Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselling Thread

Post Reply New Topic

Huh... I'm researching e-cigs right now. I am a pack a day smoker and am out. I'm all twitchy and feel like my skin is crawling. I keep pacing back and forth... resisting the urge to head to the store for one more pack.

I caved.

I should probably start watchin g this fred

screw it, I'm not going to stop smoking coffin nails.......I'll try and keep it down to 5 or less per day though.

Trying my hardest right now to give up smoking weed. been smoking pretty much every day for the last 2 years, with the odd break in between (longest has been 2 months). So far Im 5 days since my last joint but life without it seems sooo damn boring right now. Im trying to keep myself occupied with exercise and spending time with family but Im so tempted. I know that all it would take is a phonecall and a 5 minute drive and I could have another bag in my hands.

I just wish I could be creative with my photography and music without the stuff. I know if I smoke again though that it will just lead to me shying away from everyone and not wanting to be around even my family. I know ive changed since I started toking up, I just want to go back to how I was before I started but Im not even sure if thats possible anymore.

The thing that scares me most though is that a few members of my family suffer from schizophrenia, and in the case of my cousins (identical twins) cannabis is the thing that brought the illness out in them. I dont want that to happen to me, I just wish I didnt enjoy smoking as much as i do.

As far as I can tell, addiction is not a disease, it is a behavioral problem that is often comorbid with other mental illnesses, such as asperger, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.

There is no cure for addiction currently. You can try AA if you like but be careful of the crazies. The 12-steps are nonsense but as Aspies I'm sure everybody here already realizes that.

I wish I had a cure, but I do not. You have to want to change and you have to choose to change. Every time you drink or do drugs, you are making a deliberated, calculated choice (unless you are completely out of touch with reality)

I just want to go back to how I was before I started but Im not even sure if thats possible anymore
I just wish I could be creative with my photography and music without the stuff.


That's your OUT
Go for it!


wish and want
learn and regret
create and combine
confide and confound
collude and cogitate

And it is a behavioral problem how? that is contrary to what I learned in my college psychology classes. Also if it's just a behavioral problem shouldn't it be possible to cure it?

Okay, here's my point. Anxiety is neurological, depression is neurological, but going out to 7-11 and buying a bunch of beer is a behavior. Going to shady streets and buying cocaine is a behavior. There is a slight difference. I am simply pointing out the obvious.

This doesn't contradict the fact that neurology can affect a person's desire to engage in drinking and drugging. I know this from personal experience.

There is a very slight difference and people tend to gloss over it.

Addiction is not the action of going and buying drugs.

Well, yes obviously, but you get my point. We are debating semantics now.

My point was that I have tried AA and it is BS. There really are no adequate answers for people suffering from addiction, unless you know something I don't? I'm not trying to be hostile, you are 100% correct with your remark... but obviously you must know what my point is. My point is what is a person supposed to stop drinking other than stop drinking??? There are no meds for it obviously. A person simply has to decide on their own, I am done with this s**t.

no I don't really see your point about it being behavioral because I still don't see how addiction is behavioral....especially depending on the addiction, some drugs cause physical dependency in which case its much much more than behavior, obviously the body would be tricked into thinking it needs the drug and it might very well now need it for some function.....so yeah if anything its much more neurological than behavioral.

But yeah I am somewhat addicted to cigarettes, I mean some people are much worse than I am......but there actually are medications used to help treat some addictions, not saying it would work for everyone but there are things that can help. But yeah if someone wants to stop drinking I won't argue that they are going to have to be the one that wants to stop drinking......then I again I don't quite understand the need for the extreme of either drinking all the time or not having a single drop of alcohol for the rest of ones life. I mean it is also possible to you know slow down on the drinking....but I guess I can see how if someone really has an issue with it drinking even on occasion might tempt them back into old habits.

I'm kind of starting to wonder do I drink because I want to or because I need to(or feel like I need to)? and do I really even care either way?

I think
I actually think the action of going and buying drugs is A Really Strong addiction
It's terrifying in it's own right
but when it's over and you get home and (if you get home) you can let the numbness embrace
I can remember times when I did not want to take drugs at all
but I did go out and solicit them, purely for human interaction
Loneliness... it's a Motherf***er of a drug to kick

Addiction is when you 'need' a drug(either psychological addiction, or the ones that cause physical addiction)....buying drugs does not nessisarily mean you are addicted to them, that's what I was trying to point out. I personally have not reached any point were I don't want to take drugs at all and am just participating for human interaction. But lonliness is difficult, my issue is I feel lonely even around people so I can't say I am never trying to numb the lonliness.

^uhh...damn I feel I was coming off as kinda blunt, honestly I am not quite as in control as I'd like to think....so I guess I was trying to over-compensate or something with my text book/internet research. so for what its worth I apologize for being blunt