Addiction, Withdrawal and the Inherent Curse of Threes

[Cyris_P]

I have been a smoker for about 3 years now and I've attempted to quit on a number of occasions. My most successful of which I'm currently going through now as I haven’t had a dart in about 20 days. Now I have broken bones, gotten any number of diseases and been forced to deal with hellish people for extended periods of time, but nothing lives up to the anguish that is withdrawal.

First let me explain the curse of threes. Many smokers find that when they quit, the worst of times occur in a pattern of threes (First 3 days, third week, third month), and this being my third week off those f***ing sticks of pleasure, I tend to agree.

The first 3 days were the roughest as far as nicking out goes, but I was able to seclude myself from society for that short amount of time and get through the constant lust for gratification. Seclusion, however, isn’t even a choice when it comes to the subsequent months.

The first 2 weeks were by no means easy, but this third is somehow far more difficult. I have to work at 6:30am and I went to bed around midnight. I woke up suddenly about an hour ago (3:30ish) and I can’t get back to sleep. Work is going to be hell. On top of a f***ed up sleeping pattern, I’ve been hacking, wheezing, sneezing and aching. There are rashes that have spontaneously developed all over my body that seem to worsen by the day. I can’t think straight, so I’m unable to maintain the relationships with my friends and family and what’s worse, EVERYTHING PISSES THE F*** OUT OF ME!!

Lately, I’ve had about 2 hours in a day (if I’m lucky) where I can actually stand to talk with people, do my work or even do something “relaxing” like video games without being on the verge of lashing out irrationally. Also, I'm constanly fighting myself from having a smoke. In my brain I'll rationalize it any number of ways (just one drag, then you can continue to quit... If you have a smoke, all this suffering will cease... Think of your friends: you'll stop treating them like s*** if you just go back to smoking... etc f***ing etc ). I have no idea how I’m going to survive the entire third month…

On top of this, quitting one addiction is much like lopping the head off a hydra. In the past three weeks I’ve been steadily increasing my alcohol intake and I can’t seem to get enough greasy food to subside my craving.

Anyways, I suppose this is more of a frustrated rant than anything, but what sort of addictions have you guys had to deal with in the past, and what have been the consequences of quitting?

 

[Crimson King]

That's pretty much why I never got into drugs/alcohol. Sure I was quite addicted to sleeping pills but I wanted to sleep. I think once I move to Cali, I'll stop drinking softdrinks. I heard from someone that he lost 40 pounds going from Coke to Diet Coke. I'll probably just drink water. I am sure Coca Cola isn't as bad as cigarettes but it is an addiction regardless.

Best of Luck, man. Hang in there, it'll be quite rewarding.

 

[Vinnie275]

One of my sisters quit smoking. She couldn't have done it herself though. Her boyfriend told her that she had to quit for her own good, and wouldn't let her. She would sneak them once in a while, but eventually with so much pressure she could quit.

That's actually the only person I know that successfully quit, well that I can think of. I know cold turkey works for a few people, but if you're going to diminish your tabacco intake gradually, I know that it's almost neccessary to keep a VERY rigid schedule and most likely you have to join a program. That is probably because when you're slowly reducing the amount you smoke it's a lot easier to cheat than cold turkey, I know people will say things like, "Well, I'll smoke tomorrow morning's grit now and I won't have then", but then they might forget or block it out of their mind.

Well good luck anyway. Quittin' tabacco is tough you know, takes most people about 7-9 tries I think.

 

[Dodongo]

I quit fairly easily, been three years and I still don't want one so I guess that pattern stops after the months. I'll let you know in 27 years how the three decades holds up.
I heard that after the first couple of weeks that it's all in your head, so just rise above and be a man about it.

 

[Mrs. Bahamut]

Ugh caffeine....I can't live without my soft drinks... I tried to stop for a while and I'm stopping now cause they are so expensive and it's hard to do. It's such a terrible feeling when you are trying to quit something that is a habit. I can't even imagine what trying to quite smoking would be like. Luckily, I'm allergic to smoke so I don't do it. Don't give up Chris_P! I have faith in you!

