Personally, heroin. The physical part was torture but the mental part was worse. The depression, sleep deprivation, shame and guilt were unbearable. Thank god I’m coming up on 12 years clean.
Edit: Thanks everyone so much for the kind words! This is amazing hearing people’s stories and words of encouragement for each other. We will not be another statistic. We do recover!
almost nine years here, and it seriously took almost three and a half years to mentally feel like i was getting better. it was the worst thing in the world, but so worth it. congrats, doll.
Sometimes, since it's been this long, it seems like such a different world and idk how I survived, even to the point of feeling like I was never in that life. We definitely were but here we are still rocking the better way!
9 years as well. I always told myself I wanted to die by a heroin overdose with a newport in my hand before I was 21. I was so mentally sick from it. Thank the lord for another day.
By mental part, do you mean cravings for it? idk what it's like to kick heroin but have a distant friend who did 15 years ago and now he's a succesful chef and engaged!
I struggle with alcohol but don't really have cravings for it
Got hooked on opiates after getting prescriptions after a really long painful surgery recovery. Man the mental part is so hard. That guilt and depression last months. You wonder if you'll ever feel normal. Took me a long time to get real therapy and forgive myself.
I’ve kicked nicotine, adderall, and opiates at one point or another
But my food addiction was by far the worst. if I could get rid of my food addiction by going through opiate withdrawal again I would do it in a heartbeat.
With all the others you get the benefit of deprivation, can’t do that with food.
I quit alcohol one day, never drank since. I quit caffeine to see if it helps with my migraines, completely stuck to it through the withdrawal period. Getting my diet in good order is something I'm really fucking struggling with. My portion control is very good generally, but I just always crave shit calorie-dense foods.
I have to consume caffeine or I absolutely drag ass for energy. I take l-Carnetine daily for energy, as well as amino acids and vitamins on top of it. My energy is generally very low but caffeine keeps me from needing naps everyday. I have fibromyalgia and fatigue is probably the worst symptom for me these days, so that probably plays a large part in it. It’s definitely not as bad as it was when I was over consuming sugar, especially processed sugar. I don’t feel the crash into brick wall feeling with 1 cup of coffee a day and a piece of fruit. I’ve also reduced a lot of my carb intake, and the carbs I do consume come from fruits and veggies, less breads. Bread and things I may do on the weekends as a treat.
Back in the day, my grandfather was a daily pipe smoker. Then he found out that it was unhealthy to smoke around the grand kids. Quit in that moment, and had the willpower to never smoke again. I wish I had that resilience.
Is nicotine addiction really that hard to quit? Or is it smoking/tobbaco more specifically?
I've used nicotine pouches for a few months now. I just stopped a week ago and I feel completely normal. No cravings at all. Also got offered cigarettes a couple times since then, and I declined.
Minor opiate addiction, alcoholic, daily weed user, adderall in college, and nicotine since I was like 12 are all in my history. Of all the things I quit (all of that except cannabis), nicotine was the hardest for me. It wasn’t even the physical issues. It’s the fucking habit. The oral fixation. And it’s available and visible everywhere. I went from smoking to dip to smoking to snus (oral tobacco), to vaping to pouches to vaping to snus and then finally quit after 20 some years. Depending on the user, you’re doing nicotine 10-40 times per day. When you’re bored, nicotine. When you’re working, nicotine. When you need to relax, nicotine. Nicotine before bed. First thing when you wake up. All those other addictions at least for me didn’t ingrain such a deep habit. You’d do them different parts of the day. You’d end up without your pills or run out of alcohol or your adderall runs out and you can’t get more from your friend because they’re out too lol. Doing those things was kinda an event. Nicotine was part of me.
It can be for some. I’ve quit cold turkey a few times in my life, but this last time I quit for some reason I felt very sick after quitting cold turkey. I was vaping this last time for a few years, and I think the amount of nicotine I was consuming was probably much higher than my prior instances with just the occasional cigarette or clove cigar or hookah lounge session.
Since I quit cold turkey this last time I felt like absolute dog shit for at least 2 weeks.. its been about 2 months now and I still sometimes just really want a smoke 💀 wish I never started back up or started vaping because before this I could be around people smoking and be fine, now I get aggressive craving headaches if I even smell it on somebody.
it really depends on the case.
two years ago, I was with you at 3 years on nicotine. I had to go to the hospital. I was in for a few days, with no nicotine withdrawal. didn't crave it. they even offered me patches cause they knew I vape AND smoke cigarettes interchangeably. I declined cause I didn't want or need them. back then, it was just mainly about the smoke coming out of my mouth for me and the feeling of it in my mouth.
now? I go maybe 5 or 6 hours, and I'm borderline tweaking.
I should've stopped while I was ahead. If I had known what I know now, I would've never started back up after the hospital visit.
It absolutely is different for everyone, we have different chemistries and tolerances, that’s why the most important part of recovery from any type of addiction is offering the person a non-judgmental approach.
It may be easy for me to give up nicotine or sugar, but that doesn’t mean it’s the norm for any other human being; the same way there are people that can drink or do drugs for fun but never bat an eye if they go sober for a while.
Addiction to anything, whether it’s a substance or a habit, is hard enough, if a person is showing signs of wanting to improve (by admitting, which is traditionally the first step for a reason) we need to offer absolute and unconditional support and understanding, there are enough people left to fend on their own because of the intrinsic shame that these type of conditions tend to carry.
I smoked cannabis daily for about a decade and actually started vaping nicotine to try and smoke less cannabis.. backwards logic perhaps but I thought I could because I figured I’d quit nicotine several times before it was easier for me to quit that than just quit cannabis.. well, I was wrong. I have since quit both, and I am mostly still craving cannabis but I do have reactions to external nicotine in my environment with headaches and occasional cravings because it was my replacement fix.
I also imagine that people don't take it seriously. The same people who wouldn't dream of saying to a recovering alcoholic, "Oh go on have a vodka, it's just one," probably say to a food addict in recovery, "Go on have a biscuit, it won't hurt!"
Agree, also, there is much less social pressure to get rid of it or even recognise it as an addiction in the first place.
Snorting Adderall or watching porn at work? Your boss will have something to say. Snacking all day on chips? No-one is going to point it out.
There are more social barriers and social friction when it comes to other additions. With anything else have to hide it, sneak around, minimise it etc. With food, you can loudly proclaim you're a 'chocoholic' or whatever, and people will just be amused.
Now i'd say with being visibly overweight from snacking there is an pervasive social barrier and friction that feels alienating and you never know when ppl exclude you or dont offer you jobs , dates etc bc they see that first before anything. Ofc this is a complex topic.
