Relapse Rate: Alcoholics and Addicts
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Join Date: Dec 2011
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Relapse Rate: Alcoholics and Addicts
Big Sombrero's post got me thinking about this...
For many years I was, first and foremost, an alcoholic. I had no attraction to opiates at all. After a surgery, I took the pain pills for 3 days and then threw the rest away without a second thought. Somewhere along the line, in the last 4 years, I started taking them here and there to ease PTSD symptoms (anxiety, agitation, hyper-vigilance) and slowly but surely became addicted.
Now, I'm discovering that staying off of opiates is much, much harder than staying away from alcohol, which is baffling. A drug is a drug is a drug, right? It seems more likely, at least intellectually, that the drug that's easiest to get and more socially acceptable (alcohol) would be the most...relapse-able.
I've heard benzo relapse is common, though I can't relate to that one at all; I was given benzos (Valium) to combat the opiate w/d anxiety and it did a number on me - the most horrific and unreasonable depression I've ever experienced. I guess not everyone reacts this way but if someone wanted to gaslight me into suicide, slipping me benzos would be the way to do it.
Anyway - just curious about others' experiences are who are both alcoholic and addict.
For many years I was, first and foremost, an alcoholic. I had no attraction to opiates at all. After a surgery, I took the pain pills for 3 days and then threw the rest away without a second thought. Somewhere along the line, in the last 4 years, I started taking them here and there to ease PTSD symptoms (anxiety, agitation, hyper-vigilance) and slowly but surely became addicted.
Now, I'm discovering that staying off of opiates is much, much harder than staying away from alcohol, which is baffling. A drug is a drug is a drug, right? It seems more likely, at least intellectually, that the drug that's easiest to get and more socially acceptable (alcohol) would be the most...relapse-able.
I've heard benzo relapse is common, though I can't relate to that one at all; I was given benzos (Valium) to combat the opiate w/d anxiety and it did a number on me - the most horrific and unreasonable depression I've ever experienced. I guess not everyone reacts this way but if someone wanted to gaslight me into suicide, slipping me benzos would be the way to do it.
Anyway - just curious about others' experiences are who are both alcoholic and addict.
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
different drugs (substances, chemicals) affect the brain and body physiology differently, so it is NOT a case of a drug is a drug is a drug.
also the variety of toxic stews that we concoct for ourselves also add to the equation, as does our age, the amount of damage and change that has taken place in our bodies due to the various chemicals we've ingested and our external situations at the time we seek recovery...all affect how difficult it may be to quit and recovery both physically and mentally.
also the variety of toxic stews that we concoct for ourselves also add to the equation, as does our age, the amount of damage and change that has taken place in our bodies due to the various chemicals we've ingested and our external situations at the time we seek recovery...all affect how difficult it may be to quit and recovery both physically and mentally.
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 480
Hey Threshold,
'Glad to see you 'up and around'. Thanks for the response - yeah, I guess I was way over-simplifying. I thought all drugs (except benzos) gave a pretty hard hit of dopamine, which is where my "drug is a drug" thought came from.
Hey - where are you in AZ? I'm in Flag.
'Glad to see you 'up and around'. Thanks for the response - yeah, I guess I was way over-simplifying. I thought all drugs (except benzos) gave a pretty hard hit of dopamine, which is where my "drug is a drug" thought came from.
Hey - where are you in AZ? I'm in Flag.
Grateful to be free
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
In my personal experience, certain drug withdrawals were way more hellish and lasted far longer than my alcohol withdrawals. The desire to use simply to end the horrific physical pain was stronger for me with drugs than alcohol.
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