 

[Resting_Fox]

Well, I don't know if marijuana is chemically addictive, but it was most certainly a mental addiction. I started in the beginning of my Freshman year in High School, and kept it up until the second semester of my sophomore year.

I was working at a chinese fast food restaurant as a freshman, (uber cool cuz I was the youngest kid at school with a job) and I could easily afford to smoke at least two bowls a day on the days that I didn't work. And then there were the weekends that ended up being almost a non-stop toke-a-thon, which was really not as fun as you might think (even though we played music a lot of the time). if there was any fun, I don't remember it very well.

Anyway by about the summer after freshman year, I told myself, "hey, you've got an addiction. you should quit." but I kept on for a solid six months wanting to quit but still doing it out of habit because...well I guess because it kept me from realizing that i was unhappy and that i didn't exactly belong with the people who i hung out with.

Then after quitting, cold turkey, in about february, 2004, there was the withdrawal. I went into it with optimism, but came out (if i really have come out) in pretty deep depression from which i still couldn't say i've recovered, because as many people know, depression is a downward spiral. Now that might not happen to everybody, because it could have been linked to a number of other factors. Basically, I felt pretty hollow as a person even before i quit, and I thought I could "find myself" if I cut off all human contact and piddled around with introspective activities like art and poetry and blah-blah-blah[most of which were of poor calibur, thus only adding to the depression]

Anyway, in short, now I'm depressed, and sometimes I think I'm developing symptoms of schizophrenia. really I think I should probably try some depression medication because the drug might have caused an imbalance in my neuro-networks, But I'm afraid if I do that, i'll end up killing myself like some of those "cases" end up doing.

Well now that I've said about the most pathetic thing in my life, I'll kindly flip my hair to you and walk away skulking.

V....I donno exactly, there might have been this one time that they snuck some crack in with it...

 

[Vinnie275]

...

...







...




From weed?!?!

 

[Luigitoilet]

Well, that's not a very common thing Resting. It's balls when people have that sort of reaction or, I dunno, dependency on something like pot. Also, on a semi-related note, you should never EVER NEVER EVER EVER EVER smoke pot when you're depressed. The chances of it helping anything are very very slim, and the chances of it doing harm are big.

anyways, lots of respect to those trying to quit, 'specially smoking.

 

[Cyris_P]

Thanks for the support guys, I appreciate it.

Weed can be a tough habit to break. It's not physically addicting, but it's so mentally stimulating that potheads have the tendancy to become dependant on it. I smoke it about once a day, which puts me in this category, but I'm not so worried about grass as I am booze and smokes. Weed causes minor depression, but it doesn't evoke anger, loathing or violence, so I'll quit the green stuff once I've dealt with all the other nasty habits I've incurred.

I empathize with your situation RF, as I've had a similar history. Bouts of depression are common with my lifestyle, but I've found that seclusion only elevates this feeling. When I'm alone for extended periods of time crazy thoughts start to go through my head about what I'm doing, who I am and what others think of me. I find that I best realize my passions and personality when I'm with other people doing whatever the F we want to do. Of course, I work hard on enjoying my time alone, as I know that I'm stuck with who I am for the rest of my life, and I won't always be around others.

But you know, I'm happy that I've indulged in the forsaken. Having experienced the side of life that I was raised to avoid acted as a pathway to my intellectual maturity. Once I recognized that weed wasn’t the hell-sin it was made out to be I started questioning other aspects of my ignorant life. It wasn’t till the ensuing years that I realized TV is full of lies; the government is not only corrupt, but evil; people, in general, are wrong; and the person that I was raised to be was not the kind of person that I wanted to be. My parents called it rebellion, but I called it enlightenment.

 

[Vinnie275]

Cigarettes are worse than weed.

If you're depressed you shouldn't smoke or drink or take pills. You should do what Tom Hanks does.

 

[Cyris_P]

...Grow Big?

 

[Vinnie275]

No no no, the other one. With meg ryan.