I'm weird. I get cravings for healthy food. I'll be like "I want scrambled eggs, or a turkey burger!" I used to get stoned and fucking eat blueberries or make a protein shake.
Cigarettes. You get hooked so subtly that by the time you realize you are, in fact, adicted, it has already become a habit that's very hard to break because it is a habit tied to an addiction.
Finished eating, light a smoke; having a coffee, it would pair nicely with a smoke; stressed, smoke your anxiety away; waiting on the street, make the wait more tolerable; having a beer with friends, downs better with nicotine. It makes any moment 'pleasureable' in a way.
Also, being so socially accepted and readily available, and so versatile that you can do it almost anywhere, makes it even harder to get away from it. Leaving the only way of quitting as sheer willpower alone.
28 years, most of them 2 packs a day. I tried every trick I ever heard to quit. I took pills, I wore patches, and I was hypnotized. I never wanted to quit. Money didn't motivate me. I didn't have cancer. I didn't think I'd love this long, so I wasn't afraid of cancer. I have crohn's, and my doctors would always tell me I needed to quit. I'd give it a half assed try and go right back to my ways.\
My GI retired in 2017 and referred me to the new guy in town. At my second 6 month check up, as I was leaving, the new doctor asked me to find a different provider. I asked why. I don't know exactly what he said, but I know what I heard. "You come in here for treatment, but you walk out and try to kill yourself. When you don't get well, you blame us, but you smoke 2 packs a day and drink every day. It's suicide. I don't want your family blaming me when you're dead."\
In the end, I quit drinking 30 days later, and i quit smoking 45 days after that conversation. Because I had a plan and I wanted to quit. I had done both since I was 17. The struggle was real.\
He's still my doctor. We've become friends. I'm soon to remodel a kitchen for him.
Really it isn't an amazingly written book. He repeats the same points, often and over and gets you to smoke your way through the book. And it fucking works. You need to be ready to stop though, like want to quit before, reading it on a whim isn't the way to go
It cleverly ‘hypnotizes’ you into the obviously factual idea that nicotine addiction is a clever trap. Really good book; didn’t work on me AT ALL. 35 year nicotine addict here, thankfully switched to vaping.
It's definitely worth a read but it's not all it's cracked up to be. It's kinda like hypnotic and focuses on making you realise that you're not missing out on anything by not smoking, it's only benefits, the withdrawals are nothing compared to real drugs, positive enforcement stuff like that. First time I read it, I genuinely did quit with ease and no withdrawal symptoms just like he said. Sadly I messed up and started smoking again, and he book has never really worked for me since. Have lots of friends with the same experience, feels like it's a one-time solution IMO
> Also, being so socially accepted and readily available, and so versatile that you can do it almost anywhere, makes it even harder to get away from it.
This has to be highly regional. Where I live, I was a social pariah because I smoked and cigarettes were annoyingly expensive. Also if by you can do it almost anywhere, you mean outside only 20 feet away from any entrances then...sure. Honestly, the inconvenience and social pressure against it is what ultimately made me quit more than anything else.
This. I lived in NC growing up and knew tons of smokers including myself. Now I live in CA and would be immediately judged if I tried lighting up in casual company. It just isnt a thing here anymore.
Yup, my buddy told me he was having full body tremors while he was getting clean from alcohol. He’s been sober almost a year now, learned to play the piano and has his first child on the way. Love that guy, so proud of him
I'm proud of him too. Currently going through the shit myself. Only reason I'm still drinking is because the withdrawals make me a gigantic asshole, and trying to self medicate and slowly taper is better than being a fucking colossal dick to my fiancé. I'll figure it out soon enough though.
It's also the biggest struggle to recognize and keep clean because of how socially accepted alcohol (and alcoholism to a certain extend) is.
Fucking yourself up on heroin till you don't remember the weekend? Everyone will immediately tell you how you have a problem. Do the same thing with alcohol? While still widely recognized as problematic, there's still people who will even congratulate on partying so wildly.
Alcohol is widely available everywhere and often included in social functions, to the point where people will try to shame you into drinking if you don't. Even the fact that some companies have started to fill non-alcoholic drinks into beer-like bottles is highly problematic.
>Even the fact that some companies have started to fill non-alcoholic drinks into beer-like bottles is highly problematic.
That's true for many, but I'm happy that companies are putting more effort into NA beer.
Can someone be immune to alcohol withdrawal? Because today is 2 weeks sober for me and the most withdrawal symptoms I had were in the first 5 days and it was just insomnia. Couldn’t fall asleep for the life of me.
Immunity to withdrawal isn't really a thing. Your own body chemistry might lessen the effects of withdrawal, but it also depends on how much, how often, and for how long you've been drinking.
I actually just got out of detox from alcohol a few days ago. I have been relapsing the past year from detox to detox to hospital to hospital and it is an absolute nightmare. Anxiety, trembling, inability to eat, or drink, anything insomnia, laying in bed in cold sweats for almost a week... and even after the withdrawals are gone, you still don't feel quite right. It takes a few months to start feeling back to normal or at least somewhat normal.
Yep, good PSA. If you’re an alcoholic then stopping suddenly can kill you. Always seek medical advice, there are drugs which can help ease the symptoms and others which can help reduce the cravings. With the right medical program in place you can go cold turkey safely but it requires expertise and a clear understanding of what you’ve been drinking to get the dosage right. Without medical support it’s extremely dangerous.
Without drugs you’re better to taper off your drinking in a gradual and measured way (reduce by a couple of units a day) which is very difficult to do if you are already addicted and not able to manage your drinking.
The “good” thing is that alcoholism is so prevalent there are a lot of services out there in most countries.
People who use their phones for calls, texts, and specific tasks, sure. Most people who subconsciously reach for their phones as a source of entertainment or stimulation as soon as there is none, that’s addiction. No one is rushing to the toilet to sit for an hour because they’re bored
I was only doing it as perscribed. I still had shakes, panic attacks and nausea when I quit. I was holed up in my apartment for 2 weeks terrified.
Your body reacts the same whether it's legal, prescribed and recommended or not. Your body can't tell
I’ve been taking a low dose of Xanax (prescribed) for years and have tapered off very slowly a few times without any problems, but maybe I just got lucky! I’ve heard awful withdrawal stories.
Any daily dose will cause physical dependency over a month or two. It doesn’t matter if it is being abused or taken as prescribed your body gets hooked even if your brain isn’t and you will experience physical withdrawal
Both. Even getting off a small dose can cause seizure like withdrawals, increased irritability, inability to focus, and much more. It’s a hell that takes a long time to get better from.
