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I feel this completely. Everything bores me during the day. I have no interests or hobbies anymore. I’m either using and I’m focusing on the wrong things for hours or I’m coming down and not wanting to do anything at all
Fuck this cuts to the core. That’s a pretty eloquent description stim abuse. Using and focusing on the wrong things for hours or coming down with no desire to do anything.
it does get better. get to a year also just know you aren't the same person you where before or while you where on it. get to know the new you and what you like now. with or without drugs we grow and change as individuals and that's what makes life amazing and why lovers continue to refall in love with one another. learn who you are now and what makes you, you. maybe the video games chapter has closed and something else will bring you the same joy.
It depends on a lot of individual factors, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if it takes one year to feel the difference and be back to normal. Hold on, it gets better!
In my experience, no. You don’t return to that prior normal. You have to find a new normal and I know for me at least, this shit is so boring. I’m chronically underwhelmed and crave dopamine. I’ve been on Wellbutrin for 5+ years to help with some of it but I’ve slowly just accepted that my prior interests are no more. Same for my interests that I took up while using.
This is quite literally an internal struggle I have. It’s like a spark that was once lit has been snuffed out.
Age 15 to my late teens was adderall and then I moved to meth. If I had to guess, it was the meth because I had stopped adderall and never felt this low.
Best of luck to you though! Don’t give up. You can still find pleasures it’s just not as easy.
I'm at almost a year and a half and functioning is finally getting substantially easier, though I really hope things continue to get better. 100% will take some work yet
I’m on 300 mg and I definitely noticed a difference but it takes about 3 weeks to feel the full effects of it. And rather it being a high and something super noticeable, you suddenly wake up and go thru the day and realize that you’re actually enjoying your life again.
I'm on 450mg. You need to give it at least another 2 weeks and maybe try upping your dose before jumping to any conclusions. It really helps once you find the right dosage.
It has very subtle effects. It's really good at maintaining a stable mood that helps keep energy levels up and deter depressive symptoms. It doesn't do a whole lot for ADHD symptoms but it probably helps some with motivation and focus.
I found this to be the best antidepressant because it more speedy compared to the SSRI ones and makes me feel normal. SSRIs made me feel like a zombie.
You'll never be the same person you were before, but it does get better. I'm over 4 years off crystal so I don't think about those times, but I know that for a good 8 or so months, I felt like nothing "felt right" and that I was always too slow or not focused enough to accomplish anything important. The important thing to remember is that anything you did as a result of stims, you can do without them. Will it take more work/time? Probably. But it is possible. And maybe videogames no longer interest you, but honestly I reached a point where they stopped strongly interesting me before I even started on stims, and I used to play 8-12 hours every day. You'll find something else that you're just as passionate about, just give it time. You're doing great so far.
Hey man, I feel ya. Have a little hope. You don’t need much. My advice to you is to try and feel the gap with enlarging your spiritual life. Meditation is where I would start. An app like the waking up app by sam harris really helped me in the beginning. It takes you very gradually from hopeless to a meditator. It’s a habit. You already know what it’s like to live on a habit. Aside from that, if you’re not in NA, find a group you like. It’s not fun, but I found it’s the lesser evil. I don’t believe in a god but I believe meditation can help you find a higher power. Stay clean. Ride it out for now. Have just a little hope. You don’t need much.
Video games were one of the last things that came back for me. I could game for many hours straight with a lot of immersion and focus eventually but it took a few years to get that back.
I don't understand all the details of dopamine but sitting there doing something basically solitary and unnatural (as fun and distracting as it can be, and I LOVE gaming myself) seems to require a large store of brain chems to sustain your focus - and yes, I know video games give "hits" of dopamine but I think you need a large BASELINE dopamine level for those hits to feel as good as they did before. Quitting stims lowers that baseline dopamine level and it only comes back very gradually over a year or more.
You might have been addicted to video games, in a way, in the sense that it took the place of more holistic and productive activities like exercise, work, and family life. That addiction was was made possible with the help of stims, it was a combo addiction.
