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Hi, Norty, let me say more about dosing? You're thinking practically, like a doctor. But it's about feelings.
The thing with addicts is the drug doesn't produce the same effects as it initially did in early use. The body becomes adjusted to the drug. Plus the addict may also be suffering uncomfortable side effects of use including withdrawal. It is at that point, when the drug no longer makes one feel high enough that the roots of addiction are set. We're talking progression.
Progression of dissatisfaction, of use and of illness.
Taking a little more can almost create the effect of the initial highs and that's the hook. Some will even, at this point, add or switch to more potent drugs. The accompanying increased tolerance gives the addict the illusion that he can handle increasingly dangerous amounts. And they often can.
I once had an ambulatory patient with a BAC of .528. He sat on his bed, smoked a cigarette and conversed. After detox he returned a few days later with a similarly high count. I'm sure he died shortly thereafter. By the textbook he shouldn't have been alive at that level.
It wouldn't be surprising if he didn't believe a doctor who said he couldn't drink that much. He could.
It's not so much about ignorance except for people who are so far gone they don't remember or know what they are taking. Remember, medical people become addicts also. It's about the delusion and that intense need to have that initial experience that causes the overdose for many.
Alcoholics at the end stage of alcoholism are sick folks and the hopes of feeling high aren't as desirable as the simple hope that alcohol will just allow them to feel normal again. They do this as a matter of lifestyle and they are well aware of how much alcohol should be sufficient. It's just not anymore. And the withdrawal symptoms even while they are intoxicated are excruciating and terrifying. I believe late-stage alcoholics overdose to escape pain or reach oblivion.
I'm going to share something pertinent, personal and so a bit off subject here. I've had the same exercise coach for almost a year and it's looking to me like she's slipping into second stage alcoholism. Lovely and fit young woman. By the middle of the hour she is surreptitiously catching big breaths, red in in face and sweating. By the three-quarter mark she is watching the clock. Yesterday at the end of the session she said, "You all worked so hard today. Go home and have a good, stiff drink. You earned it."
Lodestar, that’s really sad about your exercise coach. Many people don’t understand addiction but I can tell by your posts that you do. It’s also encouraging that new approaches to recovery have come along instead of just the AA approach. Some good ones are Smart Recovery and This Naked Mind by Annie Grace.
I remember seeing singer Chaka Khan in an interview. She talked about her period of drug use. She said that she used drugs as a way to help her avoid feeling things that she didn't want to feel. I'm assuming that's the situation for many drug addicts. They are using drugs
for the same reason. To avoid feelings they don't want to feel.
So my question is what's a better alternative to drugs? How are drug addicts taught to better deal with those feelings that they are trying to avoid?
they go through one or more 12-step programs and learn how to live a life in recovery.
one day at a time.
the addict faces one of these three natural and predictable outcomes: death, incarceration, or recovery
There is no helping drug addicts or alternatives. They're doing what they're not supposed to be doing which is, asking to not be human and feel. That's a dangerous path. People are not supposed to be happy all the time. You're supposed to feel depression and sadness and anger and all the negatives because that's life.
I decided to kick booze all together. 4 month now.
Lost 25 lbs and feel a lot better. Clarity is awesome. Not saying that some evenings are not boring, but I am a morning person anyhow, 4:30 am is my sweet spot to get up.
A lot of answers are within you, you just have to detox from toxic materials and heal. Some need help, others dont. Dont be afraid to ask for help if needed. Eat good healthy food. Walk, read, read good books and exercise helps as well.
I remember seeing singer Chaka Khan in an interview. She talked about her period of drug use. She said that she used drugs as a way to help her avoid feeling things that she didn't want to feel. I'm assuming that's the situation for many drug addicts. They are using drugs
for the same reason. To avoid feelings they don't want to feel.
So my question is what's a better alternative to drugs? How are drug addicts taught to better deal with those feelings that they are trying to avoid?
Each individual will have to figure out what works for them. We're all human but we're different humans. As a former drug addict, I know that it is 100% impossible to "teach" anyone out of a drug addiction. Just give them the facts and let them figure out what works for them. This is NOT a one size fits all" thing.
In the end, those who want to get away from drugs will figure out a way to do it. Those who who are still using drugs to change their reality but don't want to focus on changing their lives, they will continue to use drugs. This is a personal decision. You cannot council someone away from drugs. We became addicts on our own and we will get off drugs when we truly want to.
Working out, running, swimming, or cycling seems helps some people who need a little boost of something to make themselves feel normal.
If that doesn’t help, see your doctor. They can recommend a course of action to help with your problem. 12 step programs are free. Brain meds can also address depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder. Therapy can root out some of the causes of drug use and teach healthier approaches to life.
Running. But my friend who introduced me to running back in 1979 said "running is a drug."
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