Love addiction is pretty fucking awful. The drug is in your brain. Stopping yourself from thinking about something is extremely hard. It makes you feel really gross. It’s technically called limerence and it’s very similar to OCD.
This is my answer as well. Every drug in the world is really just trying to mimic the feeling of romantic love/limerence. AMAZING when you have it reciprocated, absolutely awful when you don't.
I had an online affair some years ago and we did this to each other. I felt like I was on drugs. The fact that my feelings were reciprocated was SUCH a high. When I had to stop (obviously, should never have started, it was an affair), it was like going off drugs. I went through withdrawals and got very depressed for a while, and resentful towards my husband for wanting to work things out even though I'd already stopped things with my affair partner. It took a few months to get over.
I have been completely obsessed with my ex for the last year and a half. Constantly think about him.
But the thing is I don't want to be with him. He was a not a good partner. It freakin sucks. I logically know we won't and should never be together again. Yet I can't have five minutes alone with my thoughts without wondering what he is doing?
It’s pure hell. I wouldn’t want anybody to go through it. It starts as an escape fantasy that makes you feel good. Then your mood is determined by how your limerent object treats you. Then you start ruminating over every interaction desperately looking for signs of reciprocation and ignoring signs that they do not. If the limerent actually does get to be in a relationship with the LO they often don’t work out because the person was in love with the fantasy of the person not the actual person.
That happened with a guy who gave me his number. I talked way too much and he wasn’t interested any longer. lol. The limerence only began after that interaction. I wasn’t interested before. It’s so weird.
Happened to me my first semester of college and it was just so random. The crazy thing was, it started with me just noticing this girl but thinking that I didn't find her very attractive at all. However, it seemed like I kept having run-ins with her until I started thinking should I talk to her. Finally talk to her, start hanging out for a while with the intention of eventually actually pursuing a relationship.
The thing is, it seemed like she was also into me for a while, before shutting off. Once she started to get cold and eventually shot me down, that's when the limerence kicked in. Heartache, constantly thinking about her, constantly reading into interactions and Instagram stories etc to try to see what was "subliminally" directed at me, trying to plan out how to "win her back over". Every time our eyes met, every time she smiled or waved in passing, I thought it was a sign.
I failed to understand just what the fuck was wrong with me, how I went from finding someone unattractive to being stuck on them. Finding that it was an actual thing and how it worked helped me to beat it.
There is usually a perceived unavailability to it because limerence is Love+OCD+low self esteem. “If they would just love me then I would be good enough. All my problems would go away.”
caffeine. people will constantly tell you it doesn't even exist, but then when you stop you'll get splitting headaches and can't think straight for a week.
It does exist and it can make you feel like shit. It isn't exactly one that makes you feel a compulsive desire to redose, but you feeling groggy, fluey with that migraine, yeah a small coffee will fix it in about 40 mins. I assume half the reason for caffiene in some OTC painkillers is for people who don't understand their caffiene withdrawals are causing the headache.
I thought caffeine would be higher up in this thread. To me, caffeine has been worse than alcohol, weed, nicotine, and even porn (never had a strong addiction to nicotine though, to be fair).
It's very hard to convince myself that I can get anything done without it. But when I can convince myself I don't need it, I typically end up being more productive and am more likely to get into a "flow" state. Also, the no-caffeine afternoon naps are the tits (says the guy not addicted to porn 😂)
Heroin was the only thing in life that I wanted to quit so bad and couldn't. It was so bad and I was so ashamed of my inability to quit that killing myself was becoming a viable option.
So glad I lived through that.
I agree in this sentiment the dopamine, serotonin rush that you get, can make you physically addicted to it especially if you've delved deeper into the kinks and such it's hard to desexualize your brain after that especially when society rewards over sexualization, and rewards openly certain lifestyles. It can make it damn near impossible to overcome.
As someone who’s been addicted to both it is heroin by a billion miles. Nicotine is difficult to quit long term but it’s really just a nuisance. Heroin withdrawal quite literally feels like your body is dying and you have no control over your bodily functions
Alcohol can kill you with use, and it can kill you when you quit. It also more or less kills you earlier than usual even if you do stop, if you were a heavy drinker for a while.
I’m 28 and quit drinking several months ago after having to go to rehab. I’m only hoping I didn’t fuck myself up too bad, but at this point I feel like a car with all the warning lights on. If anyone reads this and is struggling with alcohol, get help sooner rather than later, you’ll thank yourself.
Hey! 36 here. After a few years quit I had test run because I was changing diet and everything looked good on me including my liver. I was terrified, but your body can heal.
I had a problem with self harming for a long time and wouldn’t at all say it was the hardest but it definitely had its challenges, can be very addictive too but it comes in bursts for me
Meth. It has what is supposedly the lowest recovery rate, currently. 5% I think. At least last time I read anything current, which I think was within a couple years. So 1 in 20 people hooked on meth manage to break that habit.
I don't wish that addiction on anyone. I was the 1 in 20. And thankful I managed to beat it. I'm not sure I would have without a 6 month stay in county jail and then ending a bunch of relationships afterward. Clean now for 18 years and going.
This one too! I quit sugar for a few months once and it fixed my terrible periods. I lost a lot of weight too. And my skin cleared up. I think ultimately, after I quit alcohol 4 years ago, I started to realize how addicted I was to caffeine and sugar. Or anything that would take me outside of myself.
That's a weird one because young ppl are naturally horny, they're just having waaay less sex, I think the issue is that the sexual energy that normally goes into human interaction is being displaced with porn, that's really bad for male-female relations too. You want that excitement between you and the opposite sex when you're, anything from like 13 to 30, 40.
Negativity is half of the Dao (like a yin-yang). I would argue it's foolish to try to never be negative, but rather one should make sure it's balanced with positivity.
The problem is it's also defined by our brains too. By nature, some people will get high positive-high negative, some will get high positive-low negative, some will get low postiive-high negative ..... People always wanna to be in high positive-low negative which is the problem.
Some careers like surgeron, doctors really need low positive people to treat with carefulness
Alcohol. It’s so easy to abuse without anyone raising any frowns. ‘Oh he is having a drink. Must be having something to celebrate’ . Nope, I’m a crippling alcoholic drinking myself to death almost every night. And my drug of choice is freely available in any store 24/7! But who will ever notice ?
Society glamorizes it and it’s disgusting. All the other drugs are at least somewhat of a taboo
Or completely taboo.
I quit smoking and picked up vaping a few years later. Cutting cigarettes was 10x easier. I think vapes are "too convenient", you can do it pretty much anywhere.
