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05-04-2012, 01:34 PM
| #2 (permalink) |
| Jumping to Conclusions  Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,595
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Good day to you, Abstinence, and welcome to SR. You'll find great support to help you with your issues. Do you mind if I ask if they are alcohol, drugs or both?
__________________ March Forth, Lofty Ideals ________________________________________ “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” - Bil Keane |
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05-04-2012, 01:50 PM
| #3 (permalink) | |
| Member  Join Date: May 2012 Location: England, UK.
Posts: 10
| Quote:
My issues are with certain drugs. I am in total control of alcohol (because I can take or leave the feeling of alcohol intoxication). However, I have no control whatsoever over my compulsive behaviours to use certain downers, such as opiates, cannabis and benzodiazapines; I am completely unable to use any of these substances in moderation. For instance, if I attempt to use any of these substances in moderation, compulsive behaviours will inevitably take over; I have accepted this now. For me, it is either total abstinence (the wise choice) or I will simply compulsively abuse the substances that I crave. Total abstinence from all drugs (including alcohol and nicotine) is the only way forward for me. Cheers. | |
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05-04-2012, 01:55 PM
| #4 (permalink) | |
| AA Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Between Meetings
Posts: 9,004
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05-04-2012, 02:03 PM
| #5 (permalink) | |
| Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: England, UK.
Posts: 10
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 Yes, I have put a lot of thought into it. I know that I have great will power, so that is one advantage. I am also going to engage in dialogue with individuals like yourself on this forum to keep me alert and conscious of the issue. I am very determined. Cheers. | |
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05-04-2012, 02:13 PM
| #6 (permalink) |
| Jumping to Conclusions Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,595
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It's great you are determined, and that you have thought out total abstinence as the way forward. In my experience, if you tried to stop drugs without stopping alcohol, you'd risk simply transfering your dependence entirely to alcohol. I've been on that merry-go-round before. I'm an alcoholic, primarily, but have had dependencies on a variety of rx drugs, including benzos, and was dependent on cannabis for over a decade in the 70s and 80s. Total sobriety is the only way I've found to get off the path and grow. Have you thought through your plan for withdrawal? I look forward to your posts, abstinence. Again, welcome.
__________________ March Forth, Lofty Ideals ________________________________________ “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” - Bil Keane |
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05-04-2012, 02:31 PM
| #7 (permalink) |
| Learning to live again  Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 11,543
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Welcome Abstinence - it's great to have you with us. I hope you'll find the encouragement and hope that you're looking for.
__________________ You are so much more than the worst thing you've ever done. - Fr. Gregory Boyle, Homeboy Industries Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it well and serenely, and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. - Emerson |
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05-04-2012, 05:45 PM
| #10 (permalink) |
| SR Fan  Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Mississippi
Posts: 7,670
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Welcome Abstinence! Congrats on making a great decision and reaching out for support - that's what made the difference for me! You may also want to check out the section on substance abuse: http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/substance-abuse/ Glad you're here!! |
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05-04-2012, 05:52 PM
| #11 (permalink) |
| Administrator  Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 28,147
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Welcome and I`m glad you found us. You will find lots of support here.
__________________  Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Marianne Willianson |
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05-04-2012, 06:27 PM
| #12 (permalink) |
| bona fido dog-lover  |
Welcome to the family. :ghug3
__________________ I'd rather live in my car with my dogs than live in a castle without them. Dogs may not be our whole lives, but they make our lives whole. Don't wait for the Last Judgement. It takes place every day. -Albert Camus Find the good and praise it. - Alex Haley |
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05-04-2012, 07:56 PM
| #14 (permalink) |
| Self recovered Self discovered  Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 2,720
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Welcome to you, Abstinence. I admire your determination and confidence so very much. This is the primary indicator of your success, and it sounds as though you will do this, one way or another. I started my journey with this same determination and confidence, and things have worked out for me. One big thing that helped me was the idea of watching myself, and separating myself from these thoughts. These thoughts came from the compulsive impulsive part of me, part that I could control. The key was developing the ability to recognize these thoughts as they arose and just observing them, staring at them, until they just sorta fizzled out. Then I learned that this ability was being used by lots of people to abstain from their drug of choice (alcohol for me). Point your browser to AVRT and take a look at the Secular Connections forum here, you may find some very useful stuff.
__________________ AVRT has shown me how to never drink again and to never change my mind. |
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05-05-2012, 07:23 AM
| #15 (permalink) |
| Free Thinking Member  |
Hello Abstinence. I like your approach to stopping your substance abuse issues. A fearless determination to correct my complete failure to live life as an addict arose from being desperate and then confident.
__________________ Peace  Will G."That which we persist in doing becomes easier - not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased." ~ Ralph (Uncle) Waldo |
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05-05-2012, 01:51 PM
| #18 (permalink) |
| Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: England, UK.
Posts: 10
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Hello all! Thank you all very much for your warm welcomes; much appreciated. Sorry that I haven't replied individually, but I do not have a great deal of time tonight. I am, indeed, fortunate that I have an extreme level of self awareness, and I am also very fortunate to have excellent will power and self discipline. Unfortunately, however, I suffer from psychotic depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, so that makes the addiction issues several orders of magnitude more difficult. Now that I have come to terms with the fact that I have a substance abuse problem, I can face up to it instead of being in a constant state of denial. Being on SR will be exceptionally helpful for me; it's an awesome way of communicating with individuals in a similar position - on a par with NA I would say! I know that abstinence is only one approach to treatment and recovery from addiction disorders, but it is absolutely the only one that works for me; to reiterate, there is no way I can take my drugs of choice in moderation because compulsions and cravings always take over. Thankfully, I do not have to worry about withdrawals as I made a concerted effort to not become physically dependent on a substance. This is an excellent forum! |
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| The Following User Says Thank You to Abstinence For This Useful Post: | artsoul (05-05-2012) |
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