Opinions on other drugs
 

Recently a girl with 5 years sober came into a meeting and said that she'd taken an unprescribed oxycontin and was wondering if that constituted as a relapse. She never had a problem with opiates- alcohol was her main thing. Everyone in the meeting encouraged her to pick up a white chip and reset her sobriety date, so she did.

This to me doesn't really seem fair. She is still 5 years sober from alcohol- why should one pill from something you weren't addicted to reset your ENTIRE sobriety?

And where does this leave us with marijuana, CBD, etc? Clearly people in AA drink caffeine alcoholically- why is this not seen as a problem? Afterall, copious amounts of caffeine are somewhat comparable to drugs like adderall or cocaine.

I'm just curious. Since my sobriety date (4/29/18) I haven't indulged in any other substances besides caffeine. But does that mean, if someday I take a hit of a joint, I have to reset my WHOLE sobriety date?

What do you guys think? What are your opinions on marijuana, CBD, anxiety meds, sleeping meds (OTC)?

The dictionary definition of Sobriety is "abstinence from alcohol or other drugs" therefore if you are smoking weed, taking drugs, mushrooms etc or taking unprescribed medication that can only be given to you by a doctor you are not sober.

Doctor prescribed medication doesn't necessarily fall into the same category, however if a doctor is aware of the patient having an addiction problem certain drugs would not be prescribed and avoided.

As for CBD and cannabis, in it's medical form maybe there is some evidence but smoking weed where one of the side effects is getting high...do you really need to ask? xx

There isn't really any such thing as drinking caffeine "alcoholically". Drinking caffeine, no mater what the amount, isn't going to make my life unmanageable or put the people around me as risk. It's not going to land me in jail, get my kids taken away from me or anything else like that. Alcohol, pot, meth, cocaine, opioids, etc, all have the capability to do that to me. Caffeine doesn't. That's just my own perspective. Everyone is different.

For me being sober is a means to an end. My objective is not to suffer an active addiction and to do that I need to be sober.

I believe the traditional definition is abstinence from all drugs, even if it isn't your drug of choice. I agree though that that area is so gray. Marijuana is now legal in my state, just like alcohol and cigarettes, so I see a lot of people (addicts included) minimizing it and thinking of it as a completely separate animal as I once did. I used weed as a means to help with alcohol detox for my second attempt at sobriety. It was phenomenal. I then became a daily weed smoker (not smoking much, but still) and realized I was chasing the high more than I was attempting to soothe anything. It also lead me back to drinking when that high wasn't enough. So this time around I am staying clear of everything I possibly can.

That being said, the coffee thing has always gotten me. I never drink coffee unless I'm sober and I'm drinking 1/2 to a full pot a day. I can tell that it changes my mood (is that considered a high?), and I'm engaging in the same behaviors I did when drinking (i.e. getting my next setup ready before I've even finished my cup, automatically rushing to it first thing in the morning, etc). I know that guilty, lying feeling underneath. I had it for 12 twelves years during my drinking and I'm not acknowledging it, so I feel like a hypocrite.

I'm also a pack a day cigarette smoker now too. Those don't really induce a high per se, but they're certainly not a good factor for living a holistic healthy lifestyle.

I don't know, I'm curious what others have to say as well.
#Day40

I don’t drink alcohol, take drugs, or smoke tobacco. For me this is what I determine as being clean and sober.

These dilemmas come up all the time. The key concept seems not to be the particular substance, but the intent.

If you take any substance with the intent of getting "high" or escaping dealing with the real world, then in my book at least, you're not "sober."

If I were stuck in a situation where no other relief was available and my only option to relieve severe, debilitating pain would be to take an unprescribed oxycontin, I might not count it as a relapse. If I took one just to see if it made me high, I most certainly would.

The key is intent.

My definition and opinion of sobriety applies only to me. I have no business assigning my definition and opinion to other people. What works for me.. works for me. Your mileage may vary.

