helping drug addicts

Hello ozmaninireland welcome and thanks for posting about something that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to.... Isolation, alienation and fear are familiar challenges for many people living with a mental illness whether they have issues with drugs and/or alcohol or not. What's been helping you to get through?

i suffer from anxiety and to a lesser extent depression.

things that help me with every day coping are music, exercse, giod diet and avoiding xcessive sugar, angry people or loud places....i love nature.

what about you guys.

writing on here might be good as well i imagine....time

will tell

i love being clean and helping others to stay clean and sober

Hello @ozmaninireland

As a recovered drug addict, never an alcoholic, but still a person with feelings and needs, I think this is a great thread idea. Hope people respond honestly.

Sounds like perfect recipe for recovery to me. Its pretty much where I have been at for 35 years.

Though periodically I dive into the middle of things to test my resolve and responses. I found it harder to give up cigs, than dope or the big H.

Ultimately it is just about you and thinking you are worth having a GOOD life.

i got quite unstable when i gave up booze and dope....then after a couple years i gave up ciggies using much the same abstinence theory....i dont do things in moderation.

glad to be off all of the above....and it makes it easier to separate my fears and insecurities to the delusions in my mind at times.

reality is often different to how i perceive it.

It makes sense that you were unstable .. as your physical body and emotions and thoughts react to internal and extrernal stimuli.

I settled best when I was living alone in a flat without a partner .. it was one of my celibate phases. I could focus on work, study and family when I was 20-22. It really took 2 years before I was really sure I was not interested in drugs any more. Yes separating out from "friends" can be lonely, but I was gradually opening my eyes that dope was not good at getting people to be thoughtful and decent, despite some silly hipply ideas.

A lot of "the scene" was just someone being "centre of attention" pretending to be generous. But it took me a while .. as I was used to low levels of love or support and actually thought someone tying a torniquet on my arm was someone being kind to me.

well done on staying clean for another day....if u havent given up yet, its not half as bad as some people make out.....i know my ass from my elbow most days, which is handy when i need to go to the toilet. lol. night