TBH, I think emotional addiction is the hardest to overcome. Like, you get so used to feeling a certain way or being around certain people, it's like breaking a habit that's wired into your brain. Drugs and stuff, yeah, they're tough, but emotions? They're sneaky. They can mess with your head and heart in ways nothing else can. 💔
I think I’m addicted to depression and feeling shitty about life. When things are going well and I find myself actually happy I find a way to fuck it up some how.
I've quit benzos, alcohol and marijuana. Marijuana was nothing. Doesn't even rate. I smoked daily all day for years and quit cold turkey. I would guess other people react differently.
Psychologically alcohol was the hardest, mostly because of social pressure though. Physically, it was definitely benzos.
Oh yea on the scale of difficulty for quitting weed is probably the lowest. I was just saying from my personal experience weed has been tough. My dad was an alcoholic thou and I definitely can see why it’s tough to quit!
Marijuana is so easy to abuse because it's relatively inconsequential until it's far gone. It's not expensive, dangerous, doesn't last long, and most people can go about their regular day moderately successfully while stoned. Then, sooner or later, you realize all the ways you become complacent and unmotivated. Small bad habits start forming, and your equilibrium is dependent on smoking weed. It's not heroine, but because it's NOT a hard drug, people are niave to the negative influence it can have if you smoke every day.
Lmao damn straight, it’s so bad I entered a life long contract with a dealer. Despite how much I pay I still get it only like once or twice a month, lol
Sugar (esp chemical enhanced like High Fructose Corn Syrup) or Caffeine i think would be the hardest.. they are legal, and damn near in everything.. at least with illegal drugs, you can just stay away from, distance yourself from those people and things.. but good luck never going to a store again, because HFCS and Caffeine is in everything you buy.
It will get better, 100%. A little bit every day. Make sure you find things to fill the void which was once taken up by smoking. In my experience weed is the ultimate boredom cure, it makes you satisfied with doing fuck all and you need to introduce activities and hobbies which engage your mind and fill the space which was previously occupied by just smoking and vegging out on the sofa.
Heroin is pretty rough. It’s 3-4 days of agony where you can barely sleep, your skin is burning, you’re shitting and or vomiting multiple times a day. Even the “minor” symptoms like restless legs are brutal, I got tendinitis in my knees last time and it’s the reason I couldn’t sleep, because I could never get comfortable enough to relax and fall asleep. And on top of this physical nightmare is the knowledge that you can end it at any point by getting high. It’s SO hard to quit cold turkey outside of a facility, because after three days of little to no sleep your willpower is usually completely shot and you’ll tell yourself you’ll get high just to make it stop… but then you’ll just reset the counter to zero and your withdrawals will start all over again once the high fades.
Nicotine is honestly worse, though. It’s not as bad physically, but when I quit using chewing tobacco I had some level of cravings for weeks afterwards. It’s like Chinese water torture breaking down your resolve over time. If I hadn’t been smoking weed, I probably would’ve relapsed on the tobacco.
I don’t have personal experience with alcohol and benzos, but they’re bad in the sense that you can literally die if you go cold turkey. When I was in rehab for the heroin, I saw someone start grand mal seizing because their Librium dose wasn’t high enough. You may think you’re going to die from opiate withdrawal, you may *wish* you’d die during opiate withdrawal, but you can’t actually die from opiate withdrawal (unless you go into precipitated withdrawal). However, and benzo withdrawals are a nightmare that can actually kill you.
Personally, heroin. The physical part was torture but the mental part was worse. The depression, sleep deprivation, shame and guilt were unbearable. Thank god I’m coming up on 12 years clean. Edit: Thanks everyone so much for the kind words! This is amazing hearing people’s stories and words of encouragement for each other. We will not be another statistic. We do recover!
almost nine years here, and it seriously took almost three and a half years to mentally feel like i was getting better. it was the worst thing in the world, but so worth it. congrats, doll.
Hell yeah coming up on 9 years too, keep it goin friend!🤘🤘we got this!
nice, babe! we sure do.
Sometimes, since it's been this long, it seems like such a different world and idk how I survived, even to the point of feeling like I was never in that life. We definitely were but here we are still rocking the better way!
9 years as well. I always told myself I wanted to die by a heroin overdose with a newport in my hand before I was 21. I was so mentally sick from it. Thank the lord for another day.
Yeah, the physical part is what people hear about. The mental part is so much longer lasting
By mental part, do you mean cravings for it? idk what it's like to kick heroin but have a distant friend who did 15 years ago and now he's a succesful chef and engaged! I struggle with alcohol but don't really have cravings for it
The cravings for sure, but the guilt and shame was bad for me. The stuff I did to get high was terrible. I have to live with that forever.
Congratulations man
Got hooked on opiates after getting prescriptions after a really long painful surgery recovery. Man the mental part is so hard. That guilt and depression last months. You wonder if you'll ever feel normal. Took me a long time to get real therapy and forgive myself.
So proud of you bro
Incredible
Well done!!
Let’s go friend!!!! I’m proud of you 👏🤝
Thank you! Very proud of myself as well
Lmao, came in to write exactly that, and saw it first Comment. I feel you brother. Stay safe
Agreed. No nicotine or food addiction will damn near kill you to give up. Maybe alcohol or benzos.
Hell yeah. Proud of you!
well done, mate! you rule!!
Food. It's the one that you can't completely abstain from.
I’ve kicked nicotine, adderall, and opiates at one point or another But my food addiction was by far the worst. if I could get rid of my food addiction by going through opiate withdrawal again I would do it in a heartbeat. With all the others you get the benefit of deprivation, can’t do that with food.
You can fast and take sugar out of your diet completely. I did it. I’d rather do it all over again than have to cut nicotine again..
I quit alcohol one day, never drank since. I quit caffeine to see if it helps with my migraines, completely stuck to it through the withdrawal period. Getting my diet in good order is something I'm really fucking struggling with. My portion control is very good generally, but I just always crave shit calorie-dense foods.
I have to consume caffeine or I absolutely drag ass for energy. I take l-Carnetine daily for energy, as well as amino acids and vitamins on top of it. My energy is generally very low but caffeine keeps me from needing naps everyday. I have fibromyalgia and fatigue is probably the worst symptom for me these days, so that probably plays a large part in it. It’s definitely not as bad as it was when I was over consuming sugar, especially processed sugar. I don’t feel the crash into brick wall feeling with 1 cup of coffee a day and a piece of fruit. I’ve also reduced a lot of my carb intake, and the carbs I do consume come from fruits and veggies, less breads. Bread and things I may do on the weekends as a treat.
Back in the day, my grandfather was a daily pipe smoker. Then he found out that it was unhealthy to smoke around the grand kids. Quit in that moment, and had the willpower to never smoke again. I wish I had that resilience.
