In Comes Another One
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Leon, Kansas
Posts: 7
In Comes Another One
Well hello folks, I can say sincerely I'm glad to have found my way here. I'm not gonna lie, but I'm not expecting a whole lot of sympathy, it's just what I feel I need to say as an introduction. My name is Josh, I'm seventeen and in June I'll be eighteen and even as young as I am, I feel like a lost, forsaken soul. I've been struggling with my demons of addiction now for almost four years, and just yesterday I'd said THAT'S IT! I'm done! I can't keep living my life this way, I don't need to be high up to be happy.
I've been through the court systems for felony drug distribution, and I've done every drug you could probably think of at least once. For heaven's sake I'm not proud of it, but while I came here to be surrounded by brothers and sisters who understand what I will be going through in the next few weeks and months and I am desperately looking for everybodies support..but I also came here because I feel like I have a lot to offer, with my knowledge of addiction and the different kinds of drugs out there.
I've only read a few posts, and none of the intro's for new people so I'm not sure entirely what to say or not to say. I am blessed to share that I was just recently born again by the blood of Jesus Christ, and have become a firm believer, and he's done so much for me already. But if there others around here that happen to be religious, I humbly do ask you for your prayers for me to get through this trial laid before me, and I in turn will pray for each and everybody who I meet that is struggling through what I am now.
I really do hope that I'll get to know you all, and I ask your patience as I learn my way around here, learn the do's and don'ts, you know.
Thank you, and God bless.
I've been through the court systems for felony drug distribution, and I've done every drug you could probably think of at least once. For heaven's sake I'm not proud of it, but while I came here to be surrounded by brothers and sisters who understand what I will be going through in the next few weeks and months and I am desperately looking for everybodies support..but I also came here because I feel like I have a lot to offer, with my knowledge of addiction and the different kinds of drugs out there.
I've only read a few posts, and none of the intro's for new people so I'm not sure entirely what to say or not to say. I am blessed to share that I was just recently born again by the blood of Jesus Christ, and have become a firm believer, and he's done so much for me already. But if there others around here that happen to be religious, I humbly do ask you for your prayers for me to get through this trial laid before me, and I in turn will pray for each and everybody who I meet that is struggling through what I am now.
I really do hope that I'll get to know you all, and I ask your patience as I learn my way around here, learn the do's and don'ts, you know.
Thank you, and God bless.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 31,179
(((TheJoshling)))
Welcome to SR!!!
It's great to see someone so young, willing to give up the life of addiction and begin a life of recovery. I truly wish I had done something when I was younger, rather than wait until I was decades older.
You will find you are in good company...many, many people here who have done various drugs/alcohol and have all types of life experiences. SR has been a HUGE part of my recovery, and I've made many friends here and have yet to have any situation come up that I couldn't come here and get great ES&H (experience, strength and hope). There are people here of all ages, from all parts of the world.
I hope you make yourself comfortable, read around and post whenever your comfortable. This forum is great, but you may also want to check out the substance abuse forum. We also have a Christian recovery forum. I tend to "fit" in several forums, and get tremendous support wherever I post.
I won't kid you..recovery isn't easy, but it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it. I am finally living the life I believe God meant for me to live, though I am decades older than you.
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
Welcome to SR!!!
It's great to see someone so young, willing to give up the life of addiction and begin a life of recovery. I truly wish I had done something when I was younger, rather than wait until I was decades older.
You will find you are in good company...many, many people here who have done various drugs/alcohol and have all types of life experiences. SR has been a HUGE part of my recovery, and I've made many friends here and have yet to have any situation come up that I couldn't come here and get great ES&H (experience, strength and hope). There are people here of all ages, from all parts of the world.
I hope you make yourself comfortable, read around and post whenever your comfortable. This forum is great, but you may also want to check out the substance abuse forum. We also have a Christian recovery forum. I tend to "fit" in several forums, and get tremendous support wherever I post.
I won't kid you..recovery isn't easy, but it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it. I am finally living the life I believe God meant for me to live, though I am decades older than you.
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Leon, Kansas
Posts: 7
I do so appreciate the warm welcome. I was at wits end when I finally dropped in and said why not, because SR sounded so perfect for me..and it's starting to look like tbat may be the case. Even with my closest family and friends I hate to talk about my feelings, and I very rarely let them know when something is wrong.
