotes indifference and racism, you realize how totally different the world would be if we were able to see each other without labels.
whether social, political or economic labels, all are at the root of everything evil, war, crimes etc...without labels there would be no wars...really..think of it..without labels there would be no indifference, no indifference..no fighting, no crime, no wars...
this is just my opinion, but i see a correlation between the resurgence of labeling ( and thus indifference) and the amount of world unrest/wars...in fact i cant ever think of a war that wasnt based from indifference and labels.. Whether the world Wars, Cambodian Civil war in the 70s ( "Democrats" against "Communists") or otherwise political Afghan- Soviet, war, the El Salvadoran Civil War, also politically based...to the atrocities in Africa, the Darfor conflict...
here we are a generation of people that said.."never again" after Hitler, and here we are living at a time when it is all happening ALL OVER AGAIN...genocide..the elimination of a whole race or culture of people, due to indifference and labeling...
Okay, ill get off my soapbox...im just trying to explain why im so passionate about not lumping one another under certain labels..i can only hope that sometime in our childrens lives they can live in a world where we see each other only as fellow human inhabitants of this earth, regardless of where we live, what we believe, what we call ourselves....
Labels...lol..dont even get me going on them...bet your sorry you even started this post huh>>>lolol
peace out, sorry to have gone on a rant, just wanted to get that off my chest..
Hugs
Ali
I would be amiss not to add that the above statement does not infer that i do not believe that SOME people can have addictions to any mind altering substances and therefor can not touch ANYTHING...thats a personal call and something that only each individual can say for sure..
There are many great books out there KeeKee on the addictive mind, and how society today has a much different view on the word addiction and the descriptions of such state..
In the 60s, many housewives would visit their Drs complaining of the stresses they felt at home and the pressures of raising their children etc..and Drs all over, were sending them home with this wonderful "happy" pill...valium..
A decade later of course, valium was proved to be quite addictive and the women trying to stop taking their "happy pills" were suddenly faced with the consequences of being addicted to their medication. many of these women were not hard core drug users, not drinkers or even smokers, but housewives who were looking for a little help to get through their stressful week...
Research shows that most women from this time period, eventually ( but not easily) weaned off of the medication and in fact decades later were found to never ever have touched another mind altering medicine again....
These women didnt buy into the fact that they were now "addicts" because society wasnt dictating it to them during this time of history...
Same holds true for many of the Vietnam Vets during the same time period...they went over there, saw horrific things, took mind altering drugs, often heroin, acid, LSD and Marijuana, and yet studies consistently proved that the MAJORITY of men came home, and because there surroundings were no longer as stressful and chaotic, were not only able to stop doing the drugs, but did so without help.
When you think that most people get into drugs to self medicate and deal with extreme stress and mental anguish..and when that chronic stress is removed...it certainly makes sense...
The U.S. Government, aware that their soldiers over there were addicted to hard drugs,implented millions of dollars, setting up detox and rehab programs for the backlash of returning drug using soldiers. Fact is that most soldiers stopped on their own simply because the the drug promoting stimuli was removed ( obvious horrors of war.... death, torture friends dying etc..) and they had no more need to self medicate.
The only difference between now and then of course is stigma...societies trend of labeling one another..not just as in the term "ADDICT", but in many ways....It would seem that we are living in a society that now more then ever, needs to put everyone and everything under certain categories...If your a hyper kid, you now have ADD, if your someone nervous and needing order, you have OCD, and the list goes on and on...
when you think of how damaging labels are, how it promotes indifference and racism, you realize how totally different the world would be if we were able to see each other without labels.
whether social, political or economic labels, all are at the root of everything evil, war, crimes etc...without labels there would be no wars...really..think of it..without labels there would be no indifference, no indifference..no fighting, no crime, no wars...
this is just my opinion, but i see a correlation between the resurgence of labeling ( and thus indifference) and the amount of world unrest/wars...in fact i cant ever think of a war that wasnt based from indifference and labels.. Whether the world Wars, Cambodian Civil war in the 70s ( "Democrats" against "Communists") or otherwise political Afghan- Soviet, war, the El Salvadoran Civil War, also politically based...to the atrocities in Africa, the Darfor conflict...
here we are a generation of people that said.."never again" after Hitler, and here we are living at a time when it is all happening ALL OVER AGAIN...genocide..the elimination of a whole race or culture of people, due to indifference and labeling...
Okay, ill get off my soapbox...im just trying to explain why im so passionate about not lumping one another under certain labels..i can only hope that sometime in our childrens lives they can live in a world where we see each other only as fellow human inhabitants of this earth, regardless of where we live, what we believe, what we call ourselves....
Labels...lol..dont even get me going on them...bet your sorry you even started this post huh>>>lolol
peace out, sorry to have gone on a rant, just wanted to get that off my chest..
Hugs
Ali
I think that, i was born a addict, that even berofe i used , and now looking back after...........that i have always had addictive tendencys...........they may not of been bad but they were there, i always did everything to a extremem, school sports, working.........i was a overacheiver and then when i took my first pill, there was no way that i could of possibly not taken that to a extreme, now im lucky because i can catch when i do these things and tone it down a bit. Hope that made sence..........lol............ Good questiong though............i have thought of this often
Pants
Pants
Kee simply put No I dont think we will ever be cured.I think we will be in recovery & stay in recovery but addiction will be a part of who we are for the rest of our lives
Wll write you back in AM OK???
Love you molly
Wll write you back in AM OK???
Love you molly
I wish I could become addicted to work.
Tim it isnt as great as it seems.............that is my dad, and just because of that he ruined a ton of good memories that could of been made........and now i am left with 0 memories that werent work
I'm sure instead of shopping, my husband wishes I were addicted to sex. Or maybe exersize instead of gambling?
LOL
just sex.............. i think my husband wants me to be addictied to everything about him.............
addicted or obsesed
addicted or obsesed
Don't worry Pants,I'm not expecting that addiction ever to kick in...LOL
Lisa,
I guess with an addiction to sex it would require a partner?
Lisa,
I guess with an addiction to sex it would require a partner?
i think surfing is still a good adiction!!!! what your telling me it ever required a partner? what a concept
I think I have always been an addict. Drinking was out of control within days of my first drink as a teen. lots of things I did led onto obsessions. It took me 40 years to realise this though, I thought I was just odd.
Nakken in his book "the addictive personality" describes addiction well when he talks about the trance addicts put themselves in when they act out. Acting out can be drinking, druging, gambling, eating, shopping and many many other things and an addict not in recovery can drift from one thing to another. Anything that stops you feeling.
Nakken in his book "the addictive personality" describes addiction well when he talks about the trance addicts put themselves in when they act out. Acting out can be drinking, druging, gambling, eating, shopping and many many other things and an addict not in recovery can drift from one thing to another. Anything that stops you feeling.
LMAO>>>>>>PANTS.
It's sad girl.The other day I looked at my chocolate lab sitting in the passenger seat.She reminded me of my ex.I think I'll fit her with a smart little hat and sundress.At least we will be able to ride in HOV lanes on the fwy.LOL
It's sad girl.The other day I looked at my chocolate lab sitting in the passenger seat.She reminded me of my ex.I think I'll fit her with a smart little hat and sundress.At least we will be able to ride in HOV lanes on the fwy.LOL
Tim you stole my game plan!!! i use to do cpr certificaton and would put the littleman dude in the front............lol................
whats the dogs size ill make the dress for you!
Pants
whats the dogs size ill make the dress for you!
Pants
