ItsMe23

Hey all, hope everything is well.

I have decided to start this thread based on the fact that their appears to be a large number of under 30 people on here, and it would be nice to have a place of our own to discuss our addictions, lifes, and problems. It may be beneficial for us to hear other stories from people around our age grouping.

To the mods, i hope this is not a problem. I am not trying to break the rules of this great forum.

Ghostly

Seeing as how I'm 35, I guess I'll join the Senior Thread.

Actually...sounds like a good idea. Good luck with it.

ItsMe23

thanks for the kind words ghostly

RGB

I'm under 30 for a few more months. I think alcohol has helped me "hold on" to the care-free feelings I had in my earlier 20's, which is kind of odd when I could see that alcohol was also helping me destroy the things that I was trying to build for myself as I got older and gained more responsibilities.

So I feel like I need to pick one side or the other. If I keep holding on to that younger mentality, I'm not going to be trusted with more responsibilities. I don't really want that.

Dee74

I think it's a great idea ItsMe - as long as you don't mind those of us like Anna, Carol and me who are slightly older than 30 passing through as well

D

unkut

i don't mind people over thirty trying to help, you all have more experience so i don't see how it could hurt

bigred95

I think one of the main struggles is changing lifestyles....95% of my friends drink and go to bars to do something social. Tough missing out on those times

johndelko408

Cool beans Itsme. I've basically done everything under the sun but I only stuck to two drugs. My drugs of choice were alcohol and pot. I never really had any run-ins with the law due to pot so initially I didn't think I had a problem with it. With alcohol on the other hand I have had my share of run-ins, not many, but my share. So after I got into recovery for my alcoholism I decided that if I really wanted recovery I had to get honest with myself. It's tough now because though I'm over the cravings for alcohol, I still crave the pot when I smell it, or when I smell skunk (the animal) in the air. Letting go of pot was tough for me to do. It was the drug I couldn't imagine living without. I would ask myself what am I going to do for the rest of my life if I can't smoke weed. It's foolish when I think about it now, that I couldn't imagine my life without pot. I use to rave pretty hard in high school and my early 20's so it was not uncommon for me to be taking 7-8 different drugs in a period of 12 hours (7 pills of e, 2-3 drops of cid, snort some yowder [coke], speed balls [crystal and h], snort some special K, smoke some weed plus drinking) yikes very lucky to be kicking and breathing. I did overdose on three separate occasions but obviously I didn't die, a couple of rides in the speed bus with the flashy lights to the hospitals and I'm still here. I use to sell coke so that's how I financed my partying. All the other drugs I was able to kick cold turkey. Alcohol and buds on the other hand were very difficult to kick, that's why I had to get into recovery. Had it not been for the fact that I have two kids chances are I'd still be out there. I chose to get into recovery so that I could actually be a father, couldn't do it drunk and thought I'd be okay still getting loaded. But the weed led me back to alcohol and coke during my last relapse. I like your thread bro, high fives.

Ainslie

Well im under 30 according to my birth certificate, however I feel about 600 but have been acting like a 15 year old for the last 14 years....

My biggest challenge to overcome in relation to my age (29) and length of substance abuse (15yrs) is conditioning. Having hung out with addicts and deviants for over half my life, I tend to feel uneasy around 'straight' people - theyre like aliens to me. I find it difficult to comprehend how in todays society one wouldnt want to abuse drugs and alcohol - the world seems so depressing and vulnerable - I used to always toast with the phrase 'raise your glass it may be your last' Whereas active and recovering addicts I feel completely comfortable around - Dont get me wrong, I dont try to meet or hang out with active addicts, but when I do come across them its no big deal - I know their game.

Its an awful way to live - and I still have the majority of my years left! Realistically, im in recovery, but I am a 'straight' person. Will I ever feel like one?

ItsMe23

I know exactly what you speak of, i tend to hang out with my friends less due to the drinking. But the drinking and partying is something that is everywhere in society. I realize that i have to know how to deal with alcohol in situations because it is legal. so sometimes i will go to bars with them and stay sober, but i'll tell you bars kinda lose their magic when not drinking

BoozeFree

I have the exact same problem. Being that this is day 1 for me I don't plan on hangin around a bar anytime soon tho.

ItsMe23

@Johndelko,

I am similar to you, started smoking pot at around 13, it was a daily thing by 15. Somewhere around 16 i started doing anything i could get my hands on just for the thrill of it. i gave it all up cold turkey around 18 years old, stayed sober for 2 years then began my drinking. Somehow unlike everything else alcohol got its grips around me and has been the toughest thing to shake, i think because it is readily available. Either way im about 10 weeks sober and going strong trying to keep my head up through the stress

ItsMe23

boozefree, i found that the first week is always the roughest for me. then somewhere around a month i start having ideas like i have this thing beat why not have a drink. i finally just stopped that mindset

ItsMe23

I'm not to sure how to answer that, i think its tough because "straight people" do not really understand the disease and/or addictions

BoozeFree

That is exactly the way I started thinking when I had my 40 something days sober. I seemed to forget the whole reason I got sober to begin with and how alcohol I had let alcohol rule my life.

ItsMe23

It happens to the best of us, I found that after a certain amount of days like a month or 2 in, that we begin to forget how it had adversely affected us. It happened to me, and now I'm not going to let it happen again. Its that little alcoholic voice, that wants us to give in.

At 23 years old, the fact that i cannot take a drink the rest of my life has bothered me. I wish i was like everyone else, but i am not. I must play the cards i have been dealt.

Toronto68

I think it's a really good idea. I realize that there are times when commonalities in the emotional experience do transcend age and other classifications, but I don't deny that people can benefit from being around their own age category. So I'll let you under-30s talk, ha ha.

Ainslie

ah I was in a bad headspace when I wrote that last night LOL.

im going through these severe emotional highs/lows as a result of thc withdrawal.....abused weed for a lot longer than booze - ive only been off it just over 3 weeks and been smoking every day since I was 15 so its to be expected, and I have to accept it.

Dee74

I was going to say Ainslie - you seem to be doing pretty well from my POV

I'm not really anything anymore - straight, recovered - whatever...I have enough of labels being disabled LOL

I'm just me - and that's pretty good for someone who always assessed themselves through other people

D

Ainslie

Thanks Dee - I have the 'no matter what dont drink/smoke' down to a fine art LOL its the rest that I make slow progress with.

The main positive that I was thinking about last night is that I can actually talk/write about what is bothering me now. Weed hindered that bigtime. And ive finally found a doctor that seems to care.....bulkbilling too