But I do need support, I've tried quitting so many times before with constant relapses. This time, I'm convicted in my heart that this demon will NOT own me any longer. And just knowing I am in the company of so many, who have truly probably suffered and been through more than I ever have encourages me.
And as I step from the darkness, I'm starting to see a light in the distance..hope.
Anyway, just a few things more I'd like to say. Since today was just day one, I didn't have the withdrawals that I know will get worse over this next week. So there may be times when I'm just really irritable, really emotional, and might need somebody to lean on.
Again, thank you again so much.
But I do need support, I've tried quitting so many times before with constant relapses. This time, I'm convicted in my heart that this demon will NOT own me any longer. And just knowing I am in the company of so many, who have truly probably suffered and been through more than I ever have encourages me.
And as I step from the darkness, I'm starting to see a light in the distance..hope.
Anyway, just a few things more I'd like to say. Since today was just day one, I didn't have the withdrawals that I know will get worse over this next week. So there may be times when I'm just really irritable, really emotional, and might need somebody to lean on.
Again, thank you again so much.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,755
Welcome to SR! :ghug3 Check out our substance abuse forum for more info on drugs, legal or illegal, and a place to share your knowledge and experience.
Substance Abuse - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information
Substance Abuse - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information
Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 31,179
This is most definitely the place to come to when all those feelings surface. Though I abused the heck out of opiates, I never crossed the line into addiction, so was able to just stop..now withdrawals, no cravings, etc. However, I then discovered crack and it brought me to my knees.
I actually didn't join SR until 6 months later, but had been "lurking" for about a year, and just reading other people's stories was a lifesaver. However, once I joined and actually got involved, got to "know" people, I was amazed at how much a difference it made to have people to "talk" to when I was struggling.
I would venture to say, that no matter what you are withdrawing from, there's someone here that is going through it or has been through it and having that support is worth a million bucks. I spent hours and hours reading through old posts and was amazed to see "my story" over and over, even if the drug wasn't the same.
If you've never tried NA or AA, you may want to check them out. NA is for addicts, AA for alcoholics, but when I went, I actually "fit" better with AA, though I don't have a problem with alcohol. It's just an individual thing...I'm older, there were more people with a lot more time in sobriety and no one cared that I was an addict, I just didn't talk about drugs...I just said "thinking about picking up" when I shared, and though I knew I was talking about dope, it wasn't obvious. Most people knew I was an addict, and when new people (especially the young ones) would come in with addiction problems, the old-timers would steer them to me and I would talk to them before/after meetings about drug-specific problems that we couldn't mention in the meetings. AA also had a lot more meetings, a TON of activities - parties, dinners, dances, things like that. Just something to think about.
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
I actually didn't join SR until 6 months later, but had been "lurking" for about a year, and just reading other people's stories was a lifesaver. However, once I joined and actually got involved, got to "know" people, I was amazed at how much a difference it made to have people to "talk" to when I was struggling.
I would venture to say, that no matter what you are withdrawing from, there's someone here that is going through it or has been through it and having that support is worth a million bucks. I spent hours and hours reading through old posts and was amazed to see "my story" over and over, even if the drug wasn't the same.
If you've never tried NA or AA, you may want to check them out. NA is for addicts, AA for alcoholics, but when I went, I actually "fit" better with AA, though I don't have a problem with alcohol. It's just an individual thing...I'm older, there were more people with a lot more time in sobriety and no one cared that I was an addict, I just didn't talk about drugs...I just said "thinking about picking up" when I shared, and though I knew I was talking about dope, it wasn't obvious. Most people knew I was an addict, and when new people (especially the young ones) would come in with addiction problems, the old-timers would steer them to me and I would talk to them before/after meetings about drug-specific problems that we couldn't mention in the meetings. AA also had a lot more meetings, a TON of activities - parties, dinners, dances, things like that. Just something to think about.
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Leon, Kansas
Posts: 7
Awesome, thank you for the advice. Being on probation, and because I got lucky to get a probation officer that actually understands me a little bit, I've been thinking about talking to her about going into rehab or some such thing..I know I really outta be doing this through a clinics help, but I just want the satisfaction of knowing that I defeated it, and it doesn't own me anymore..
Big talk, only day two though..hehe, Anyway is there a particular place to post my testimony, talk about my addictions and my story with the drugs I've done, my hope is my story will give another person some insight and maybe a little hope as well.
Big talk, only day two though..hehe, Anyway is there a particular place to post my testimony, talk about my addictions and my story with the drugs I've done, my hope is my story will give another person some insight and maybe a little hope as well.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 31,179
You can post it here, or in the substance abuse forum.
