Does the craving of addiction ever go away....?

[Atlantic Puffin]

Simply put..... Does the craving of your drug of choice ever go away??

Some days I'm fine - pre occupied with my current life.. But when I'm bored or alone I think about my drug of choice and what life would be like if I never met DP. Sometimes I even think I want to go back! the memories.. The friends.. The fun.. But it would have killed me. It had to end sooner or later. You can't party for the rest of your life right?

Tell me it goes away. Eventually.?!? 3.5 years on it still plagues me.

Why WHY WHY!!!!!!

[trishalishous]

Simply put..... Does the craving of your drug of choice ever go away??

Some days I'm fine - pre occupied with my current life.. But when I'm bored or alone I think about my drug of choice and what life would be like if I never met DP. Sometimes I even think I want to go back! the memories.. The friends.. The fun.. But it would have killed me. It had to end sooner or later. You can't party for the rest of your life right?

Tell me it goes away. Eventually.?!? 3.5 years on it still plagues me.

Why WHY WHY!!!!!!
While I havent had an addiction, I HAVE battled an eating disorder for 15 years.
For me, its so easy to slip back into that world.
I didnt eat until 530pm today, and I swam laps had a walk. Then I realised what I was doing, and had a hot cross bun. (mmmmmmmm)
I dont even realise that Im doing it, and EVERYTHING I see the calorie value, not a yummy piece of cake.
I think its something you have to fight forever.

[Atlantic Puffin]

Oh it's so hard... Do you ever just forget it? Or is it always there?

I mean I know I have to work for it.. But seriously sometimes I don't enjoy where I'm at now even though it's great.

Arch need to snap out of it!

[FloatingFairy]

I was never really addicted to any of the drugs I took in my past, but I have had addictions to other things and sometimes I don't think the craving ever goes away.

It's more about how to deal with it every day...enjoy the fun memories but know that it is best to remain in the past in order for a brighter future.

Hope you can find peace with your addiction cravings :)

[Kimnus]

It has been 6 years since DH took me away from my addiction. And yes i still crave it.

The way it felt, the friends, the sense of that i could do anything and everything.

And i have slip along the way.

It is so hard, but i look at what i have, and what i can have without it, and then i think i don't need it.

But it is hard. And i am so glad that my DH took me away from it as i don't think i would have made it on my own and i would hate to think where i would be now.

[RoarsomeMum]

:hugs::hugs: I am not sure it ever really goes away :hugs::hugs: and I HATE saying that because I feel like it has the power to upset the apple cart or push us all off the wagon.. :( But... I think its HELPFUL to know.. that choosing sobriety and staying clean means making that choice every single day, sometime multiple times a day.. Its horrifying to think about, but so is the other option....

Like everything "past" we paint it so pretty.. it is so EASY to remember the good stuff.. I have to MAKE myself forget that and focus on the horror, on the why I stopped part.. I have had to retrain my brain slowly but surely.. (and with help, ****ELOADS of help!!!!!!)

Try to stay as distracted as you possibly can, make plans with friends, get out and about.. work out (or try to do something physical) till you can think without thinking about "it".

You are stronger than you know.. Speaking out here proves it. I applaud and thank you for it. :yes:

[jennibear]

I probly cant say i was ADDICTED, but i certainly LIKED my drug of choice. When i fell pregnant, it was very important to me to give it up. I had a LAST ONE and i found that was alot easier than giving up just like that...it was almost like i got to say goodbye.

2 kids later and breastfeeding and i STILL crave it sometimes, but for me, its NOT just about me anymore, which has made it alot easier. I also found, not putting myself in situations when i would want to use made it easier too.

My favourite saying is 'Idle hands are the Devils play thing'. Definatly true when dealing with addiction. Try and keep yourself and your hands busy.

[A mothers love]

I think for illegal drugs, well my drug of choice, yes.

I was heavily into one particular one and if I had any lying around I would take it no matter the time of day.

But 10 years after I could have it occasionally and have a little and put the rest away for weeks at a time.

I think in my case, I knew that if I got addicted to this drug again I would end up loosing my kidney and it wasn't worth that. Was nice to go out get trashed occasionally but was even nicer to know that I can and would say nope don't feel like it.

My history with them has been going for half my life and the only drug I had problems getting off was pot

[Atlantic Puffin]

Thanks everyone...

I mean I know I'm better off .. But there is always that little thing in the back of my mind saying "you gave it up too soon.. You weren't ready to be clean"...

For me it was DP and it was either him or the addiction. So i felt forced into quitting. Now all my friends have moved away from my area and onto bigger and better things (navy, over seas, Melbourne etc) and I'm still stuck here in this *hitty town with no friends and a bored imagination stuck in the past thinking about how fun it was.