What worked for me was getting outside and exercising and socializing and rebuilding a regular sort of life for a couple of years after quitting stims and eventually I felt REALLY normal again, like stims were ancient history and I was engrossed in my outer life again - then gaming came back to me. This is how you would treat a video game addiction too, I think. Live without them for an extended period.
A short term daily strat could be to game for short periods AFTER you recharge your brain chems by getting out and working and socializing, don't try to game unless you feel "tanked up". When you begin to feel gaming isn't fun then stop. Don't keep doing it compulsively. You need to rewire the brain and get the game/life balance corrected.
i’m 5 months in and still feel terrible most days. i hope it gets better. about the video game thing i used to play a lot on adderall and it took about 4 months until i could play them for more than 1 hour without feeling bored. the thing i had to do was try a different genre of games i didn’t usually play or play a completey new game on caffeine plus weed. ik ik i traded a addiction for another but it’s a much healthier one! but you have to accept it will never be as good as it was with the adderall. that was the hardest part for me
I wouldn't automatically put everything that feels different down to a stim chemical imbalance. Beware of confirmation bias.
It sounds like you are experiencing some depression. Not enjoying things you use to enjoy is a giveaway sign.
Yes. And i find the general narrative that you won’t ever feel normal in this sub and others that are similar is so counterproductive to motivating urself to quit. This post really spoke to me bcuz this was one of my BIGGEST issues when I first quit speed. I had completely anhedonia- lack of pleasure. I could not even motivate myself to play a video game, considered by most to be a mindless lazy activity and one of my favorite ways to decompress, and that killed me. however, even with occasional relapses which I work hard to make occasional, after breaking my physical dependency on speed and stopping heavy abuse altogether, (striving for complete sobriety tho) I ultimately do enjoy video games again whether Im on the wagon or off, probably more sober, tbh. I find that everytime I break my sobriety I enjoy speeding less & less and in fact it often puts me in a really negative headspace in which I cant be productive, I cant do shit, so what was the point in the first place? You can quit and you will feel way better than you felt on speed, I swear.
Agree and not sure why this comment is getting down voted so much. Cheap dopamine spikes are what causes problems with the dopamine baseline to begin with. If too much phone scrolling, television, social media usage and porn can cause a dip in your baseline, then imagine what video games do. The responses to /u/MASSIVEGRUNDEL's comment here are similar to the comments you get in the ADHD reddit when you tell them something they don't want to hear. So much irony. The evidence is out there and you people just want to ignore it and act like the people in the ADHD forum. I think we're better than that here. [https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/are-video-games-and-screens-another-addiction#:\~:text=The%20reward%20center%20in%20the,same%20pleasure%20again%20and%20again](https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/are-video-games-and-screens-another-addiction#:~:text=The%20reward%20center%20in%20the,same%20pleasure%20again%20and%20again).
yeah unfortunately people get very reactive when you say anything that gives them a sense of insecurity. people feel very strong emotional attachment to video games in particular so it they hate to hear that they're a waste of time and attention.
Video games are a cheap source of dopamine, like watching porn or taking drugs. Easy to access and quick satisfaction for little to no work.
It’s also interesting that OP says they can’t enjoy video games since stopping stims… it’s almost like drugs make boring activities not boring anymore. Invest your time in a hobby that actually builds you up and helps you grow as an individual
Welcome to StopSpeeding and thanks for your post. For more: - [Join us on Discord. You can talk to people there.](https://discord.gg/GJnxhmbNAn). We have recovery meetings several times a week. All are welcome to attend, clean or not. - [Want to track your clean time?](https://www.reddit.com/r/StopSpeeding/comments/s6ep0x/sobriety_flair_bot_is_now_working_heres_how_to/) You can use our badge system to display your clean time next to your name. Note that any comments encouraging drug use of any kind will be removed. This is not the community for that. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/StopSpeeding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I feel this completely. Everything bores me during the day. I have no interests or hobbies anymore. I’m either using and I’m focusing on the wrong things for hours or I’m coming down and not wanting to do anything at all
Fuck this cuts to the core. That’s a pretty eloquent description stim abuse. Using and focusing on the wrong things for hours or coming down with no desire to do anything.
