Drugs/Alcohol

[dan246]

I was just curious if many of you have abused drugs or alcohol due to social phobia and/or anxiety. I've had problems with a few different drugs. I used to be a heavy user of marijuana until it began to make my anxiety worse. I often wonder if smoking so much pot could be the cause for bringing my anxiety to the surface. New studies are being done that connects marijuana use to anxiety/psychosis. I still find myself wanting to smoke. I dream about it frequently and it's always hard to pass it up even though it's been over a year since I've done it. Apart from that I've had problems with alcohol (haven't really fixed this problem yet), pain killers, and sleep aids. I've also been smoking cigarettes since I was around 12.

I was just wondering if there is a higher tendency in people with sp/anxiety to try and self-medicate. Alcohol in particular.

 

[despise]

ive abused alcohol quite a bit. but i havnt yet gotten my hands on any drugs. i half want to keep it that way...but only half.

 

[Damien]

Maybe its in our nature? I was addicted to spray nose drops for about 11 years until my nose constantly bled. Was addicted to the Psuedoephedrine (sp?) thats is in it. Apparently cocaine addicts used to buy the stuff and boil it until that chemical was left. *shrugs*

4 years on, i still get the block nose craving for it. Mind over matter is the hardest thing in the world, as is the cold turkey. But sometimes you get so determined you conquer it.

Damien

 

[Chrisfishes]

I have been a dedicated weed smoker for about 8 years and don't know how it has effected my sp. I have used it as my saftey blanket and it still works. I find it makes me more anxious at times but not very often. I found other drugs/alcohol reduced my anxiety, or even turned me into a person that was able to socialize. But I never liked that person, or what really went on with people off their heads on drugs. And the days after were a killer. Now the odd drink definatly dulls the nerves, a joint when I am relaxed can be greatt thing.
My gf is convinced it keeps me more withdrawn, which may be true but i still do it. My 2 docs I have been seeing here one english, one german, both told me not to worry about it. I was really concerned whenI started taking antidepressants but the english doctorsaid "... you mean marijauna?...it's harmless it will be legal soon. The german guy said " heavy use over a long time may do some damage, but the odd joint is safer than cigarettes" What do the doctors around you tell them??
But I think in a controlled enviroment some drugs can be a good, but if anything goes wrong it can multiply the consequences. :?

 

[Scottish_Player]

I have been self medicating with codeine for a few years now,its basicly a strong pain killer that when taken in high doses give me a very sedative like affect and helps me get too sleep at nights,thats the only reason i use it,without taking it i used to wake up about 2 or 3 times a night.

The only problem is that your body becomes tolerent of it too easly so when i started 60mg of codeine would do,now i need 180mg so iam trying to cut down and hopefully stop :? but then i think to myself what else will i use to get to sleep?

 

[Damien]

I like taking Mersindol (sp?) or you can get chemist versions called Strong Pain Plus etc.

Two of those, mmm sleep time. They have muscle relaxants in them which is good. But yeah i take them only when i am bad. even then i questions if i need it.

Damien

 

[Scottish_Player]

Hi Masterpiece2 i know it is alot but its the only thing that gets me a good nights sleep other than alcohol.I would be taking more if i had it,the 60mg gave me a better sleep than the 180mg because my body is becoming so tolernet of it.

I have tried valerian root but it stunk like sweety socks lol and i didnt realy get much help ffrom it,i have also tried kava kava and other bits and pieces but i think the problem is that i keep comparing everything to codeine and i never going to find anythng over the counter to give the same effect so iam trying to cut right down,because of its sedative like effect i used to take during the day to get me through certain things but i have cut that out altogehther now and only use it at night,but i will try to cut down and hopefully stop :?

I havent heard of Halciol? is this an over the counter drug or is it a prescription drug?

 

[Parttimer]

Yep. I abused both alcohol and drugs in high school when i first got my SP. Even tho i know it makes me really anxious i still find it hard to turn down pot! Its hard cos theres always some pot lying around at my place :x
Still abuse heroin every now and then, usually when i'm really really low.