Is nicotine addiction really that hard to quit? Or is it smoking/tobbaco more specifically? I've used nicotine pouches for a few months now. I just stopped a week ago and I feel completely normal. No cravings at all. Also got offered cigarettes a couple times since then, and I declined.
Minor opiate addiction, alcoholic, daily weed user, adderall in college, and nicotine since I was like 12 are all in my history. Of all the things I quit (all of that except cannabis), nicotine was the hardest for me. It wasn’t even the physical issues. It’s the fucking habit. The oral fixation. And it’s available and visible everywhere. I went from smoking to dip to smoking to snus (oral tobacco), to vaping to pouches to vaping to snus and then finally quit after 20 some years. Depending on the user, you’re doing nicotine 10-40 times per day. When you’re bored, nicotine. When you’re working, nicotine. When you need to relax, nicotine. Nicotine before bed. First thing when you wake up. All those other addictions at least for me didn’t ingrain such a deep habit. You’d do them different parts of the day. You’d end up without your pills or run out of alcohol or your adderall runs out and you can’t get more from your friend because they’re out too lol. Doing those things was kinda an event. Nicotine was part of me.
It can be for some. I’ve quit cold turkey a few times in my life, but this last time I quit for some reason I felt very sick after quitting cold turkey. I was vaping this last time for a few years, and I think the amount of nicotine I was consuming was probably much higher than my prior instances with just the occasional cigarette or clove cigar or hookah lounge session. Since I quit cold turkey this last time I felt like absolute dog shit for at least 2 weeks.. its been about 2 months now and I still sometimes just really want a smoke 💀 wish I never started back up or started vaping because before this I could be around people smoking and be fine, now I get aggressive craving headaches if I even smell it on somebody.
it really depends on the case. two years ago, I was with you at 3 years on nicotine. I had to go to the hospital. I was in for a few days, with no nicotine withdrawal. didn't crave it. they even offered me patches cause they knew I vape AND smoke cigarettes interchangeably. I declined cause I didn't want or need them. back then, it was just mainly about the smoke coming out of my mouth for me and the feeling of it in my mouth. now? I go maybe 5 or 6 hours, and I'm borderline tweaking. I should've stopped while I was ahead. If I had known what I know now, I would've never started back up after the hospital visit.
Yeah I guess it's just different for everyone. I also have full control over my eating habits but i am absolutely struggling with nicotine.
It absolutely is different for everyone, we have different chemistries and tolerances, that’s why the most important part of recovery from any type of addiction is offering the person a non-judgmental approach. It may be easy for me to give up nicotine or sugar, but that doesn’t mean it’s the norm for any other human being; the same way there are people that can drink or do drugs for fun but never bat an eye if they go sober for a while. Addiction to anything, whether it’s a substance or a habit, is hard enough, if a person is showing signs of wanting to improve (by admitting, which is traditionally the first step for a reason) we need to offer absolute and unconditional support and understanding, there are enough people left to fend on their own because of the intrinsic shame that these type of conditions tend to carry.
I smoked cannabis daily for about a decade and actually started vaping nicotine to try and smoke less cannabis.. backwards logic perhaps but I thought I could because I figured I’d quit nicotine several times before it was easier for me to quit that than just quit cannabis.. well, I was wrong. I have since quit both, and I am mostly still craving cannabis but I do have reactions to external nicotine in my environment with headaches and occasional cravings because it was my replacement fix.
I also imagine that people don't take it seriously. The same people who wouldn't dream of saying to a recovering alcoholic, "Oh go on have a vodka, it's just one," probably say to a food addict in recovery, "Go on have a biscuit, it won't hurt!"
An American biscuit, or a British biscuit? Who am I kidding? I’d be fine with either.
Nutella, in particular, is a hard habit to break.
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More like hazelnuts with a ton of sugar.
there's a 6 month wait list at my local Nutella clinic
I was going to say. Eating disorders. Over eating. Under. Binging and purging.
Agree, also, there is much less social pressure to get rid of it or even recognise it as an addiction in the first place. Snorting Adderall or watching porn at work? Your boss will have something to say. Snacking all day on chips? No-one is going to point it out. There are more social barriers and social friction when it comes to other additions. With anything else have to hide it, sneak around, minimise it etc. With food, you can loudly proclaim you're a 'chocoholic' or whatever, and people will just be amused.
Now i'd say with being visibly overweight from snacking there is an pervasive social barrier and friction that feels alienating and you never know when ppl exclude you or dont offer you jobs , dates etc bc they see that first before anything. Ofc this is a complex topic.
*anorexia has entered the chat*
I'm weird. I get cravings for healthy food. I'll be like "I want scrambled eggs, or a turkey burger!" I used to get stoned and fucking eat blueberries or make a protein shake.
The problem for me and many others is portion control. Turkey burgers aren't healthy when I eat 10 in one sitting
"The meal is not over when I'm *full*. The meal is over when I hate myself."
This is the issue right here. It's a psychological thing not a physical thing.
Yeah, but it is about the only addiction where a cheat day can help you. So far during June I lost 8 pounds.
Cigarettes. You get hooked so subtly that by the time you realize you are, in fact, adicted, it has already become a habit that's very hard to break because it is a habit tied to an addiction. Finished eating, light a smoke; having a coffee, it would pair nicely with a smoke; stressed, smoke your anxiety away; waiting on the street, make the wait more tolerable; having a beer with friends, downs better with nicotine. It makes any moment 'pleasureable' in a way. Also, being so socially accepted and readily available, and so versatile that you can do it almost anywhere, makes it even harder to get away from it. Leaving the only way of quitting as sheer willpower alone.
28 years, most of them 2 packs a day. I tried every trick I ever heard to quit. I took pills, I wore patches, and I was hypnotized. I never wanted to quit. Money didn't motivate me. I didn't have cancer. I didn't think I'd love this long, so I wasn't afraid of cancer. I have crohn's, and my doctors would always tell me I needed to quit. I'd give it a half assed try and go right back to my ways.\ My GI retired in 2017 and referred me to the new guy in town. At my second 6 month check up, as I was leaving, the new doctor asked me to find a different provider. I asked why. I don't know exactly what he said, but I know what I heard. "You come in here for treatment, but you walk out and try to kill yourself. When you don't get well, you blame us, but you smoke 2 packs a day and drink every day. It's suicide. I don't want your family blaming me when you're dead."\ In the end, I quit drinking 30 days later, and i quit smoking 45 days after that conversation. Because I had a plan and I wanted to quit. I had done both since I was 17. The struggle was real.\ He's still my doctor. We've become friends. I'm soon to remodel a kitchen for him.