I think getting off on a drug is an escape from what I am trying to achieve.
A life where I can be a stand up guy and be accountable for my actions.
A life where I am able to feel and understand my emotions.
A life where things are good for what they already are.
A life where I am not a puppet on the beasts strings.
That for me is to stay off all addictive mind altering drugs no matter what.
Forwards not backwards

It's personal. Folks are free to make their own decisions. Many people have their opinions and most believe their opinions are "right."

If this girl with 5 years of sobriety from alcohol wants to continue counting her days - so be it. If she feels like she needs to start over for taking an oxycontin - that's her choice as well. People are entitled to have their opinion, but that's all it is - their opinion.

In this case, you are asking: "But does that mean, if someday I take a hit of a joint, I have to reset my WHOLE sobriety date?"

Since you asked, my opinion is: No one can decide for you if you have to reset your sobriety date. There are no rules or rulers to make that decision. It's entirely up to you.

What does sobriety mean to you? Are you looking for a completely sober life or just a life without alcohol?

You're asking this question in a forum called "Sober Recovery." It makes sense that most folks here are not going to approve of taking any drugs that are not prescribed. Sometimes, even prescriptions can lead to a new addiction and be abused.

Intent matters, why did she take an unprescribed oxy? A sober person guarding their recovery doesn't typically do that "just because."

I believe yes she needs a white chip - I only take benzos as prescribed and carefully monitored by my dr, for my anxiety. When I have been injured seriously (my back) my ortho, psych and I collective decided no pain meds. I believe smoking pot and doing any other drug even once would mean a relapse and a white chip, as would one drink.

Dr care and prescribed medication taken correctly are very personal. The whole legalization of marijuana might add a legit factor or some have reasons (my friend with epileptic seizures) it could be a medical thing (note my comment about intent).Being rigorously honest with myself and professionals is how I plan to navigate situations where new meds could be introduced or current ones need adjustment.

The caffeine "argument" is spurious at best.

I would like to weigh in on this -

I think it is a highly personal matter, and there are many different opinions. I've known people who had problems with opiates but never alcohol, and are frustrated at hearing that a single drink means they are no longer sober. Same thing for those with drinking problems who engage in occasional marijuana use. Then there are those who are recovering from heroin or cocaine and take suboxone or methadone; are they "sober" even though they are taking a mind-altering drug?

To be honest, I'm not sure what I think about this, and it doesn't really matter so much to me. My problem is with alcohol, and as long as I stay away from it, I consider myself sober. If I decide to smoke a cigarette or joint randomly (albeit unlikely), I would not consider myself having failed at sobriety. Likewise, I wouldn't judge someone who has never had an alcohol problem but is in recovery for heroin for having a beer. Sometimes recovery centers tend to paint with broad strokes, in my opinion. But that's just me, and I focus on what was interfering with my life: alcohol.

Its when the opioid receptors in the brain are triggered where there is no pain that medical journal.s have found cause a person to become addicted to opium. after all, this is why morphine is administered and a patient does not necessarily become addicted. I am taking medical marijuana for my alcohol withdrawal, this time around along, with AA meetings. Whatever I feel help's me in sobriety I do. Would I take codeine/opium for pain not necessarily without my own informed opinion I would take what I feel works for me as it's my choice just like it is this girl decision what she put into her body .The right to bodily integrity and free will is sometimes far from the medical practitioner's mind.

Count me in on intent. Did she take the opiate bring in pain and looking for relief or for fun. For me personally, our drugstore closes at 5pm. If I decide to take a pill out of hubby's medicine cabinet, knowing full well my doctor will prescribe whatever I want when I call in tomorrow, I am not relapsing. I am saving myself a trip to the after hours clinic where I was 6 hours, three weeks ago with one of my kids. Tomorrow I will call my doctor and a prescription will be delivered to the house. Not a relapse and certainly better than dragging my kids and listening to I am bored for 6 hours.
Most mornings I make smoothies for myself and 2 or 3 of my kids, my ninja measures 9 cups when done, I have thrown a teaspoon of vanilla in every so often, usually if I am out of yogurt. I bought artificial extract when I got sober, I didn't read ingredients, turns out there is alcohol. It doesn't say how much, I am not counting it because one teadpoon in nine cups and I likely would not have used it if I knew. I am getting beans to soak in vegetable glycerin for the future, but I am not resetting my count or undoing all the work I have done over an error. I probably will never do it and send the kids to school again. I don't drink smoothies to get drunk, I drink them to get a ton of fruit and veg and protein so I am not ravenous an hour after walking into work. Just my 2 cents, others mileage may differ.