 

[Dodongo]

Well if I had the money to have secks with Meg Ryan I would but that isn't a luxury all of us can afford.

 

[Osco316]

No no no, the other one. With meg ryan.

So you mean grow BIG LOL


It's sort of a wordplay joke.


EDIT: Sorry for my lame joke

 

[Vinnie275]

<,,< I meant Sleepless in Seattle...

[uncultured]SWF[/uncultured] :embarrass

 

[ender]

eric when are you moving to cali?/didntreadanypostsaftererics

i dont drink/drugs either and most of my friends also dont but i have one friend who is addicted to caffine. he buys at least to sodas a day, plus soda at his house or job. so $2 per day,14 a week he could be saving to move out. he said hes tried before but he has caffiene withdrawls just like any other addiction i suppose.

zapdos, write to "women" over the internet? that sounds just like the advice to get from swf when someone is depressed.

 

[Vinnie275]

zapdos, write to "women" over the internet? that sounds just like the advice to get from swf when someone is depressed.

No no no, you know that part when he's talking to the call-in radio lady, and she gets all personal and asks him how he deals with being depressed about his wife being totally 20x6'd, so then he's all like, "blah blah this daily routine blah blah keep truckin!" that's what I meant.

Gosh you guys really should watch your chick's movies. What will your wives think.

 

[ender]

What will your wives think.

if my wife starts thinking im not doing my job.

 

[Misto-Roboto]

That's pretty much why I never got into drugs/alcohol. Sure I was quite addicted to sleeping pills but I wanted to sleep. I think once I move to Cali, I'll stop drinking softdrinks. I heard from someone that he lost 40 pounds going from Coke to Diet Coke. I'll probably just drink water. I am sure Coca Cola isn't as bad as cigarettes but it is an addiction regardless.

Best of Luck, man. Hang in there, it'll be quite rewarding.

Diet coke = Aspartame = Formaldehyde in your system = Brain Problems down the Road

 

[Crimson King]

About another 2 years, but I figure plan the smaller parts now and the bigger stuff will be easier to tackle.

I'd go to water anyway, Misto, or whateverelse like Gatorade.
You can't live in fear though from drinking stuff, you could be doomed for brain cancer with those drinks then BAM car accident.

 

[Vinnie275]

Being poor and all, I found that if you put one third as much sugar in Kool-Aid then it tastes just like Gatoraid. Gatoraid probably has corn syrup in it too, it's much better to just drink Kool-Aid with less sugar in it.

When I was 17-18 years old I drank a cup of green tea every morning. I never got sick for those two years. Soon as I couldn't find the time to drink it I came down with colds, fevers, and bronchitus just the same as before I started drinking it regularly.

Oh snap, am I off topic?

 

[Resting_Fox]

Well, no you're not...because a medical dependency is just as much an addiction.

Anway, as for the weed thing, There' might have been a lot of other things goin' down inside the weed (PCP, Coke, lacings of the such). I'm not sure but i think this one time I might have 'accidentally' smoked crack. and I was fifteen. wooo.

Anyway, i've also become addicted to sleeping pills before, and though it's not a very bad addiction, it's side affects (depression) and withdrawals are pretty bad, because on sleeping pills all your senses like sight and hearing are dimmed down, and when it all comes back, the chirping of the crickets is like nails on chalkboard and anytime you turn on the lights in your house you get a headache that's quickly-subsiding but sharp nonetheless.

Drugs are bad...

And Cyris_P, sorry to steal your thunder, but...well...you asked.
Anyway, keep it up, because when i was young, my dad's continuous smoking around me was part of what caused me to develop asthma and sensitivity to pnuemonia. So, if not for you, do it for the k!ds man.

 

[Tipo mastr]

Try as you might to deny it, marijuana is worse that smoking, and not because it puts you in a bad mood, or makes you erratic, ect. Mariijuana literally KILLS your brain cells! It is much more dangerous because it harms the body much faster. My veiw is this: For all drugs, like alcohol, marijuana, ciggarettes, crack, heroin, methanphetamine, and even caffeine, its easier and more healthy, to not start in the first place! Oh, and how long have you smoked? Let's say for argument's sake you have smoked for 5 years. Let's also say you smoke about 1/2 a pack a day. If a pack was $5 each, lets see... about...$4562.50! Thats enough to buy like a home theater system!