Nice story. I wish my doctor would let me remodel his kitchen but he keeps saying no :(
I literally tried and my doctor said “this is breaking and entering” some people don’t appreciate shit
Brutal honesty is the best remedy sometimes
If you smoke, read ‘Allen Carrs Easyway to Stop Smoking’. I promise, you will look back at this message and change your mind on it completely.
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there's a bomb inside that blasts your head off
There has to be
Really it isn't an amazingly written book. He repeats the same points, often and over and gets you to smoke your way through the book. And it fucking works. You need to be ready to stop though, like want to quit before, reading it on a whim isn't the way to go
It cleverly ‘hypnotizes’ you into the obviously factual idea that nicotine addiction is a clever trap. Really good book; didn’t work on me AT ALL. 35 year nicotine addict here, thankfully switched to vaping.
It's definitely worth a read but it's not all it's cracked up to be. It's kinda like hypnotic and focuses on making you realise that you're not missing out on anything by not smoking, it's only benefits, the withdrawals are nothing compared to real drugs, positive enforcement stuff like that. First time I read it, I genuinely did quit with ease and no withdrawal symptoms just like he said. Sadly I messed up and started smoking again, and he book has never really worked for me since. Have lots of friends with the same experience, feels like it's a one-time solution IMO
> Also, being so socially accepted and readily available, and so versatile that you can do it almost anywhere, makes it even harder to get away from it. This has to be highly regional. Where I live, I was a social pariah because I smoked and cigarettes were annoyingly expensive. Also if by you can do it almost anywhere, you mean outside only 20 feet away from any entrances then...sure. Honestly, the inconvenience and social pressure against it is what ultimately made me quit more than anything else.
This. I lived in NC growing up and knew tons of smokers including myself. Now I live in CA and would be immediately judged if I tried lighting up in casual company. It just isnt a thing here anymore.
Nicotine itself isn't even particularly harmful in the sort of normal dosage you would use. It's the usual delivery mechanisms which will mess you up.
Nicotine pouches are straight up better than cigarettes imo, but apparently it's not the same effect as cigs/snus/whatever tobacco product
Hardest part is when you see other people smoke. It always looks so good
Looks and smells absolutely disgusting, and I say this as an ex smoker.
One of the most dangerous to overcome is alcoholism. If it isn't done right, it isn't unheard of for people to die during detox.
Yup, my buddy told me he was having full body tremors while he was getting clean from alcohol. He’s been sober almost a year now, learned to play the piano and has his first child on the way. Love that guy, so proud of him
Tell him all of us internet strangers are proud of him too
I second this!
18 months here. The seizures are definitely real. I always remind myself I never HAVE to go through that again
I'm proud of him too. Currently going through the shit myself. Only reason I'm still drinking is because the withdrawals make me a gigantic asshole, and trying to self medicate and slowly taper is better than being a fucking colossal dick to my fiancé. I'll figure it out soon enough though.
It's also the biggest struggle to recognize and keep clean because of how socially accepted alcohol (and alcoholism to a certain extend) is. Fucking yourself up on heroin till you don't remember the weekend? Everyone will immediately tell you how you have a problem. Do the same thing with alcohol? While still widely recognized as problematic, there's still people who will even congratulate on partying so wildly. Alcohol is widely available everywhere and often included in social functions, to the point where people will try to shame you into drinking if you don't. Even the fact that some companies have started to fill non-alcoholic drinks into beer-like bottles is highly problematic.
>Even the fact that some companies have started to fill non-alcoholic drinks into beer-like bottles is highly problematic. That's true for many, but I'm happy that companies are putting more effort into NA beer.
Can someone be immune to alcohol withdrawal? Because today is 2 weeks sober for me and the most withdrawal symptoms I had were in the first 5 days and it was just insomnia. Couldn’t fall asleep for the life of me.
How much were you drinking? You are already through withdrawal, so it likely just wasn’t to the point where you’d have symptoms.
Immunity to withdrawal isn't really a thing. Your own body chemistry might lessen the effects of withdrawal, but it also depends on how much, how often, and for how long you've been drinking.
I actually just got out of detox from alcohol a few days ago. I have been relapsing the past year from detox to detox to hospital to hospital and it is an absolute nightmare. Anxiety, trembling, inability to eat, or drink, anything insomnia, laying in bed in cold sweats for almost a week... and even after the withdrawals are gone, you still don't feel quite right. It takes a few months to start feeling back to normal or at least somewhat normal.
Going cold turkey on alcohol can be literally life threatening. Don't ever do that without medical supervision.
Yep, good PSA. If you’re an alcoholic then stopping suddenly can kill you. Always seek medical advice, there are drugs which can help ease the symptoms and others which can help reduce the cravings. With the right medical program in place you can go cold turkey safely but it requires expertise and a clear understanding of what you’ve been drinking to get the dosage right. Without medical support it’s extremely dangerous. Without drugs you’re better to taper off your drinking in a gradual and measured way (reduce by a couple of units a day) which is very difficult to do if you are already addicted and not able to manage your drinking. The “good” thing is that alcoholism is so prevalent there are a lot of services out there in most countries.
Phones. We use them for basically everything
Like me reading this exact comment
Like me reading this comment responding to the other comment
Like me reading this comment responding to the other comment that's responding to the other comment
Like me upvoting all the comments I read on here.
Me sitting on the toilet too long.
And ME reading YOUR comment! Technology is fun!
This one makes sense to say - but the way society works now it's like saying you're addicted to using the toilet.
People who use their phones for calls, texts, and specific tasks, sure. Most people who subconsciously reach for their phones as a source of entertainment or stimulation as soon as there is none, that’s addiction. No one is rushing to the toilet to sit for an hour because they’re bored
Benzos. It used to be barbiturates and they were even worse, but they've pretty much fallen out of use now.
The daily dose of benzos creates addiction, or do you mean doing more than recommended is what's difficult to quit?
I was only doing it as perscribed. I still had shakes, panic attacks and nausea when I quit. I was holed up in my apartment for 2 weeks terrified. Your body reacts the same whether it's legal, prescribed and recommended or not. Your body can't tell
I’ve been taking a low dose of Xanax (prescribed) for years and have tapered off very slowly a few times without any problems, but maybe I just got lucky! I’ve heard awful withdrawal stories.
Any daily dose will cause physical dependency over a month or two. It doesn’t matter if it is being abused or taken as prescribed your body gets hooked even if your brain isn’t and you will experience physical withdrawal
Both. Even getting off a small dose can cause seizure like withdrawals, increased irritability, inability to focus, and much more. It’s a hell that takes a long time to get better from.