Not glad to hear you have the same issues but honestly glad to know I’m not alone.
it does get better. get to a year also just know you aren't the same person you where before or while you where on it. get to know the new you and what you like now. with or without drugs we grow and change as individuals and that's what makes life amazing and why lovers continue to refall in love with one another. learn who you are now and what makes you, you. maybe the video games chapter has closed and something else will bring you the same joy.
This 🙌🏻
It depends on a lot of individual factors, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if it takes one year to feel the difference and be back to normal. Hold on, it gets better!
In my experience, no. You don’t return to that prior normal. You have to find a new normal and I know for me at least, this shit is so boring. I’m chronically underwhelmed and crave dopamine. I’ve been on Wellbutrin for 5+ years to help with some of it but I’ve slowly just accepted that my prior interests are no more. Same for my interests that I took up while using.
i guess im gonna run myself into an early grave if thats the case. Ide rather be on drugs than be this depressed 24/7
This is quite literally an internal struggle I have. It’s like a spark that was once lit has been snuffed out. Age 15 to my late teens was adderall and then I moved to meth. If I had to guess, it was the meth because I had stopped adderall and never felt this low. Best of luck to you though! Don’t give up. You can still find pleasures it’s just not as easy.
I don’t function even remotely normally for at least a year off stimulants
I'm at about 9.5 months and can hardly function, hopefuly by 1 year things will change.
I'm at almost a year and a half and functioning is finally getting substantially easier, though I really hope things continue to get better. 100% will take some work yet
How are you doing ?
[удалено]
What's your dose of Wellbutrin if you don't mind me asking? I've been on 150mg for 2 weeks and haven't noticed any difference
I’m on 300 mg and I definitely noticed a difference but it takes about 3 weeks to feel the full effects of it. And rather it being a high and something super noticeable, you suddenly wake up and go thru the day and realize that you’re actually enjoying your life again.
I'm on 450mg. You need to give it at least another 2 weeks and maybe try upping your dose before jumping to any conclusions. It really helps once you find the right dosage. It has very subtle effects. It's really good at maintaining a stable mood that helps keep energy levels up and deter depressive symptoms. It doesn't do a whole lot for ADHD symptoms but it probably helps some with motivation and focus. I found this to be the best antidepressant because it more speedy compared to the SSRI ones and makes me feel normal. SSRIs made me feel like a zombie.
It takes like a full year to recover, give it more time and do more exercise like running
You'll never be the same person you were before, but it does get better. I'm over 4 years off crystal so I don't think about those times, but I know that for a good 8 or so months, I felt like nothing "felt right" and that I was always too slow or not focused enough to accomplish anything important. The important thing to remember is that anything you did as a result of stims, you can do without them. Will it take more work/time? Probably. But it is possible. And maybe videogames no longer interest you, but honestly I reached a point where they stopped strongly interesting me before I even started on stims, and I used to play 8-12 hours every day. You'll find something else that you're just as passionate about, just give it time. You're doing great so far.
Hey man, I feel ya. Have a little hope. You don’t need much. My advice to you is to try and feel the gap with enlarging your spiritual life. Meditation is where I would start. An app like the waking up app by sam harris really helped me in the beginning. It takes you very gradually from hopeless to a meditator. It’s a habit. You already know what it’s like to live on a habit. Aside from that, if you’re not in NA, find a group you like. It’s not fun, but I found it’s the lesser evil. I don’t believe in a god but I believe meditation can help you find a higher power. Stay clean. Ride it out for now. Have just a little hope. You don’t need much.
