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idonthaveanickname
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25 Mar 2017, 2:01 pm

Just wondering, because addiction is a brain disease, right? And I'm curious, are any of you on Wrong Planet alcoholics or drug addicts? I'm both an alcoholic and drug addict, but some of my family members don't believe in the disease of addiction. Can any of you relate to this? What do you do when that happens? For instance, my oldest sister has specifically said "I'm so tired of hearing that it's a disease." My mom is also a drug addict, so both my sisters have been through this with her, too. If I'm not mistaken, when both my sisters were teenagers, they went to an Al-Anon meeting and didn't like it at all. So maybe they both think that I turned into my mom? Maybe they feel like they're reliving this addiction thing with me now? I don't know. They probably think that I'm just going to keep screwing up until I die. They can think what they want, but all I know is that I've been sober for 6 months now and intend on staying sober. So, any thoughts?



redrobin62
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26 Mar 2017, 7:03 am

Substance Use Disorder is recognized as a valid mental condition within the psychiatric community. I'm a drug and alcohol addict myself and am currently in treatment which Medicaid pays for. So, yeah, it's a very real situation and not a condition which people should be shunned or cast aside for.

https://www.samhsa.gov/disorders/substance-use



Robert2P1CT
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26 Mar 2017, 9:44 pm

Sorry to hear about your adversity.

I don't know any specifics for this site, but due to the social asynchrony and recurrent marginalization of individuals with spectrum disorders, there is a strong probability that you are not alone in your addiction. Don't feel bad about it and never hate yourself. Many have overcome addiction and so can you.

As far as addiction being a "disease"? Yes, there are a lot of studies that support that. Here's a link talking about the genetic propensity of addiction:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction_vulnerability

The fact that some in your family face these same challenges adds some credence to the referenced theories.

God bless and hang in there. Keep in touch and research all you can.


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Tawaki
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27 Mar 2017, 10:19 am

Is addiction a psychological condition? Yes.

But....

Getting services is a whole different ball of wax.

I have bipolar disorder with no history of substance abuse. My insurance covers me under the mental health part.

If I have bipolar disorder and a meth addiction, it becomes a PITA. I become a dual diagnosis patient.

In my area, the average therapist/psychiatrist will not treat dual diagnosis patients or patients with a primary diagnosis of substance abuse. That all gets punted to substance abuse providers. When I was in an inpatient psych unit, the dual patients and substance abusers were on a totally different floor.

The big problem is people who want treatment start looking under mental health, and find out that you have to use the drug treatment part of your insurance. Getting help in my area for anything other than alcohol is hard. My friend is hooked on Oxycotin and Ritalin, and has been waiting three months for a treatment bed. She has Medicaid insurance.

The help is out there. Finding one you can afford and get accepted is the difficult part.

Good luck! :heart:



idonthaveanickname
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27 Mar 2017, 2:57 pm

Thank you, redrobin62, Robert2P1CT and Tawaki for your responses and support. Redrobin62 and Robert2P1CT, those were very informative links you had for me. I found them useful. Tawaki, I also have Medicaid insurance and have been to 4 different drug rehab centers and 5 different psych units. So I've already found help for myself and I thank you for your concern for my well being. Although I've been to all those places, I STILL relapsed. But that's ok because relapse is part of recovery. Thanks again, you guys!



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10 Apr 2017, 10:19 am

As far as I know there is some contention over the disease model.
Some believe addiction to be a behavioural problem, or as a psychological condition. Is that the same as "disease"?
I suppose I'm thinking of the disease model in relation to how AA identify with it, which I don't agree with. There is some evidence that this has a genetic predisposition, and can be hereditary - but that could also follow the pattern of a behavioural problem, as if your parents or caregivers had it, you inherently learned the behaviour from them.
And yes, there are alcoholics / addicts on Wrong Planet - if you're interested, head over to the Haven forum, and the alcohol and substance abuse counseling topic.
I'm an alcoholic, been sober about a year and a half. Much of my relations are alcoholics and addicts, so there was definitely a predisposition there. I hated alcohol and drugs all my life, I hated drinking, I hated it while I was doing it. Still did it. However you classify it though, as a disease or as a behaviour problem, doesn't matter as much as getting help and getting sober, whatever shape that takes for you.


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ElabR8Aspie
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11 Apr 2017, 3:32 pm

Personally,i don't see addiction as a psychological condition.
One may have an addictive personality and it's either all or nothing.

Look at the reasons why one abuses drugs/alcohol,not the addiction itself.
There's always an underlying reason.

For over 30years,i was an addict,heroin mainly and i've been clean for a few years now.
In hindsight,i was self medicating,not understanding why i was different,didn't feel i fitted into this world,not understanding mainstream,not connecting with others,anxiety,to dull the pain and to try and fit in.
I connected with addicts,associates at the time,because we all had one thing in common,addiction.

To help with recovery,look at the underlying reasons and why you abused substances.
Not the addiction itself.