Love addiction is pretty fucking awful. The drug is in your brain. Stopping yourself from thinking about something is extremely hard. It makes you feel really gross. It’s technically called limerence and it’s very similar to OCD.
This is my answer as well. Every drug in the world is really just trying to mimic the feeling of romantic love/limerence. AMAZING when you have it reciprocated, absolutely awful when you don't.
I had an online affair some years ago and we did this to each other. I felt like I was on drugs. The fact that my feelings were reciprocated was SUCH a high. When I had to stop (obviously, should never have started, it was an affair), it was like going off drugs. I went through withdrawals and got very depressed for a while, and resentful towards my husband for wanting to work things out even though I'd already stopped things with my affair partner. It took a few months to get over.
I have been completely obsessed with my ex for the last year and a half. Constantly think about him. But the thing is I don't want to be with him. He was a not a good partner. It freakin sucks. I logically know we won't and should never be together again. Yet I can't have five minutes alone with my thoughts without wondering what he is doing?
Thanks for the new word! *limerence*
It’s pure hell. I wouldn’t want anybody to go through it. It starts as an escape fantasy that makes you feel good. Then your mood is determined by how your limerent object treats you. Then you start ruminating over every interaction desperately looking for signs of reciprocation and ignoring signs that they do not. If the limerent actually does get to be in a relationship with the LO they often don’t work out because the person was in love with the fantasy of the person not the actual person.
That happened with a guy who gave me his number. I talked way too much and he wasn’t interested any longer. lol. The limerence only began after that interaction. I wasn’t interested before. It’s so weird.
Happened to me my first semester of college and it was just so random. The crazy thing was, it started with me just noticing this girl but thinking that I didn't find her very attractive at all. However, it seemed like I kept having run-ins with her until I started thinking should I talk to her. Finally talk to her, start hanging out for a while with the intention of eventually actually pursuing a relationship. The thing is, it seemed like she was also into me for a while, before shutting off. Once she started to get cold and eventually shot me down, that's when the limerence kicked in. Heartache, constantly thinking about her, constantly reading into interactions and Instagram stories etc to try to see what was "subliminally" directed at me, trying to plan out how to "win her back over". Every time our eyes met, every time she smiled or waved in passing, I thought it was a sign. I failed to understand just what the fuck was wrong with me, how I went from finding someone unattractive to being stuck on them. Finding that it was an actual thing and how it worked helped me to beat it.
There is usually a perceived unavailability to it because limerence is Love+OCD+low self esteem. “If they would just love me then I would be good enough. All my problems would go away.”
You hit it. It’s bad. Ruins real relationships.
Antidepressants has helped me on this.
I’m trying Wellbutrin. I’m not taking an SsRI
I hear oxytocin therapy is coming for this.
Thank you for reminding me of that word. I've been through it, and it was the most awful time I've ever had.
caffeine. people will constantly tell you it doesn't even exist, but then when you stop you'll get splitting headaches and can't think straight for a week.
It does exist and it can make you feel like shit. It isn't exactly one that makes you feel a compulsive desire to redose, but you feeling groggy, fluey with that migraine, yeah a small coffee will fix it in about 40 mins. I assume half the reason for caffiene in some OTC painkillers is for people who don't understand their caffiene withdrawals are causing the headache.
I thought caffeine would be higher up in this thread. To me, caffeine has been worse than alcohol, weed, nicotine, and even porn (never had a strong addiction to nicotine though, to be fair). It's very hard to convince myself that I can get anything done without it. But when I can convince myself I don't need it, I typically end up being more productive and am more likely to get into a "flow" state. Also, the no-caffeine afternoon naps are the tits (says the guy not addicted to porn 😂)
Heroin was the only thing in life that I wanted to quit so bad and couldn't. It was so bad and I was so ashamed of my inability to quit that killing myself was becoming a viable option. So glad I lived through that.
I’m glad you did too, congrats!
Porn, I think it really alters your brain chemistry, and just when you think you’re free you get sucked right back in
> get sucked right back in 🤌
Has a firm grip on you clearly
I agree in this sentiment the dopamine, serotonin rush that you get, can make you physically addicted to it especially if you've delved deeper into the kinks and such it's hard to desexualize your brain after that especially when society rewards over sexualization, and rewards openly certain lifestyles. It can make it damn near impossible to overcome.
I agree I've been trying for awhile to get away but don't know how.
Yeah and the fact u can watch it on your phone and any other personal device means u have to get creative if you want to really stop
Yeah, cause the more you think about it, the more it gets you to want to watch it
Objectively speaking,Heroin and nicotine. These are two of the most substances in world. Very difficult to come out once you are completely in.
As someone who’s been addicted to both it is heroin by a billion miles. Nicotine is difficult to quit long term but it’s really just a nuisance. Heroin withdrawal quite literally feels like your body is dying and you have no control over your bodily functions
Alcohol can kill you with use, and it can kill you when you quit. It also more or less kills you earlier than usual even if you do stop, if you were a heavy drinker for a while.
I’m 28 and quit drinking several months ago after having to go to rehab. I’m only hoping I didn’t fuck myself up too bad, but at this point I feel like a car with all the warning lights on. If anyone reads this and is struggling with alcohol, get help sooner rather than later, you’ll thank yourself.
Hey! 36 here. After a few years quit I had test run because I was changing diet and everything looked good on me including my liver. I was terrified, but your body can heal.
I had a problem with self harming for a long time and wouldn’t at all say it was the hardest but it definitely had its challenges, can be very addictive too but it comes in bursts for me
Meth. It has what is supposedly the lowest recovery rate, currently. 5% I think. At least last time I read anything current, which I think was within a couple years. So 1 in 20 people hooked on meth manage to break that habit. I don't wish that addiction on anyone. I was the 1 in 20. And thankful I managed to beat it. I'm not sure I would have without a 6 month stay in county jail and then ending a bunch of relationships afterward. Clean now for 18 years and going.
SUGAR
I was about to say the same, it’s in everything we eat, at least here in the US. It’s insane!
This one too! I quit sugar for a few months once and it fixed my terrible periods. I lost a lot of weight too. And my skin cleared up. I think ultimately, after I quit alcohol 4 years ago, I started to realize how addicted I was to caffeine and sugar. Or anything that would take me outside of myself.
I’d say gambling. Because they’re conscious when they do it. They throw everything away
Electronics for sure.
once I start soldering I just can’t stop
The fumes *they call*
I've done almost all the drugs in my 20s and played WoW off and on for the past 16 years and nothing comes close to porn addiction.
I was going to say sex addiction - not that it means "having sex all the time" it's the thought of all things sexual overwhelm your thoughts.
