I wish I was addicted to something productive. Exercise maybe.

Instead I escape with my good friends, internetz, television, and books.

There's nothing wrong with being addicted to books, Mr. Delano.

FAX

I was not making fun. Bring your livestock over. I have a real problem.

Twinkies.

OH GOD!! When will it stop????

And at times, those canned pickled garlic cloves.

After a lot of struggling I was finally able to get past the Bryers chocolate ice cream but still have many other struggles to overcome.

Those cajun trail mixes are another....Oh....I have to go eat something now.

I appreciate that very much. I also appreciate all the kind words and encouragement a lot of you have given me. I get a little emotional at times and it is good to get things off my chest ( not many people to talk to around here ). I wish you the best 58 in conquering your addiction, I know it's not easy. I do have a problem with living in the past and feeling sorry sometimes, but that is such a waste of time. Anyways, thanks a lot Floppy :) very kind words in deed my friend.

hope all is well

Looks like Chiefbowe is back.

just the guy that needs to be in this thread

Energy drinks, last May was my last one. I quit bc I downed two XXL Monsters before work. It was about 106 degrees that day and I went through some rough shit. I quit because I know luck was on my side that day and it wouldn't be pretty if it wasn't. That summer went pretty good after I quit, never thought about going back. Working in the Oilfields you have to be somewhat cautious of what you eat and drink.

That is some of the worst shit you can put in your body...

It literally can kill you if you have underlying medical conditions you aren't aware of.

You'd be better off railing an 8ball.

For me its about willpower and a very healthy support system. Therapy for addiction is a huge help. get it if you can.

Ive been an addict since I can remember. When I was a senior in high school, I was majorly addicted to freebase cocaine. I was already heavy into other drugs, LSD, Crytal, Pot and cigarettes, But smoking cocaine nearly killed me. At age 18 I was 79 lbs, homeless and near death and was still trying to finish HS. I remember sitting at my dealers house on the couch( I also lived there briefly in the cellar with my boyfriend and a skunk), and all these dudes came out of one of the rooms with all kinds of firepower waiting for some brigade to come. They were high and paranoid and I knew if I moved, I was dead. I had an epihany, I was going to die if I didnt makes serious changes. I did. I ended up on the streets for a couple of months while still trying to graduate, And I did it becasue I had to. The other drugs went out the window too, except nicotine. I managed again to quit smoking, cold turkey, when I was 28. WILLPOWER and the desire to live. As you can see in both cases, it is the desire to live that helped me put the pipe down so to speak.

As I grow older I still find I have addictions I need to deal with, gambling was one once and food always will be. Im an addict. Plain and Simple. But with help, support and a will to live a better life, you can be a "semi-retired" addict like me:)

HI, I'm john and I'm a recovering Addict. :D

I have about 2 years clean at this time, after relapsing following 3 years clean. I had a serious problem with prescription narcotics for 10+ years. For me the key was going through treatment & being very involved in NA & AA....

Not willing to share much other than that on here, but if ya want to talk shot me a pvt message anytime.

ya know, you'd blow the collective planet men's minds if you had typed that you were addicted to sex. just sayin' :hmmm: :)

Wow, that is some story.

Yeah, and that the super duper short version. I ended up in a home so I could graduate. It was a board and care home. I lived with 13 Schizophrenics. That story in itself should be a movie.:D

I found the hard way, it was definitely a wake up call. One more month it'll be a year. I couldn't tell you how many I drank before this happened. Two a day was about right, plus redbull and vodka or yager bombs on the weekend.


I can honestly say I haven't had either of the two mix drinks since.

Good stuff

yikes girl! But you are right, some people just have very addictive personalities. For those types of people, it's hard to quit, it's not really in their nature so they have to fight hard and really want it.

From my experience you will trade one addiction for another. Its a case of addictive personality. You will find something in life to make up for what you quit doing. Hopefully when you kick the thing you want to you find something more appealing/productive to spend your time doing.

I am very, very, glad I found this thread. Or somebody brought it back up from when it was created quite some time ago.

I agree with KC2004. With compulsive/ addictive behavior, while one addiction may hold your attention for a while- it's just as easy to jump to something else.

For me it's gambling. I have a major issue with it- no doubt about it. However I also have other addiction demons that come calling from time to time.

