Harmless Drugs Aren't Harmless

[Drake]

I may not be at the point where I've decided to quit, but I've hit a few bumps that have made me question my seemingly "safe" habit. One night I contemplated whether or not taking this has improved my life at all, and I realized it had put me in dangerous situations. For example, I used to love driving while high. I'd listen to music, take the scenic country backroads and explore. This was dangerous, of course, and I've stopped driving while intoxicated for the most part. There was one night where I caught myself passing out in the bathtub laying on my side. I woke up with a start, realizing I could've drowned. I also tend to eat way too much when I'm high and end up sick at work the next day. It makes it extremely hard to wake up in the morning, so I've stopped going to the gym. One time when I had relatives over that I loved and didn't get to see that often, I skipped hanging out with them a whole day just so I could do drugs. I write this as a warning about drugs that seem safe, drugs that society shines a positive light on. They aren't harmless, and they can still take over your life. Maybe I will get sober when I find some other way to keep my depression and PTSD at bay. Just an update, be careful guys, especially if you're young.

[Carolyn Marie]

Thank you for that important advice from your own experiences, @Drake.  I hope that you are seeing a therapist or other professional to help you with your addiction.  They can help you find those alternatives to the substances you're taking.  Sometimes, no matter how much we want to handle things on our own, we must reach out for help to be successful.  I wish you all the best.

 

HUGS

 

Carolyn Marie

[VickySGV]

A very harsh quote that is in recovery literature and discussion is that these drugs are "cunning ,baffling and powerful".  For a while they lead us to places we may think comfortable and happy, but they will turn on us and can lead us to insanity or death.  Thanks @Drake,

[Davie]

2 hours ago, VickySGV said:

A very harsh quote that is in recovery literature and discussion is that these drugs are "cunning ,baffling and powerful".  For a while they lead us to places we may think comfortable and happy, but they will turn on us and can lead us to insanity or death.  Thanks @Drake,

I agree with "cunning ,baffling and powerful" and I'd concur with "deadly." If I hadn't gotten help with mine, I'd have transitioned into a corpse by now.

— Davie

[Charlize]

Thanks for reaching out to warn about addiction.  I remember the horror of mine.  I am also blessed that in recovery i found others who along with abstinence each day gave me tools to handle my PTSD.  My  doctor had prescribed an antidepressant but i've actually been able to cut back and finally stop those as well.  

The pandemic has unfortunately made the problem of drug abuse even worse.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Katie M]

I've been blessed to never have gone beyond the very limited experimentation phase with certain drugs as a teen / young adult. I've lost friends and family members, who although many stuggled bravely to overcome their addictions, weren't able to do so. Prayers for you as you navigate your path @Drake!💜

[Artpetal]

The majority of drug use - not all, but the majority - is incomprehensible so I agree with you, better safe than sorry and better not addicted than addicted.

[Mandy Cooper]

It's also not quite so simple as just addiction. I've never been an addict, but in my early 20's, much of my life revolved around soft drugs. That's the real issue, the more involved you get the more your circle of friends revolves around drugs, making it very difficult to break out of the habit. You find that everyone you know uses so everywhere you go, it is assumed you will partake. In my case, I was one of the lucky ones and moved away from the drug culture rather than moving on to stronger drugs. But doing so meant leaving behind everyone I knew and completely changing my social circle.
One thing I learned from that experience also was that most of the people you associate with are not real friends. Breaking the circle of friends for me happened when I hit hard times which found me living in a small bedsit with no job for a period of about 18 months. During that time, not a single one of my so called friends even called in to see how I was doing.
That doesn't mean they were bad people, just that their priorities lay where the drugs are available and that wasn't visiting me. So I moved on and left that world behind.