Drug addiction at a young age am I alone?

Hi, I am not the oldest person on this forums as some of you guys know im only 17 and a college student just starting my freshman year and I've currently been clean from Heroin and prescription opiates for about a year now and it's really hard at this stage of where I feel like all the other kids are partying and having all the fun in the world with drugs and remaining manageable and being able to live without this burden weighing on them all the time and I was wondering if anyone could help with just tips on staying focused or anything I don't have a support group around here so I go to the internet for a lot of venting etc if anyone is willing to help who is in a similar situation or has ever been in a similar situation?

 

Probably because they are using party drugs (LSD,MDMA and such) while you were using drugs that actually can and do take over your life.
I have fortunately never been in a situation like you have so I have no idea how hard it is for you to control yourself but I see it as you have 2 different paths to take right now, Finish college and have a normal and happy life or you can curse the day you kneeled to your addiction for the rest of your life while you are out there trying to sell off whatever possesions you might have chasing the next high.
Best advice I can give you is to channel that pain you have been through and are probably still feeling into something good (find something that you really like and that you can use to take your mind off of the drugs whenever you feel like using again) and surround yourself with people who are clean and ambitious.
Best of luck my friend and if you ever need someone to talk to send me a message.

 

I feel bad for only reading this just now. you deserved a faster response.

Your problem is not one I can personally relate with, but with all addictions, the path forward is much, MUCH easier then the way back from an addiction.

Others might seem to be having a great time doing what they want, but don't let appearances fool you.

Find other ways to occupy yourself, try to associate yourself less with the people that brought you into your addiction, where there is opportunity, there is a risk. Right now is about changing your environment to one that is more suited to your recovery.

 

Thank you for the responses guys it means a lot that there is people out there to at least support me you guys are awesome aslways nice to be reassured

 

If your feeling down, reach out to others. You'll be alright

 

I'm actually in the exact same situation man. I posted a thread about it in this forum. I'm 11 months clean from dope and painkillers and what you and I are both experiencing is called PAWS. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome.

Common symptoms of post-acute withdrawal syndrome are:[13][14][15][16]

• Psychosocial dysfunction
• Anhedonia[17]
• Depression
• Impaired interpersonal skills
• Obsessive-compulsive behaviour
• Feelings of guilt
• Autonomic disturbances
• Pessimistic thoughts
• Impaired concentration
• Lack of initiative
• Craving
• Inability to think clearly
• Memory problems
• Emotional overreactions or numbness
• Sleep disturbances
• Physical coordination problems
• Stress sensitivity
• Increased sensitivity to pain
• Panic disorder[12]
• Generalized anxiety disorder[12]
• Sleep disturbance (dreams of using, behaviors associated with the life style)

I know how you feel because I used to be a party guy too. Work, party til 4 AM, wake up at 9 AM and do it all over again. Just find new hobbies to focus on, productive ones. You'll have to deal with friends talking shit and complaining about you never wanting to do anything with them, but in the end you'll come out ahead, because all they wanna do is get fucked up.

You're on a good path, don't let depression fuck it up for you. Keep it up man.

Also I'm not 17 so I guess that part's different. But I'm 23 and my friends are all doing the exact same shit we were doing at 17 still. So it's a similar situation lol

 

I'm currently 14 months as of now but things come up and it just seems so easy to mess up and things are rough with my anxiety sometimes I almost cant function idk if you have ever felt like your emotions and feelings have weighed you down so much where it's hard to feel human and to even just wake up for the fear of feeling emotion I recently talked to a doctor about anxiety meds and they seem to be helping I still have panic attacks but i'm able to get out and ride my bike and interact kinda but I feel like these things should be easier after so long it helps knowing you understand where I come from thank you for your input and advice it does mean a lot to me

 

I've never laid in bed for fear of having emotions, no, but I have multiple days where I just lay in bed til like 4 PM on my days off because I know I'm not gonna feel like hanging with friends or being productive because nothing's the same without drugs. My doctor told me he thinks I should start smoking weed again and since then I've been feeling a lot better once I got past the anxiety from it, but that solution might not be recommended for everyone. Everyone will have their own answers, you just gotta find yours.

When depressed (I've mentioned this a few times so forgive me if you've already read it somewhere) I always try to do the exact opposite of what I WANT to do. So if someone asks me to hang out and I wanna say no I'm gonna chill at home and do nothing and be depressed all day, instead I'll go out with them. Even if it's to a party or something, and just force myself to hang out and have fun without drinking. Or if I wanna lay in bed all day force myself to get up and go for a run. If you're in shape enough to go for a run that's one thing that can turn your attitude around. Wake up in the morning and run for like a half hour (outside not on a treadmill) and you'll have tons of energy and actually feel like doing stuff.

Good luck buddy

 

I think you should take up a hobby, like going to the gym everyday or something along that line, get your mind off of all the stuff everyone else is doing, and focus on yourself. I've never been addicted to anything/ done anything harder than weed, but i know the longer you sit and do nothing the more you think about the things that ruled your life.

and with the gym its easy, throw on headphones and really nobody cares what you do in the gym, i know alot of people are scared they're gonna get judged oh im fat or small or no muscle.. but really no one cares. The only thing people think about is, good to see that guy at the gym here trying ect.

 

I've been biking a lot lately I got a road bike and I've been doing 10-20 miles a day it helps getting my mind off all the negative

 

I believe the mind matures with age, decisions become chosen more carefully, money becomes more precious and so on and so forth. Of course that is if you have a stable state of mind, no chemical imbalance etc. I believe if one truly wants to overcome an addiction they will slowly over time as the drug dosages increase and increase due to immunity and with that comes price increase. If you live on your own, have bills not including the extra(internet, phone, etc.) wants, but just the basic needs of survival helps overcome addictions, help set budgets, help addicts lower dosages of whatever type of drug they choose to use. It just all depends on your state of mind and self control, that goes for anything.

 

Thread is a bit old but ill give my two cents.

Holy fuck, you fucked up with starting heroin/opiodis. Luckily, you realize your mistake and want to let you know theres no shame in posting online for help (ive posted anonymously several times).

No matter what happens, dont ever seek that "kind of high" again. You have to REALLY want to quit, most cannot even imagine the strength it takes to quit that shit.

I highly recommend trying to solve your fix with LOTS of weed and coffee. These drugs and generally harmless and can be abused while you recover from a real addiction. I understand your very young so this might be hard, but really fucking try to focus on what you want to do/become in life. With time, you will be able to do this without the help of drugs.

Second, try to not compare yourself to others. If you have a negative attitude, you will only see yourself as a failure. If you're looking for a comparative boost, check out this link Degeneracy in Action • /r/CringeAnarchy When i was severely depressed, this helped me see there are people more fucked up and socially awkward than i am.

Lastly i have to reiterate, you have to REALLY FUCKING WANT to quit. It will likely be the hardest thing you have ever overcome. Please try weed/coffee and most importantly, and strong social group (that dont do heroin). Try talking to your friends (or lost friends) about your problems, im sure most will be very symphatetic.

Never forget you are in complete control of your actions, your feelings, your own reality. Im 100% positive you have the mental strength to get through this. You MUST have positive attitude. Negativity will only lead to relapse. Best of luck

 

Start hitting the gym, it changed my life completely
It mentally gives you so much, and physically, you feel like a boss

If you need any help, Just add me on skype "fivebots"