Same here. Went from alcohol in my 20's to sex & relationship in my 30's...then to prescription drugs after that. I do nothing in moderation.... including CP. lol

KC2004 and JD369 bring up a couple good points.

It's been 7 weeks from this past Sat. that I went to my first AA meeting. Funny, that today's topic was about addictions other than alcohol. No coincidence that I haven't fired up a bowl in the 7 wks+.

Cigarettes, OTOH, are a different matter entirely. Caffeine, as well. Funny, the huge image of the coffee pot on the front door of the AA office.

I've dated an addict and it was a whole different world for me. I couldn't understand why we couldn't keep any alcohol around the house. It takes me a long, long time to polish off a bottle of whiskey, but not with this girl. Basically, she drank until it was all gone.

It sucked because that meant that either I had to do like she did, or we had to go our separate ways. We ended up going our separate ways. Thankfully, I'm the opposite, I can take things or leave them. Take alcohol away from me and I'm fine.

However, it's not the same with an addictive personality. It's all or nothing, balls-to-the-wall until you pass out. A person like this either changes willingly or dies.

WTG man, the first days are the hardest

THIS

is

me :(

And I didn't start to change willingly, but 6 months in jail because of my addiction got me started. Glad now that I spent that time & time in treatment

Good for you. It's good to see that a person can pull themselves up after they fall down.

That's an awesome story, and I'm sure that it makes life so much more enjoyable considering the dues you had to pay to get there.

Alcohol/drugs sober one day at a time.

My addiction is eating food I know I am not supposed to eat as a Diabetic.
I am a well controlled Diabetic most of the time though.

I continue to struggle with chewing tobacco. Can quit for 6 months, a year and even 2 years at a time but it always creeps back in. I don't even enjoy it.

Also should get the energy drinks in check. That crap is a poor excuse for water and it costs a fortune. I don't even want to think about the amount of money I've spent on two useless consumables in my life.

About the same here for me. We've talked before.

For those of you who are experimenting with drugs, I would like to give you a little word of advice from someone who has seen the dark side of pretty much every drug, and made his way back to the light.
I'm not going to tell you not to pursue the thrills you are seeking from them, I'm just going to issue a strong warning to you, that the kind of addiction that you will find yourself in with heavy use of "opiates" which consist from anything from percocet to black tar heroin, is completely unlike that of any other substance you will ever put in your body.

That day will come when you want to stop any drug, and with all other drugs, besides these opiates, after about 48 hrs of not taking the drug, pretty much all physical symptoms will have subsided, and all you will have to deal with, is that pesky itch that you want to scratch of actually getting high.

Opiates on the other hand, have a little surprise for you for the next 2++ weeks or so after you've decided to go clean.

Day1-4. Vomiting(if you can eat), PAIN(everywhere), Explosive unannounced diarrhea. Freezing cold feeling accompanied massive drenching hot sweat.
Day5-8. Basically the super flu. Hell on earth.
Day9-14++ Extreme Lethargy, Malaise, a complete loss of interest in........everything.
Day?? According to the person. Freedom.

I had to do this on my own, but would very much suggest going into rehab if you have that opportunity, as it will be almost impossible to not use when you are feeling this way.

Luckily, I had a job I needed to finish in Italy, so I went over there, and toughed through it, or I'm not really sure I could have done it..

Any other drugs, I say party on man ( not crack or needles tho.)
Opiates: stay the **** away if you know what's best for you.

I'm going on 18 months clean from everything, cept a bowl or something every now, and again.

Not ONE other person that I knew has come clean from the Oxy we use to use, and I have not seen one other person besides myself come of of them for more than a few days. It has taken EVERYTHING from them, but they still continue to do it, because they get sick without it, and it makes it damn near impossible without serious help.
It really makes me sad. Lost some good folks to it. Don't be fooled. It can happen to anyone who thinks they are just gonna fool around with it for a while.
DON'T DO IT

Feels good to be clean though. Real Good. Feel like I survived a WAR.

This is true. It's really hard to come clean....of everything, but it can be done

lol. No.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NFy0iG3O3_8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Good luck with that Tim. I had quit cigarettes (45 year smoker) for quite a few months one time, then cigars. Started inhaling them, and there it was.

I have now quit cigarettes again since last labor day, and I struggle with about anything that can be addictive. It is a daily battle of making the right decisions.

:clap:

Same thing with me. 1 cigar turned to 2 and so on. Finally came to the point I was smoking cigars frequently.

