drug dreams

[Hema]

Hi, I'm the editor of a mental health and addiction magazine in Toronto, Canada. I'm interested in doing a story about drug dreams - very vivid dreams of drug use by people who are recovering or have even been abstinent for years. I've read several posts through this forum about the frustration of having these powerful dreams. I'd like to do a story about this experience and how users/people in recovery can deal with drug dreams and prevent the risk of relapse and what counsellors can do to help clients in recovery who have these dreams. Would anyone like to share their experience or do an interview down the road (I'm planning on working on the story in December or January)? You can remain anonymous both to me and in the story if you prefer. Thanks. Hema


Hema Zbogar
Editor, CrossCurrents
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
33 Russell St.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5S 2S1

tel: (416) 595-6714
fax: (416) 593-4694
www.camh.net/publications/crosscurrents.html

[njriverman]

Drug Dreams....

I used to date an addict and she had drug dreams quite often, I found in withdrawal from my addiction (SEX), I have drug (Sex) dreams too.

[laurie6781]

I have been sober and clean for over 23 years now and once in a great while I can still have a VIVID, REAL, DRUNK DREAM.

They will usually occur after I have had several very stressful days. When I have consciously or sub-consciously stopped living my daily life in balance. When I let H. A. L. T.

H Hungry

A Angry

L Lonely

T Tired

take over my life. As to why they occur when I have become extremely stressed out??? My personal opinion is that, alcohol and drugs were my way of solving and celebrating everything in my life for almost 24 years, and now even though I have been sober a long time, that is still buried very deep in my subconscious and when stress and discontent rears their ugly heads I subconsciously dream about the way I use to handle everything.

My solution is very simple. I LIVE the 12 steps in my life One Day At A Time. Thus I keep balance and calmness in my life. Result: No Drunk Dreams.

JMHO

Love and (((((to all))))),

[tobstah]

i took down your number! ill be calling you soon

[Hadenuff]

I had lots of drug dreams, nightmares when I quit using. they seemed so real, when I woke up it took a while for me to snap out of them and realize it was just a dream. Some I would have where I would wake from a drug dream, but still not be awake, just going into another drug dream. I would wake up, having shot dope in my dream and my arm would be hurting, that also took time to go away after I woke up.

still have them sometimes but I am used to them now. they don't bother me. still i'll have a drug dream where I use and then regret it and get scared I'll never get my time back. Like going through a relapse without picking up.

what was cool was in the beginning I always used in my drug dreams, then after about 7 months sober I had this dream where I had copped, had crack in the pipe, about to take a hit and said hey I don't do this sh** anymore and threw the pipe away. that was the first time that ever happened. it was like a sign that I was really changing.
H

[Richie]

I had a dream like that last night.My old dealer brought me some weed,I put it in my pipe and took a hit.As soon as I did(in my dream)I freaked out because I really didn't want to smoke it.I tried to blow out the smoke before it had any effect and threw the pipe down.At that point I woke up with the same feeling,like it WAS a sign that I was changing.

[Lang79]

i've had a couple using dreams lately, mainly when i'm stressed, or extremly uneasy.
I look at my using dreams like this:
I really don't mind the dreams because its the only time i can use;keep my clean date and have no consequences. My using dreams aren't always about getting high, i see my old behaviors in my dreams that scare me.
Monica

[josezette]

I am having drug dreams and it has been only 30 days. For the first week, I guess my body was just catching up on much needed physical recouperation. After the first week, I had really intense drug dreams. I would be at parties(in my dream) and there would be people doing drugs and offering me some. I said "no" in some dreams and others, I would use. I woke from each dream thankful that they were just that, dreams. Once, I woke up not knowing where I was or what day it was. Since the full moon, I've had positive dreams about shopping and showering myself with gifts. Well, I don't see anything so bad about that. Thank God the worst of the nightmares are over ( I feel my subconscience is finished working out the physical toxins). Last night, in my dream, I was hanging out with a party friend but we were having a nice glass of wine. Prehaps somewhere my inner-addict will always have one more.

[Dan-o]

i would be physically exhausted the next day after dreaming all night about smoking meth

[LetF8B]

I've allways had drug dreams when I first quit every night, then they slow down eventually. I still remember very clearly that I never get to do the drug, always trying but never succeeding. Sometimes feeling withdrawl in the dream and still feeling it when i wake up, wierd stuff.

[Sugar Glider Gal]

I find dreams in general interesting but find using dreams even more so. The strange thing about it was that my recovering (meth) BF never had any using dreams and now over 2 years clean still has not had any.
But even more strange was the fact that I had using dreams and I have never used. After I found out he was using and he got into recovery...I would have dreams that were so vivid I would wake up wondering if he had really used or not. Everything was vivid right down to how he did his drugs to who he got them from, and I had never seen his dealer or seen him use which made it even more strange.

I know mine were vivid and tormentive so I can imagine how hard these dreams are on those who are working on recovery.

Mine finally ended and I hope that those of you who are still having them will end soon as well.

[ButterflyChaser]

I've had plenty of drug related dreams, i'd wake up in a cold sweat thing I really did the drug!! But for me, it didn't make me jonze or anything like that, I 1st felt guilty cuz i thought I did it, then when i realized it was only a dream I felt soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much reilf!!!!!

[Brutal Truth]

well..

I usually have more drug dreams when I'm quitting than when having som time clean

specially that I'm using coke in my dreams... very real, very vivid...