 

[dan246]

Damien, pseudoephedrine is one of the main ingredients in meth. No wonder you got addicted. Parttimer, not to tell you what to do, but I think you should stay away from h. I've seen a few of my old friends mess up their lives pretty badly. At the beginning it was only "every now and then". One of my buddies is in jail for possession of 30g low-cut heroin. The others I haven't seen for years but from what I heard they are either in jail, or full-time junkies. Just be careful. It's a nasty drug. I also agree with masterpiece. I had a pretty serious problem with codeine and percocet which took years to wean myself off of. Chris, the doctors around me have a pretty negative view on pot. Yes, physical health-wise it's a lot safer than cigarettes. Only to a certain point. When I used to be a stoner I would smoke around 4-8 grams a day. The smoke is a lot harsher than tobacco smoke, it's unfiltered, and you tend to take deep hits and hold them in longer. So there is only a certain point to which you can compare pot to cigarettes. The specialist I went to see told me that a large number of his patients had anxiety triggered by smoking. A lot of them seasoned smokers. I think it is a lot more likely that weed just brings problems to the surface than it is that weed actually causes the anxiety/psychosis. Pot is getting stronger and stronger and if you choose to smoke high-potency marijuana I personally believe it can cause problems. Heavy smokers tend to rely on pot to give them that extra boost that makes them relax/happy. There's obviously some chemical imbalance that comes about from blazing all the time. As much as I loved smoking, I feel a lot better now that I am off it.

 

[MadCat]

Maybe it's just a SP/SA thing because the only thing I was addicted to was paracetamol for 2 years and that seriously screwed up my body.

Blood in my stool
Stomach cramps
sharp pain on my left side near the front and back of the lowest rib.

I took it to help me sleep and it kinda worked, but I'm guessing on a psychological way. I've heard of alot of people who drink alcohol to get to sleep but I can't see how effective that could be because of the light sleeping patterns and trouble getting into REM stage of sleep.

Anyway, I've tried valerian but I'm one of those people where it has the opposite effect I just can't sleep after taking it at all and it makes me cry.

 

[Scottish_Player]

Well,as you mention it worrydoll,it does cause a few constipation problems but i can live with that,i do realy want to stop using it but when the first time comes for me to stop it,i dont realy see the point because then what else do i have to make me feel good,relaxed and help me get to sleep.

I promised myself last night i would stop but i got another 100 capsuals and iam now telling my self i will stop when these run out :? but when the time comes i wont,because taken in samller dose the make me so much more relaxed and and taken in larger doses helps me get to sleep,i will just go with it and see how i get on :?

 

[LilMissTragic]

Never drank alcohal or taken drugs. My mind is f*cked up enough without adding to my problems...lol.

 

[LazerCarp]

I used to drink a lot which helped me a load to be honest, I relied on it to socialize, but then I started getting this wierd sore throat that lasted about a month every time I touched alchahol. Then I started taking speed or pills whenever I went out but the same thing started happening but to a lesser extent so I stopped that too. Then lately I discovered magic mushrooms which I thought were fucking amazing til recently and lived on constantly for a few weeks but then got really really paranoid so now I think I'm gonna give them a miss too. Basically I'm too much of a pussy for most drugs!

 

[outis]

i abused albuterol (kinda feels a bit like speed), painkillers, marijuana. it was borderline use/abuse on these and i never used any of these for even a full year. more then anything else i used cigarettes and Alcohol. i've been smoking for about 8 years and a pack a day for two many of them. between about 16 and 18 i was drinking about a pint of hard alcohol every 1 - 2 weeks. then i stoped till about 21. between 21 and 22 it was closer to a pint every 1-3 days. now as far as i know i just use alcohol instaed of abusing it. drink once every few months and then only about a quarter pint of vodka. still abuse tobacco though, but thats it. (says the guy that just took vicodin )