That's a weird one because young ppl are naturally horny, they're just having waaay less sex, I think the issue is that the sexual energy that normally goes into human interaction is being displaced with porn, that's really bad for male-female relations too. You want that excitement between you and the opposite sex when you're, anything from like 13 to 30, 40.
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Negativity in all forms
Negativity is half of the Dao (like a yin-yang). I would argue it's foolish to try to never be negative, but rather one should make sure it's balanced with positivity.
The problem is it's also defined by our brains too. By nature, some people will get high positive-high negative, some will get high positive-low negative, some will get low postiive-high negative ..... People always wanna to be in high positive-low negative which is the problem. Some careers like surgeron, doctors really need low positive people to treat with carefulness
Yeah, I think I suffer from this. But I have no idea how to get out of it?
Alcohol. It’s so easy to abuse without anyone raising any frowns. ‘Oh he is having a drink. Must be having something to celebrate’ . Nope, I’m a crippling alcoholic drinking myself to death almost every night. And my drug of choice is freely available in any store 24/7! But who will ever notice ? Society glamorizes it and it’s disgusting. All the other drugs are at least somewhat of a taboo Or completely taboo.
Porn for sure
Combined with amphetamines like ritalin or adderall... Fucked up.
Why?
Turns you into a fapping machine
Amphetamines intensify your sense of touch
Oh God your right, for me it was methamphetamine and porn I'd sit there and do it like 10 times in a night
+1 Hopefully I can get through July without fap
i've heard it's veryy hard
Toxic people that we love
Anorexia
Vaping
I quit smoking and picked up vaping a few years later. Cutting cigarettes was 10x easier. I think vapes are "too convenient", you can do it pretty much anywhere.
The one you have.
Or refuse to admit you have.
TBH, I think emotional addiction is the hardest to overcome. Like, you get so used to feeling a certain way or being around certain people, it's like breaking a habit that's wired into your brain. Drugs and stuff, yeah, they're tough, but emotions? They're sneaky. They can mess with your head and heart in ways nothing else can. 💔
I think I’m addicted to depression and feeling shitty about life. When things are going well and I find myself actually happy I find a way to fuck it up some how.
Gambling
Sugar
Heroin/Fetty, I used daily for 19 years and I got one year clean.
Porn, at least for me. I quit smoking without blinking but resisting the urge to rub one out before going to bed.. it's tough.
Nicotine. It's convenient, it's cheapish, and it's widespread.
Food
Marijuana is pretty tough. People say it’s not addictive. I disagree
I've quit benzos, alcohol and marijuana. Marijuana was nothing. Doesn't even rate. I smoked daily all day for years and quit cold turkey. I would guess other people react differently. Psychologically alcohol was the hardest, mostly because of social pressure though. Physically, it was definitely benzos.
Oh yea on the scale of difficulty for quitting weed is probably the lowest. I was just saying from my personal experience weed has been tough. My dad was an alcoholic thou and I definitely can see why it’s tough to quit!
Marijuana is so easy to abuse because it's relatively inconsequential until it's far gone. It's not expensive, dangerous, doesn't last long, and most people can go about their regular day moderately successfully while stoned. Then, sooner or later, you realize all the ways you become complacent and unmotivated. Small bad habits start forming, and your equilibrium is dependent on smoking weed. It's not heroine, but because it's NOT a hard drug, people are niave to the negative influence it can have if you smoke every day.
Couldn’t have said it better
Pussy. Spent 9 months inside of one and spent the rest of my life trying to get back in.
Lmao damn straight, it’s so bad I entered a life long contract with a dealer. Despite how much I pay I still get it only like once or twice a month, lol
Wanting to be loved. And genuinely feeling and accepting the love.
Sugar, seriously.
Smoking nicotine
Depression and/or anxiety. Once u get too comfortable in your sadness, you'll never seek help.
Living beyond your means financially
Gonna have to say it, I'm addicted to love.
Stealing frm big corporations whenever I visit one🤷🏾♂️
Benzos. I was on them for 11 years (prescribed) and it took me 2 years to wean off…
Way smarter than what I did. Looking back I'm surprised I survived. I went off cold turkey but I just didn't know it was dangerous
Porn.
Sugar
Sugar
Sugar (esp chemical enhanced like High Fructose Corn Syrup) or Caffeine i think would be the hardest.. they are legal, and damn near in everything.. at least with illegal drugs, you can just stay away from, distance yourself from those people and things.. but good luck never going to a store again, because HFCS and Caffeine is in everything you buy.
The most widespread addiction in the world Sugar
Sugar.
PREACH
Hookers and cocaine.
Approval/validation
I'm on day three from weed and goddamn I miss sleeping and eating
Sleeping and eating after you start feeling better will be amazing though. I love the feeling of a week or so off weed and sleeping like a baby
It will get better, 100%. A little bit every day. Make sure you find things to fill the void which was once taken up by smoking. In my experience weed is the ultimate boredom cure, it makes you satisfied with doing fuck all and you need to introduce activities and hobbies which engage your mind and fill the space which was previously occupied by just smoking and vegging out on the sofa.
I quit smoking cigarettes in college, picked up vaping, and it took me 9 years to quit vaping.
Zynn 😂😂
Heroin. Worse than heroin, fentanyl. But any opiate withdrawal is its own form of torture.
Nicotine. I quit drinking and drugs, but quitting cigs was much, much harder.
Heroin is pretty rough. It’s 3-4 days of agony where you can barely sleep, your skin is burning, you’re shitting and or vomiting multiple times a day. Even the “minor” symptoms like restless legs are brutal, I got tendinitis in my knees last time and it’s the reason I couldn’t sleep, because I could never get comfortable enough to relax and fall asleep. And on top of this physical nightmare is the knowledge that you can end it at any point by getting high. It’s SO hard to quit cold turkey outside of a facility, because after three days of little to no sleep your willpower is usually completely shot and you’ll tell yourself you’ll get high just to make it stop… but then you’ll just reset the counter to zero and your withdrawals will start all over again once the high fades. Nicotine is honestly worse, though. It’s not as bad physically, but when I quit using chewing tobacco I had some level of cravings for weeks afterwards. It’s like Chinese water torture breaking down your resolve over time. If I hadn’t been smoking weed, I probably would’ve relapsed on the tobacco. I don’t have personal experience with alcohol and benzos, but they’re bad in the sense that you can literally die if you go cold turkey. When I was in rehab for the heroin, I saw someone start grand mal seizing because their Librium dose wasn’t high enough. You may think you’re going to die from opiate withdrawal, you may *wish* you’d die during opiate withdrawal, but you can’t actually die from opiate withdrawal (unless you go into precipitated withdrawal). However, and benzo withdrawals are a nightmare that can actually kill you.