any advice on dealing with the first day

[ricorganization]

I am going to quit using crack tommorrow ( I have set this as my target day ). Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with withdrawl symtoms. People are telling me to drink a lot of juice, to take multiple showers and to stay very busy. Is there anything else that may help?

[BCBoy87]

not really there well be withdrawal wiether you like it or not, its not going to feel good, you problay well feel like ur losing your mind all the other typical withdrawal ****, thought it well get better over time so your going to have to suck it up and take for a couple days weeks months how ever long it takes good luck with it

[Tryin2Recover]

someone gave me this advice here my first day of WDs and it was the best suggestion i have followed thus far in my early recovery, get your ass to a meeting, no matter how ****** you feel. Just go, listen, and absorb as much as you can. AA, NA, CA, whatever you can find in your area, get out there and go. Dont make excuses, just do it.

[Lily]

yes, get to a meeting! There you will meet ppl who want to love & care and can share face to face experience strength & hope with you!

[windysan]

good luck !!!

[ricorganization]

Thank all of you for the advice I really appreciate it. I didn't make it today, I failed. Tommorrow I will get to a meeting. They have one at noon.

[emmer]

When tommorrow comes, get your butt to a meeting no matter what else happens in your life.
I've never had a crack addiction (only one binge ever) but i have been badly addicted to benzos (there tough to kick believe me) and had a long go with codeine also.

You need support right now!
Keep posting and go to a meeting,everything else can wait.

..Joe

[ricorganization]

Thanks Emmer, I will go!!!!!!!!!!!!

[carolm]

You can do this, but it will be hard. I relapsed so many times, I finally went to a glorified half way house. And I had a husband and a daughter at home. One thing that I did, which I had never done before was go to 90 meetings in 90 days. That was hard. But all I wanted to do was drugs. I believe those meetings are what made the difference from all the other times I tried to quit.
Good luck and I will be praying for you.
Carol

[ricorganization]

I feel better just knowing that all of you are out there. I can't thank you enough

[tiburon88]

Yes go to a meeting and drink at least a gallon of water.

[GodsSonJeff]

First, I want to say welcome to recovery! My best advice for you would be to remember that for the most part, coming off of coke in any form is mostly mental. You may feel a little crappy physically, but the biggest struggle will be that you will jones. Keep reminding yourself that it will pass, ask anyone around you to keep reminding you of the same thing. Don't be alone, get to a meeting ANY MEETING! Stay online with your family here at SR. Some OTC sleep aids will help with any insomnia, drink alot of juice, vitamins and water and ibuprophen for the aches.

But most of all-THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS HAVE BEAT THIS AND SO WILL YOU!!!! THE ONLY WAY IS BY ASKING FOR THE SUPPORT AT MEETINGS, WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND HERE AT SR. YOU ARE A MIRACLE WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!!!!!

[windysan]

crack is icky. don't be a crackhead. don't do crack. go find people who will help.

[ricorganization]

I made it to the noon meeting. I am doing okay, but why do I keep falling asleep.

[anvilhead]

ric (i kinda like Rico...can i call you that?) - Rico, i've been off crack for, gosh, 7 months now....i wanted to say that first so you know at least ONE person who can not smoke crack one day at a time for seven months....it CAN be done, there IS life after crack......and god it's a beautiful thing.

i'll share a few of the things that worked for me:

even tho i didn't get it right the FIRST time, i kept trying. i never quit quitting.

eat often and well. good stuff. lotsa garlic. lots of aromatics. bring your OTHER senses alive - go stand in a bakery and smell fresh baked bread....why? cuz that aroma is very calming, very comforting, and hits the pleasure centers that til now have relied on crack for the big bang.

sleep, as often as you need to.

rearrange your furniture....maybe your routine a bit. we are triggered and cued by our surroundings.....god that one damn Jack in the Box by the First Ave So Bridge used to make me sick every time! so change up your visual cues....

kill the phone numbers, all of them. KNOW that the dealer is probably gonna call at the worst possible time.....decide now that HE is no longer in charge of your drug use.

throw it all the whatnots. again. stop going to the whatnots store. stop playing with friends who smoke crack. stop hanging out where people smoke crack.

get outside - in the daylight. OPEN your curtains. get some windex and shine them bastards up! nothing to hide. slow down a bit and really start taking in the world around you.....the smell of fresh cut grass, or the robin's song, or the cute chick going by with the bouncy ponytail....whatever helps get you into THE MOMENT, the NOW. breathe in and say, this is better. this is living.

cool you found a nooner! get to as many meetings as you can. two cost just as much as one does.....FREE! know you are gonna have some icky moments, but they WILL pass. oh sure feels like you're gonna die......but you won't. just ride it out.......do this cuz you WANNA and good luck!