I am on the same page as VigilanceNow... My personal struggle is with alcohol so that is what my main focus is on. I would not reset my sobriety clock if I decided to smoke a cigarette or a joint one day (also unlikely) because I am focused on not having a sip of alcohol. That is also, just my personal opinion though. I don't judge others on their definition of sobriety and what it means for them. It is a gray area for some and black and white for others. As long as you are trying to better yourself, that is what matters. To each their own.

I'm anti-alcohol, pro-sobriety and pro counting days! And I couldn't be more pro-caffeine aka black coffee if I tried. Marijuana I don't really have a strong opinion about. That's not a part of my world.

considering you'd have to live on the far side of Mars to not have heard about the Opioid Epidemic, the abuse of high powered prescription drugs and their direct link to heroin addiction, IMHO taking an Oxy is a high risk game. there's a lot of unknown backstory.....was it really just ONE? where did the one come from? did she ask someone? did someone offer her one? was it "borrowed" from someone else's prescription? what ailment would one have that a single Oxy fixed?? it seems at the very least to be on that slippery slope.

as it is, it sounds as if she ASKED the group for their opinion, she wasn't taken to the back lot and beaten into submission.

I started smoking and rehab and gave it up.

I drink a big mug of coffee every morning.

There is not a chance in hell that I would ever take a drink or a line of anything. Alcohol, coke and nicotine were my problem children. They top the list of "never agains." Benzos are on that list as well. Sedatives are what I liked and used to self-medicate, along with coke. They all go along with my bipolar disorder. So if I have another cycle, it's good old doctor prescribed mood stabilizers for me, and I take an antidepressant.

I don't like weed, never have. It's not a issue. Nor speed/meth.

I don't like narcotics either, whenever I've ever taken them for pain, I can't WAIT until I can stop. I don't like that feeling at all. I've tried taking vicodin for fun and it's, well, meh. I did an oxycontin at a bachelor party along with a mountain of blow and most of a minibar and it was awful, I turned really MEAN and blacked out. No bueno. No desire to do THAT again.

So it's no to addictive drugs.

Where I may move the line is with psychedelic drugs. I did Coachella sober, but thought about rolling or hippy flipping. Decided against it for several reasons. For one, it wasn't a full year sober, and for another, ecstasy worries me a bit. I can see being in a non-sober state and wanting to have a drink "just to take the edge off," particularly in that first year. As far as mushrooms go...I never took psychedelic drugs addictively. They were used for psychic exploration when I was younger, and taken in small amounts at music festivals once or at most twice a year. Psilocybin is being used to get people OFF drugs and alcohol, and ********, an African psychedelic, has shown great promise in getting addicts off of opiates. They are not reliable "party drugs."

I have no plans to take any in the future, but I'm not sure I'm saying never to psychedelics. Probably not. But they're not 100% off the table for me. I know two people who have been "sober" for over 20 years and who occasionally take mushrooms, even though they are both in AA.

Not advocating drug use here, but for me not 100% on hallucinogens, with some lingering reservations that I'd be crossing a line and it might lead to other things. For now, better safe than sorry.

I don't count days but my quit date is important to me.

Its the day I changed my life and broke free of addiction for good.
Its the day I started my journey to finding the real me again.
Its the day I accepted I can live in the real world.

I changed- for good.
No u turns allowed.

I know what clean and sober means for me...but I can only legislate for myself :)

if i need to question everything then maybe i need to go back to the 1st step

maybe i am not an alcoholic?

maybe my life is not unmanageable?

:tyou