Which was harder to quit? Alcohol / Opiates?
 

I was wondering if anyone here has had experiences quitting both.

Which was harder?

Haha... cigarettes ;)

I've been an alcoholic for 12 years, and that coincided with 'mild' opiate use (kind of as prescribed) Opiates came in and out of my drug world, as available, alcohol was omnipresent. Coming off alcohol at first was masked by opiates, and coming off opiates was masked by more alcohol and stimulants... so my reflections there are pretty murky. Of everything I've quit though, I have the strongest and most frequent urges for cigarettes...

For me alcohol was harder to quit than heroin, or any other drug for that matter.

throughout all my drug use alcohol was a constant. It was the first substance I ever used and the last before I quit.

When I was in rehab the people detoxing from drugs were released atleast 2 days before people detoxing from alcohol.

Theres more of a chance for seizures during alcohol withdrawal.

Alcohol was much harder for me to quit than narcotics.

I was thinking about this. I've never had to quit alcohol so I can't really answer this question. But I've always thought it would be so much harder to deal with abstaining from alcohol because it's in your face all the time.

But then I was thinking about my way of manipulating my mind. I could tell myself that since I had no pills available to me it wasn't really my choice and so it wasn't fair because the "one day at a time" wasn't pertaining to me....it was by default. So...if I could just get a hold of some pills THEN I would be the one to make the choice to not take any that day and it would mean more.
So....I would do what it took (urgent care, medicine cabinet lurking....whatever) and once I finally got a hold of a bottle of pills it was my choice. Of course I would choose to take them since I went to so much trouble to get them!!!!

Man i know how to mess with my own head.

for me heroin was much much harder to even contemplate stopping than alcohol or any other drugs.....seemed like i could go weeks on end drinking my face off every night and then one day just decide to stop and that was that. No urges to go get drunk or any of that, and suddenly I would realize it was months since I last had a drink

Now heroin on the other hand.....even if i only got that dizzy warm head and heart rush feeling ONCE, i would fight for days about wanting to feel it again and go out and use again. Not only is the mental addiction high for heroin but it only takes somewhere between 3-5 days of daily use to start to feel mild withdrawal symptoms from heroin, alcohol takes waaaaay longer.

I used to never agree with our society for banning certain drugs but now after having lived through being a heroin addict I can see why some drugs are strictly outlawed from all use simply because they really are that detrimental.

Alcohol was the hardest thing I have ever had to quit. I thought I could quit anytime but I was horrified when I realized that I couldn't quit drinking. And it had me in such a grip, that I was the last person to realize that my alcohol addiction had gotten THAT bad. I started drinking really young so alcohol had been a lifelong companion that turned on me and it had me whipped.

Hardest To Quit
 

Hi I have been a member of A.A. for over 30 years and I am only 44 years old...the hardest for me to quit was nicotine followed by caffeine which I have not been able to kick EVER!!! Alcohol beat me into submission...opiates lie to me, but I still manage them from time to time...women and money are a close 2 place, but the only one I have had to do on a daily basis is caffeine, but I even had to give that up when I went to jail so I guess you could say I am most addicted to ME...

DaveDillhole...:wave: Welcome to SR

I think a lot of alcoholics are multi addicted....so you will find many members here to share how your recovery is working out.
On your Profile I did see you have less than a year listed as your sober date. Is that from alcohol?

Welcome to SR Dave :)

D

The "chance" of seizure is similiar for both if stoped abruptly, because they do change body chemistry....although the chance of heart attack is greater than having a seizure. Amount & duration in one's usage history (variables) is why medical helplp is necessary.

Nicotine is hardest for this addict!

During a binge, opiates were more addictive. More extreme cravings for opiates and more heavy abuse to the point of close suicide. But over the long course, alcohol has been more addictive to me.

My alcoholism was so bad. I didn't know what I was in for the first couple weeks, but things started to fall into place and I was glad I didn't try to do it on my own. I probably would have relapsed. I never drank but I'm reading a book called the Diseasing of America. I don't know if I'm hiding behind the disease concept now. Cigarettes weren't a real monster but I failed the first few times. I want to quit these pills. I have to truly want to quit them or I wont be successful, which is okay if I don't make it this time, that just means I didn't really want to want it.

I went 23 hours and I couldn't stand it another minute. I had gone 5 consecutive days on two occasion in jul/aug but I was in a conducive environment. I haven't had a chance to experience PAWS but I discovered I'm barely taking enough to experience substantive detox. I just take vitamins and I'm already on psych. medication, unless I just can't remember going thru it. I had the worse acid reflex a couple times when my dose got high, so I had no choice but cut back. I had to drink Maalox straight out of the bottle.

I would just like to tell anyone. I had a friend in chronic pain and I was dealing with so many friends in active abuse I thought who would fault me. I can handle this. After all I quit with the weed and everything several years ago. Do yourself a favor and get off the coffee and donuts and go vegetarian before thinking you can handle a narcotic. You might end up in chronic pain where you actually need them, but don't play games with fate if you have good sobriety. I don't know why some of these people are in my life but I need a boundary and that really isn't a recovery topic,but more of a therapy one.

I know the third step is an action step. I need to pray about Gods will for me in my life. MY teaching was a dead end. My public administration didn't work out. Just because I'm struggling with vocational aptitude doesn't mean USE. I have to believe nothing happen by mistake. I don't know how many obstacles need to be thrown into my path. This I could not even describe as a grip as the one that took my life twenty some years ago.
I can't stress how important sponsorship is or at least sharing your secrets with a sober alcoholic. I get the impression that the opiates are a little more leaning toward the mental component after the initial symptoms of withdrawal, but I need to be in a place where I won't drink so I don't trigger a craving for alcohol.

For me it was the opiates. I could go without alcohol, but I never could go without my heroin or oxys.

welcome to SR Lycas7x :)
You'll find a lot of support here

You might also want to check out our substance abuse forum as well :)

Substance Abuse - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

D

Alcohol by far. Narcotics became too difficult to obtain, but alcohol was/is everywhere!

Alcohol... don't get nearly the physical withdrawals from opiates though I think psychologically they're about the same with me.

I think your personal DOC is the hardest to quit. That said, alcohol withdrawal (and benzos) are the most dangerous in terms or mortality rate.

Physical withdrawl...opiates was harder.

But quitting for good...alchohol was MUCH harder.