JMO, but don't discount rehab, meetings, or any kind of help you can get. I totally understand wanting the satisfaction of "defeating it" but addiction is a demon unlike anything any of us have ever dealt with before. There is SOOOOO much more than just stopping the dope. That's actually the easy part. The hard part is learning to live life and not wanting to pick up when "life stuff" happens. Our minds are now conditioned to think "get numb" to just about anything...good stuff, bad stuff, doesn't matter.
With me, ANYTHING could be a trigger...a bic lighter, certain words, etc. Then I had the very loving family that would ask "are you craving drugs?" I would say "um, wasn't even THINKING about it until you just mentioned it, thank you very much!" I had to learn to deal with minor frustrations without dope; how to deal with fun stuff without dope. I've been through 2 robberies at work (got pistol-whipped the 2nd time) resulting in PTSD; deaths of family members; living with an addict stepmom; loss of a nursing career; financial ruin; legal issues and other stuff...all without dope.
I consider myself a very strong person, but there is NO WAY I could have done it without a ton of support. I don't go to meetings now, but I did for a while and I still use what I learned there. I depend on SR tremendously, and have several close friends here that I e-mail throughout the day numerous times - most of the time it has nothing to do with recovery, as we've become "bestest buddies" but, believe me, if I'm struggling, they're there for me. I have a few f2f friends and family members who are invaluable support. If all this stops working for me, I know exactly where the nearest AA meeting is. I had my 3-year clean b'day last month.
My best advice is use every resource you can, especially in the beginning. Don't discount the addiction demon. Your faith will help you, tremendously, and in the beginning I wasn't exactly ready to quit forever, so I prayed "please let me be willing to quit. It worked.
I worked 'til early this morning, so am about to go to sleep. Got to work again tonight, so will check back in when I can. Sunday's are a little slow around here, but I'm sure there will still be plenty of people around.
Have a terrific clean day!!
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
JMO, but don't discount rehab, meetings, or any kind of help you can get. I totally understand wanting the satisfaction of "defeating it" but addiction is a demon unlike anything any of us have ever dealt with before. There is SOOOOO much more than just stopping the dope. That's actually the easy part. The hard part is learning to live life and not wanting to pick up when "life stuff" happens. Our minds are now conditioned to think "get numb" to just about anything...good stuff, bad stuff, doesn't matter.
With me, ANYTHING could be a trigger...a bic lighter, certain words, etc. Then I had the very loving family that would ask "are you craving drugs?" I would say "um, wasn't even THINKING about it until you just mentioned it, thank you very much!" I had to learn to deal with minor frustrations without dope; how to deal with fun stuff without dope. I've been through 2 robberies at work (got pistol-whipped the 2nd time) resulting in PTSD; deaths of family members; living with an addict stepmom; loss of a nursing career; financial ruin; legal issues and other stuff...all without dope.
I consider myself a very strong person, but there is NO WAY I could have done it without a ton of support. I don't go to meetings now, but I did for a while and I still use what I learned there. I depend on SR tremendously, and have several close friends here that I e-mail throughout the day numerous times - most of the time it has nothing to do with recovery, as we've become "bestest buddies" but, believe me, if I'm struggling, they're there for me. I have a few f2f friends and family members who are invaluable support. If all this stops working for me, I know exactly where the nearest AA meeting is. I had my 3-year clean b'day last month.
My best advice is use every resource you can, especially in the beginning. Don't discount the addiction demon. Your faith will help you, tremendously, and in the beginning I wasn't exactly ready to quit forever, so I prayed "please let me be willing to quit. It worked.
I worked 'til early this morning, so am about to go to sleep. Got to work again tonight, so will check back in when I can. Sunday's are a little slow around here, but I'm sure there will still be plenty of people around.
Have a terrific clean day!!
Hugs and prayers!
Amy
Awakening
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 290
Welcome to SR. I wish I had been as smart as you when I was your age, and reached out for some help in my life. You'll find great support here. Congrats on your choice to confront your addiction (and on finding a new relationship with God).
Rev
Rev
Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: NY
Posts: 6,608
Welcome to SR and this is the place for support as you have probably seen. I will definitely say prayers for you. Post here when you need someone to talk to. I don't think I have ever logged on to SR and not found someone. This site is full of people worldwide and so our time differences make it possible for everyone to find support 24-7!
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