Then, I rationalized if I'm going to smoke cigars frequently I might as well smoke cigarettes--they're cheaper and not as bad for you.

Then there I was again.

Absolutely no doubt about it. I think food for me right now is. Since Im an addict, Im hoping I become addicted to the gym. I mean, Im going to be addicted to something, why not working out? :D

I quit smoking cigarettes 15 years ago, cold turkey. For years, I had smoking dreams and I was always like "I dont really smoke, just right now..." I didnt have one of those dreams probably for the last 5 years, until about a week ago. It was really weird.:eek:

In a nutshell, cigarettes hold onto you forever...well, until you die...

I gave up cigarettes a couple of weeks ago--again. I had some health/heart issues that turned out fine but the doctor strongly warned me against continued tobacco use (no duh huh).

I keep telling myself to hit the gym (I live right next to the student rec center) but I guess I first need to get addicted to motivation.

This.

I've been through pretty much every substance you can think of.

Today, I like to play video games with my kids. Sober.

My wife kids me all the time that I spend too much time playing but she knows what the alternative is.

It's funny looking back on this thread and the things I was struggling with. Actually, I don't know if funny is the right word. I do know that the things that I was addicted to are different today, but the fight to overcome is the same.

There are a lot of good stories in this thread and I often look back at it when I'm feeling down. I appreciate all the candidness and especially appreciate those of you that have reached out.

Are you not smoking now?

I still miss it very frequently, and had to quit a lot of things that I really enjoy that IMO would call for smoking. Bowling, Golf etc. and that was very hard.

Playing golf without smoking is very difficult, so I haven't played since last September. My bowling team and golf buddies are not very happy with me at all.

It has been my experience that quitting an addiction requires a change of surroundings or I just cave in.

I did after my heart stents. Up at 5:30 every morning, for an 1 1/2 hour workout. Hired a incompetent PT and the whole deal. It was great until I got too carried away and incurred multiple injuries that I am still trying to recover from.

Its always been about the Nicotine for me. I started smoking when I was 12. quit when my first child was born and I was 26. A suprise Divorce put me back in the Ciggy wagon.
I don't even want to quit, but I hate it.

Yikes. and hour and a half? That is certainly part of your problem, especially if you are working muscles everyday. There has to be time for things like Yoga so you don't kill yourself.

Haven't had a single cigarette since April 28 of 2011. Smoked for like 6 years, 5 of those were a pack a day. Just decided to really push my willpower to the limits one day and see where it would take me. Here I am today.

I do still miss smoking, but I wouldn't say I have cravings or anything like that.

Oh I was, in fact at my age I found for my body it took the third recovery day instead of just two for most muscle groups.

But there is still so many options when you include cardio, that I never run out of things to do. I hated leaving after the hour and half!

Our gym also has a pool and a track. But I fell in love with weight training.

My problem was going to heavier weights than my old tendons/rotator cuff could handle. I was following the increased weight pattern the PT had exhibited, but I didn't know when to stop, and he hadn't told me. :D

The strenuous work outs also lead to a veracious appetite. Yoga just might be something to look into, thanks!

ive did it all .. you can stop anything you want too .. its mind over matter .. only one i have left is cigs .. but still like to smoke .. guess ya have to die of sumpin .....

Hi. I'm here today because I'm addicted.


To marijauna./Thurgood Jenkins

I finally quit again a couple of weeks ago. Lol, I don't think I can change anything else.

What I could've changed, I changed in January when I moved from Joplin.

post 113 has a video of that event.

Where is your video?

Congrats, man. I had smoked between a quarter to a full pack a day for almost 20 years (since freshman year of HS). Finally quit in May 2010. My uncle had been diagnosed with, and later passed away from lung cancer, and I decided it was time to quit. I used Chantix for a month, and despite the horror stories, it worked for me. I did break down about two weeks in and lit up, but just the taste of it was disgusting, so I didn't even finish it.

I've tried social smoking on a few special occasions, but it just kicks so hard in my throat that I can't do it. However, I do love being around the smell of secondhand smoke.

A video is cheating. I pulled that from memory.

Thanks man, congrats to you as well and I'm sorry to hear about your uncle. I haven't tried smoking since I quit out of fear that it's going to grip me by the ****ing devil hands again. I'm just happy that I didn't start smoking until I was in college. I bet had I started as early as you, it would have been much harder for me to drop the habit.