What is up with these dreams???

[BetterNowsBaby]

I'm an addict. I've been having these dreams lately of using and losing everything. These thoughts are not welcome in my head. Is this normal?

[shestruggles]

The drug dreams...Oh, yes! From what I have experienced, and what I have read on the site - they are totally normal, although very upsetting at times. The 'yuckiness' of the dream usually follows me through the whole day.

The best part about them - waking up and realizing it was only a dream!

I think they become less frequent over time, though...

[BikerBill8]

Yes they are and in time they will leave and they happen from time to time. I have been clean over 4 1/2 years and i get them every once i awhile nothing to worry about.

[namommy]

I have been clean for over 8 1/2 years, and I still get them once in awhile.

The best thing I ever heard that helped me:

Basket ball players dream about playing basket ball, addicts dream about using.

[Blake]

I think useing dreams are a common thread that we all have in common. They do get fewer and further between the longer we stay clean.

I was freaking out at a meeting one night right when I got clean b/c I was having them everynight and some one there broke it down to me like this,
"you know how when your in a relationship and you love this person with all your heart and you think that she is the one and only one for you and you can't live without her, then yall break up and it hurts like hell. Every song you hear reminds you about her and at night you dream about being back togeather. Well you just keep on going in life and after a little while you realize that your not thinking about her everyday and the dreams are going away then a little longer and it is something that pops up on occasion in your mind. Your life goes on, but that's still not to say that one day 15 years down the road when your married and have kids, you might dream about her again. Addiction is like a relationship, a very powerful one and you have to go through the grieveing process the same as when you lose anything that was important in your life, but it does get better."

That probably wasn't word for word, but it's the basic jist of what the dude told me, and it helped me.

[Dawn10]

Totally normal and to be expected, especially as you have stresses in your life. I get them about once a month and I usually can attribute them to a new stress in my life or something I am trying to avoid confronting! Better a using dream to deal with life's problems than the reality of REALLY using!

[euphoria]

it's been suggested three different ways to me on what the hell using dreams are.

1. its a free high, enjoy it while u can
2. dont be a dumbass, you can control your dreams
3. a part of your recovery could be lacking somewhere

#1 was suggested to me by a really sick individual. he's still clean, but he's not the model recovering addict for sure. needless to say, i dont dwell on #1 too much when I have a dream
#2 was suggested to me by this old timer i know. i like this point of view. he's been clean over 17 years and still has them occasionally. I like this because it makes me feel ok with who I am. this one kinda goes along with Blakes (everyone elses too) post. I'm an addict and its just natural to mourne over a lost loved one and dream about them. dreams will happen. its simply natural. i'm human as well as an addict
#3 - well... i dont like to admit it, but this one i find applies when i really look at my recovery. I'll leave it up to you to decipher it for yourself, but for every dream i ever had about using, there was a part of my recovery lacking that could of used a god shot to bring it "up to par" at that moment in time.

[euphoria]

uhhh, # 2 is posed to read CANT, not can

[lizzerz79]

Like everyone else says, they are totally normal. Everyone has them. I remember in my first 30 days I was all freaked out about it and I brought it up at a meeting. Everyone looked like they knew exactly what I was talking about and half the people came up to me afterwards to talk to me about them. I still have them at 107 days clean pretty regularly. Now my using dreams include smoking cigarettes too because I quit smoking shortly before getting 90 days. The best part about them is that I wake up. I am always so relieved that it was just a dream. Even in my dreams I don't want to use and I know I have totally f***ed up my recovery. I just had a drug dream the other night where I didn't use (fiirst one). I had it in my hands but I said no and I gave it back.The last time I was clean (I was not in a program) for 9 months I had using dreams all through that time. I don't know when they stop if ever.

[Chance]

The only thing that I know that is normal is the cycle on a washing machine and I don't like to use that one anyway. I don't know everyone talks about using dreams but I don't have them, I have dreams like I have to put my dog to sleep, or that I am driving off of a cliff or something like that, I think a using dream might be better but probably not. Anyway hang in there ok

[stud0134]

You Know I have two years clean on the 24th of july And I have useing dream every once in a while. Im a huge believer that those dreams are reminders from my higher power. You know I wake up and Im always so relieved that I didnt use And in those dreams I always dream that I use and then I lose evrything that I have worked so hard for and then I suddenly wake up and realize it was just a dream. I always very thankfull for those dreams becouse Its a awsome reminder of what its like out there and what will happen if I go back out there. So I eprsonaly look at then as a blessing.
anyways I hope this helps someone love you all. Chris addict.