Despite the stupid things you probably did to get into this state, you can atone for your sins by stopping. I apologise for the rude things I have said to you. But you must learn somehow. I am postive you will survive withdrawel. As the age old proverb says, experience is a good teacher, but not neccesarily an easy one.

 

[g-regulate]

ever do coke for a few hours, and then run out?
not pretty. withdrawl isnt even worth the high.

 

[Tipo mastr]

Do you mean coca cola, or crack?

 

[McFox]

Mariijuana literally KILLS your brain cells! It is much more dangerous because it harms the body much faster. My veiw is this: For all drugs, like alcohol, marijuana, ciggarettes, crack, heroin, methanphetamine, and even caffeine, its easier and more healthy, to not start in the first place!

Don't you ever watch Cheers?

Well you see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo and when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones
at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a
whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by
the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain
can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive
drinking of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and
weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates
the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And
that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.

 

[Tipo mastr]

I dearly hope you are joking.

No I do not watch cheers.

 

[Cyris_P]

Try as you might to deny it, marijuana is worse that smoking, and not because it puts you in a bad mood, or makes you erratic, ect. Mariijuana literally KILLS your brain cells! It is much more dangerous because it harms the body much faster. My veiw is this: For all drugs, like alcohol, marijuana, ciggarettes, crack, heroin, methanphetamine, and even caffeine, its easier and more healthy, to not start in the first place! Oh, and how long have you smoked? Let's say for argument's sake you have smoked for 5 years. Let's also say you smoke about 1/2 a pack a day. If a pack was $5 each, lets see... about...$4562.50! Thats enough to buy like a home theater system!

Why thank you Tipo, puppet of propaganda. Come back when you're not regurgitating the ignorant half-truths (and lies) that you learned from your teachers, parents and priests.

And McFox, you're a modern-day genius for posting that quote. You get a star.

 

[Tipo mastr]

First of all, what that I said is in any way propaganda? And what that I said is in any way a half-truth or a lie? And when did I say I was "regurgitating" what I supposedly learned from my parents, teachers. and priests? My parents expect me to be smart enough to deal with problems like drugs(and I like to think I am). Teachers do not, or are not meant to be, teaching us that stuff. And don't count D.A.R.E . Those are people just out to make loads of money. Also, I am not religous, and have not ever even talked to a priest.

My points are made using logic[/]. I know that marijuana is more dangerous than smoking because I have aquired knowledge on how both affect your body, as proven by official health studies. I also know that if it is harder to get in than it is to get out, why go in, even though nothing good will come of it, except for a temporary high. And my money example is not prompted by faith or my teachings, its just math.

Just use common sense.

But don't get me wrong! I think it is the best decision of you to rectify the current situation.

 

[Luigitoilet]

cigarettes are still worse. Why? because people don't smoke several joints a day, whereas any normal smoker does. many smokers smoke even more than just a few, too.

Besides, you can't say anything if you haven't tried it. I've known several people who've smoked pot for spiritual and emotional reasons (though that's not as common than with other 'safe' drugs) . Even SOCIAL reasons. As for me in most cases it helps me relax. I can talk to people at ease. That's something I have trouble with.

Now that doesn't mean I have to get high everytime I want to be social. Just getting up a few times helped me relax on my own. Be more at ease. It's helped a lot. How old are you, anywyas, Tipo?

P.S. coke is not worth the anything. It's the sleaziest drug in the universe and only heroin is worse. My sister was one of the slimiest people I've known when she was a cokehead. She was a nothing, and now she's moved away from coke into alcohol. Now she's a trainwreck, but I'm going to stop before I rant a whole lot and derail the whole topic.