[PeachyClean]

Hello Ric.

Welcome.

What worked for me:
- everything that anvilhead wrote... as well as: doing alot of reading - in a library; going for long walks during the day; joining a gym and trying out new hobbies.

I found that preparing a written daily to do list that accounted for every hour.... including sleep time was very helpful.... It helped me to build a routine....> that was something that was missing. My active crack using days consisted of 2 modes: getting crack and smoking it. I had to relearn how to enjoy the simple things life has to offer.

Great to hear you've made it to a meeting. Stay focused on getting well. You can do this! I promise it gets much, much better and easier as time passes.

[jazpoppy]

I had a binge on crack/cocaine, mostly snorting, but a lot of smoking too. Its a drug that sucks you in like NO OTHER! All I wanted was MORE MORE MORE. Luckily I ran out of money, and could not get free crack, it doesn't work that way! Then I spend about a week or two jonesing a bit, thinking, romancing it, and then I finally said to myself "Do I really want my family to find out that I've been smoking crack off and on for 6 months?" My answer, "NO". Its a horrible waste of time and money, as well as a VERY bad health hazzard. You play russian roullette each time you stick a pipe in your mouth or snort a line. You NEVER know how pure it is, or what was used to cut it. I have a family. I don't want to die young! Especially from CRACK! YUCK. I did not want to be known as a crack-head! What an awful word. The word crack should be reserved for the unseen part of the human body that disposes of smelly waste! You hang in there, your cravings will pass, you will feel better, and you will thank yourself and your higher power for getting over it! Go to meetings, make sober friends! You'll have fun hanging out drinking coffee, eating pizza, and watching movies, that's living!

Luv

Jaz

[ricorganization]

Hey Anvihead, Peachy Clean and Jazzpoppy, thanks for the advice and support. This is Hell, but I will make it. Already had a call from one of the dealers, when I told him I was quitting he said " but I thought we were friends". I think I understand the friendship now. Is all this sleeping normal and what about this terrible back ache? Yes all of you can call me Rico, that is what most people call me.

Rico

[carolm]

Hi Rico,
Yes, it is all normal. I was in therapy when I had quit, and my therapist couldn't (I mean really COULDN'T) understand why I had to pay an outstanding debt to my drug dealer.
Also, this same drug dealer called me in rehab. to see if I wanted him to save my usual!
Somehow I made it through all the craziness and so will you.
Carol

[anvilhead]

our old dealer called about a month or so ago wanting to know if he could come hang with us for the weekend as things were crazy at his house.....!? uh, hmmm, NO, sorry pal.........he stopped calling......

[pakuni boy]

also beware of "friends" that make fun of you quitting, like yeah right quitting? see ya in 2 weeks.....that always happens, when i decided to do an effort for being clean at the begining when i was tapering from thc, i kind of lied to them and told them i was already clean, i was tapering in reality, but that helped me get them off my arse for the tapering perdiod, and then i really took the plunge for sobriety, in dat period "richie crazy" a "friend?" just went bananas when he knew i was off weed, like he was always calling me and dropping by trying to get me back into it, and it gave me pleasure to see him going cookoo when i would´t take a toke, or when he invited me to smoke from his vaporizer and i wouldn´t go anymore, i see that close addict "friends" either make fun of one, don´t beleive (when u tell them about sobriety), or go bananas and feel like shait because of of our decision to be sober and then all they wanna do is make you fall again to justify their misery, always remember it feels great to say "NO" to the addiicted friends in their goat faces, it makes them bananas, and that is for me being a winner in a sense, and nowdays gives me pleasure and strenght.

good luck buddy an beware of addicted "friends".

[hairgirl]

I was a full blown crack addict, and I quit on my own.I cut all ties to my supplier, by getting a new phone number.He even found me at work, but I made it clear I was done.He went to jail soon after, and I switched jobs.You have to do whatever it takes to stay clean.I have not touched crack in over three years, but I became dependent on pain pills after an injury.I finally got professional help, and it made a huge difference.I really suggest talking to someone professionally, or finding sober people and places to help you.Good Luck, and know we all understand.

[ricorganization]

I don't think I have met people as real as all of you for years. I can't thank all of you enough.When I am done crying, I'm going back to bed.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH,

RICO

[anvilhead]

you just keep doing what you're doing and stay clean ok there Sleeping Beauty? just for today, no dope. peace on ya, Rico..........

[ricorganization]

I don't think I have met people as real as all of you for years. I can't thank all of you enough.When I am done crying, I'm going back to bed.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH,

RICO