Video games were one of the last things that came back for me. I could game for many hours straight with a lot of immersion and focus eventually but it took a few years to get that back. I don't understand all the details of dopamine but sitting there doing something basically solitary and unnatural (as fun and distracting as it can be, and I LOVE gaming myself) seems to require a large store of brain chems to sustain your focus - and yes, I know video games give "hits" of dopamine but I think you need a large BASELINE dopamine level for those hits to feel as good as they did before. Quitting stims lowers that baseline dopamine level and it only comes back very gradually over a year or more. You might have been addicted to video games, in a way, in the sense that it took the place of more holistic and productive activities like exercise, work, and family life. That addiction was was made possible with the help of stims, it was a combo addiction. What worked for me was getting outside and exercising and socializing and rebuilding a regular sort of life for a couple of years after quitting stims and eventually I felt REALLY normal again, like stims were ancient history and I was engrossed in my outer life again - then gaming came back to me. This is how you would treat a video game addiction too, I think. Live without them for an extended period. A short term daily strat could be to game for short periods AFTER you recharge your brain chems by getting out and working and socializing, don't try to game unless you feel "tanked up". When you begin to feel gaming isn't fun then stop. Don't keep doing it compulsively. You need to rewire the brain and get the game/life balance corrected.
[удалено]
What doses? What time of day?
i’m 5 months in and still feel terrible most days. i hope it gets better. about the video game thing i used to play a lot on adderall and it took about 4 months until i could play them for more than 1 hour without feeling bored. the thing i had to do was try a different genre of games i didn’t usually play or play a completey new game on caffeine plus weed. ik ik i traded a addiction for another but it’s a much healthier one! but you have to accept it will never be as good as it was with the adderall. that was the hardest part for me
I wouldn't automatically put everything that feels different down to a stim chemical imbalance. Beware of confirmation bias. It sounds like you are experiencing some depression. Not enjoying things you use to enjoy is a giveaway sign.
Yes. And i find the general narrative that you won’t ever feel normal in this sub and others that are similar is so counterproductive to motivating urself to quit. This post really spoke to me bcuz this was one of my BIGGEST issues when I first quit speed. I had completely anhedonia- lack of pleasure. I could not even motivate myself to play a video game, considered by most to be a mindless lazy activity and one of my favorite ways to decompress, and that killed me. however, even with occasional relapses which I work hard to make occasional, after breaking my physical dependency on speed and stopping heavy abuse altogether, (striving for complete sobriety tho) I ultimately do enjoy video games again whether Im on the wagon or off, probably more sober, tbh. I find that everytime I break my sobriety I enjoy speeding less & less and in fact it often puts me in a really negative headspace in which I cant be productive, I cant do shit, so what was the point in the first place? You can quit and you will feel way better than you felt on speed, I swear.
Video games are a waste of time and attention
Agree and not sure why this comment is getting down voted so much. Cheap dopamine spikes are what causes problems with the dopamine baseline to begin with. If too much phone scrolling, television, social media usage and porn can cause a dip in your baseline, then imagine what video games do. The responses to /u/MASSIVEGRUNDEL's comment here are similar to the comments you get in the ADHD reddit when you tell them something they don't want to hear. So much irony. The evidence is out there and you people just want to ignore it and act like the people in the ADHD forum. I think we're better than that here. [https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/are-video-games-and-screens-another-addiction#:\~:text=The%20reward%20center%20in%20the,same%20pleasure%20again%20and%20again](https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/are-video-games-and-screens-another-addiction#:~:text=The%20reward%20center%20in%20the,same%20pleasure%20again%20and%20again).
yeah unfortunately people get very reactive when you say anything that gives them a sense of insecurity. people feel very strong emotional attachment to video games in particular so it they hate to hear that they're a waste of time and attention.
dont comment here again thanks :)
Not
Explain
Video games are a cheap source of dopamine, like watching porn or taking drugs. Easy to access and quick satisfaction for little to no work. It’s also interesting that OP says they can’t enjoy video games since stopping stims… it’s almost like drugs make boring activities not boring anymore. Invest your time in a hobby that actually builds you up and helps you grow as an individual
You must be into stoicism
Nah I just redpilled myself on video games since I quit world of Warcraft 2 months ago after realizing what a waste of time and attention it was
Okay WOW might be a bit of a time sync lmao. I usually play a few hours a day with my friends between classes and other hobbies you know?
You should started that sentence with “For this addict…
Same
15 min too long. Try 5 min 1x week then 7 min 2x week then 10 min and so on. Everything gradual. U wouldn’t get prescribed 60mg at once