I do forget the bad times though. Your right. Vomiting all over myself and passing out in a nightclub bathroom to have a close male friend barge in, take my dirty dress off and carry me out in my underwear. More embarrassing then anything and I won't ever go back to that. But the fun times.... Just wish I could think of some good times drug free. Or wish I could forget.

It's hard to talk about it. Because the few bad times were really really bad. But..... Hmmm

Just another day I guess I have to get used to this feeling :(

[trishalishous]

for me, no, i dont think it will go away.
ive been 'cured' for 9 years now, and when i was pregnant with hyperemesis, i was hospitaalised for psych observation. they thought i was inducing vomiting, so i wouldnt get 'fat' while pregnant.
although being pregnant and breastfeeding are so good for me, mentally, as theres no way id risk my child.

[Atlantic Puffin]

Wow trish I'm sorry you had to go through that at the hospital :hugs: we can really be our own worst enemy some times ... But sometimes when we feel better it's other people who drag us down because of our past.

:hugs: thanks for your responses... I think maybe I'm just sometimes not ready to grow up... But on the other end of the spectrum.. There's nothing I want more then to marry DP and have his babies. We are TTC and maybe the failure of that is piling on top of everything else.

Hmm

[AppelsAndOranjes]

You have to focus your energy elsewhere and remember that those memories you think were great probably were not that at all.

Whenever I got an urge I think back to the time I was almost raped due to the fact I had gone way overboard with it one night. Luckily someone stopped it happening. What a sight I must have been, covered in vomit with knickers down and someone still saved me. I rarely speak about it but just know that if you focus on other things you will forget it all.

I have a great career and kids now and while I sometimes wonder about that life I know I could never return to it.

[jake's mum]

...

[mummykitty]

Thanks everyone...

I mean I know I'm better off .. But there is always that little thing in the back of my mind saying "you gave it up too soon.. You weren't ready to be clean"...

For me it was DP and it was either him or the addiction. So i felt forced into quitting. Now all my friends have moved away from my area and onto bigger and better things (navy, over seas, Melbourne etc) and I'm still stuck here in this *hitty town with no friends and a bored imagination stuck in the past thinking about how fun it was.

I do forget the bad times though. Your right. Vomiting all over myself and passing out in a nightclub bathroom to have a close male friend barge in, take my dirty dress off and carry me out in my underwear. More embarrassing then anything and I won't ever go back to that. But the fun times.... Just wish I could think of some good times drug free. Or wish I could forget.

It's hard to talk about it. Because the few bad times were really really bad. But..... Hmmm

Just another day I guess I have to get used to this feeling :(

I like a pp said will slip back into not eating really easily and can go days without it registering DP helps with that though..

As for addiction I've never had an addiction but DP used to take a fair few things and doesn't seem to struggle or miss it too much he says I am enough and he doesn't need the drugs now :goodvibes: BUT and I think this is a very important but- he **CHOSE** to quit himself, I didn't push him or even ask it of him he got off that plane with it leaving his system and has been great ever since. He does still smoke but has set his quit date himself and I am happy with that. His mum wants me to make him quit but I believe it really needs to come from yourself for it to stick properly :yes: :hugs: I hope it gets easier though AP xx

[AndrewTheEmu]

I dont have the answer but Im hoping it does and just thought i would let you know you are not alone :hugs:

Ive had 2 stints with 2 different substances. The first 'stint' lasted 3 years, then i had 6 months 'off' before i fell in love with something else. I only quit when I discovered i was pregnant with DD (26 months ago) and while i have no interest in the first substance, i still think/dream about the 2nd one.

Heres a running comentry in my head.
'surely just once wouldnt hurt' I know dam well it will because i tried to quit so many times and every 'just once' turned into another few months of abuse.

'it was so much fun/i wish i could go back there'.. ah. no i dont. I hated being a slave to my addiction, at the time I always felt so guilty because I wanted to quit and couldnt. It was a constant embarressment. And while I found it 'fun', no one else in my life did and everything so decayed because of it.

'it was such a good life'.. how could i possibly know that when i was out of it all the time anyway. I never had any money. and had to hide away so no one knew how bad it really was. That doesnt sound like a good life to sober me.

Im guessing it goes away sometime between 2 yrs 2 months and 5 years 8 months (due to being over the first substance but not the 2nd ;))

If you ever want to chat/vent you can pm me. I, like you, am usually distracted by my daily life but there are times i think (or like last night, dream) about using again x

[Ffrenchknickers]

I don't think so :(

[Baburun]

I don't think so :(

:hugs:
I think it does, eventually... took about 18 months for intense cravings to go for me, and another couple of years to not wish I had some at certain times.
Actually I still do that sometimes - but if it magically appeared now I wouldn't take it. I'd certainly be tempted though.
I can go into details if you'd like, I'm just being vague because everyone else is.

[Ffrenchknickers]

Thanks for the hugs x

[Ffrenchknickers]

Would love to go into more detail but I'll wait and see if we get that new section:)