 

[Tipo mastr]

Besides, you can't say anything if you haven't tried it. I've known several people who've smoked pot for spiritual and emotional reasons (though that's not as common than with other 'safe' drugs) . Even SOCIAL reasons. As for me in most cases it helps me relax. I can talk to people at ease. That's something I have trouble with.

SPIRITUAL REASONS? If I recall correctly, no religon I know tells you to smoke pot!

FYI, I am 13, have no experience with drugs, and never plan to, because I like to think I am smart enough not to destroy my body.

Pot does relex your mind... it relaxes it to the point that it impairs your decision making and sensory skills. The government banned it for a reason. Not that I think the government is the almighty, but with certain issues, it does utilize the best prism for looking at things: common sense.

BTW, should a topic like this be moved to the debate room?

 

[Who Am I???]

Alcohol and Nicotine kill your brain cells just as bad buddy. Weed just makes you happier in the process.

 

[Crimson King]

Nah, I'd move it back since it isn't a debate.

 

[Osco316]

SPIRITUAL REASONS? If I recall correctly, no religon I know tells you to smoke pot!

Rastafarianism

 

[Luigitoilet]

Spiritualism isn't chained to religion.

 

[Vinnie275]

What about peace pipes in Native American religions?

Also I remember Saeta (my sis' name on SWF) starting a religion once for about a week that involved just smoking pot.


Heh and Luigitoilet sorry to prove you wrong but oftentimes more joints are smoked a day than cigarettes ^^p
After I broke my hand I smoked for three straight days about every 20 minutes. I ended up going to every part of town doing everything with everybody until I fell backwards off a slide playing lava monster and hurt my just broken hand again >< If I wasn't high as a kite it woulda hurt bad. I don't think I've smoked since then.


I'll tell ya what though, weed is way more expensive than cigarettes, but the pros and cons are there.

Cigarettes:
Pros_
"Calms" your "nerves" (as in takes you out of withdrawl)
Makes you look **** cool (yes it does ****it)
Something to do after sex
Social activity that gets you and your friends outside every hour for five minutes
Goes good with beer (So I've heard. I've never smoked tabacco before actually)
Cons_
Cancer
You tweak a little
Nigh-impossible to quit without guts
Breath
Smell
Insurance rates
Cost
Parents might ground you
Second-hand smoke you ****heads.

Weed:
Pros_
Getting high makes you: interesting, more social
Good for pain reliever
Goes great with hard alcohol and dark ale
Makes you cool sorta
Cons_
Can make you depressed
Darn expensive
Makes you dumb for three weeks, increased brain farts for a LONG time
****ING POLICE. **** POLICE. *******S.
**** police.
Po-po.
The fuzz.
I hate cops.
Parents might kill you
A lot of people look down on it (squares).


Does that round it out a bit? I still think cigarettes are terribly worse.

Oh here's an exhibition for alcohol

Booze_
Pros: Get laid!
Cons: There is none! Go get some taco!

 

[Thomas Tipman]

cyris_p good luck with dropping the habit. hope you pull through with it succesfully.

oh and on the topic of pot, the downfalls on that can be worst than cigarettes any day. i quit smoking pot like 3 years ago and i still have problems remembering certain things before i quit and its really quite said when you cant remember some of the good times youve had as a kid. though thats not to say everyone will have the same experience but its safe to say people who smoke pot almost always have memory problems.

also i think im addicted to laughy taffy, i swear my pay check disappears any time i step into a candy store.....I NEED HELP!

 

[Tipo mastr]

Rastafarianism

I congratulate the 3 people who know what that means.

Anyway, zapdos, you yourself said that weed is worse than ciggaretes. the cons outwiegh the pros , and are much more serious.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Stop it! Half of his cons were the same exact thing!

And maybe you should get more educated if you don't know what Rastafarians are.

Oh, and a con for booze is liver disease. But apparently that only happens to my family since we're the biggest drunks on the planet.

 

[Tipo mastr]

Yeah, well that one con was almost as bad as all the others combined!

I doubt more than 5% of the american people actually know what it means.