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CyborgSpaceKitten
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17 Apr 2017, 9:25 pm

I am an addict who has been in recovery for a couple of months now. I am currently going to outpatient treatment and am on methadone replacement treatment. I go to group 3 times a week and see a counselor etc. and it is definitely a disease. If I am not using drugs, I become addicted to other things...eating, cigarettes, games, stealing...you name it. Unfortunately, it can be hard to gain the support of family members that don't understand the disease, so it is important to find someone you can talk to that does understand... a sponsor or just another addict in recovery that has a decent amount of clean time under their belt.



ElabR8Aspie
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19 Apr 2017, 3:26 pm

CyborgSpaceKitten wrote:
I am an addict who has been in recovery for a couple of months now. I am currently going to outpatient treatment and am on methadone replacement treatment. I go to group 3 times a week and see a counselor etc. and it is definitely a disease. If I am not using drugs, I become addicted to other things...eating, cigarettes, games, stealing...you name it. Unfortunately, it can be hard to gain the support of family members that don't understand the disease, so it is important to find someone you can talk to that does understand... a sponsor or just another addict in recovery that has a decent amount of clean time under their belt.


Imo,you my friend,have an addictive personality,it is not a disease.
Addicts replace one thing for another,in your case,heroin to methadone.
And when your not using drugs,you seek other outlets such as eating,cigarettes,games,stealing etc etc.
What your doing is seeking reward,from the pleasure center of your brain.

We as addicts imo,have low dopamine and obviously eroded over time by the use of drugs and perhaps other factors,hence seeking rewards from the pleasure center of the brain.

I'd recommend healthy foods,exercise and lifestyle,to improve dopamine levels.
I'd highly recommend 'Hemp oil' and no,not the smoking kind.
High in all omegas 3,6 and 9 and will help improve cognitive function.

Replace these addictions with a passion/s,goals,follow your dreams and what you want from life.

Me?In short,i started on heroin at the age of 17,by 19,i was on methadone and for the next 16yrs.
35th birthday,i made my mind up and was 101% resolute and jumped off 40mg's!

I met my ex online,moved interstate,to start again.

2yrs later i relapsed and had another 2 relapses before the relationship ended 3yrs later.

Drug free,initially,i threw myself into work and achieved some goals,buying my first and second home.

And by initially,i mean,i was clean for a year and relapsed at a rate of 3-4 times per year,for 6yrs.
I'd use heroin for a month,then back onto methadone for 2mnths.
Self medicating,i became a highly functioning addict and was and still am in the same employment.
And self medicating,i mean,i was wearing a mask,dealing with heightened anxiety for 6yrs,where the mask was slowly coming off.

That mask came off,just over 2yrs ago now,2yrs drug free and where at that point in time,i suffered burnout also and took a year off work,to reassess things,a journey of self discovery and question,is this life all about?

I've never seeked help from counselors nor have had family support etc,everything i've done,has been off my own bat.

What i've learn't,you've gotta be in control of your own mind,understand your weaknesses and willpower,push past those barriers.

And last but not least,mind over matter and knowing how the mind works.

I understand everyone is different but it starts with the mind.

I still have 2 habits to go and that is cigarettes and drinking a few wines after 5pm,to help me sleep.

In time i will give up,but yeah,habits are hard to break,but can be broken when resolute in mind and steely determination.


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nurseangela
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19 Apr 2017, 3:42 pm

It's both a physical and a psychological problem. It's physical (withdrawal) and psychological after withdrawal. Also, if family members are addicts, there's a higher probability of becoming an addict. This could be because of physical makeup or environmental having to do with how one was raised.


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nurseangela
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19 Apr 2017, 3:44 pm

CyborgSpaceKitten wrote:
I am an addict who has been in recovery for a couple of months now. I am currently going to outpatient treatment and am on methadone replacement treatment. I go to group 3 times a week and see a counselor etc. and it is definitely a disease. If I am not using drugs, I become addicted to other things...eating, cigarettes, games, stealing...you name it. Unfortunately, it can be hard to gain the support of family members that don't understand the disease, so it is important to find someone you can talk to that does understand... a sponsor or just another addict in recovery that has a decent amount of clean time under their belt.


They need to wean you off the methadone - that's just substituting one drug for another.


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nurseangela
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19 Apr 2017, 3:56 pm

April 14, 2017, was one year for me without any alcohol. I used to use wine to help me to sleep since my sleep schedule is so screwed from working nights. It didn't work well because I needed more and more for the same effect. Now I drink decaffeinated hot tea before bed and get a better more deeper sleep for about 4 hrs. I also take benadryl. Before I would get 2 hrs sleep, wake up and have another glass of wine, then 2 hrs more of sleep, rinse and repeat. Sleep was never restful. Now, I also have no Gi problems and no hangovers. I do miss the taste and the warmth of wine. I almost went back to it when my friend died, but my willpower won out.


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Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 83 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 153 of 200 You are very likely neurotypical
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ElabR8Aspie
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19 Apr 2017, 4:15 pm

nurseangela wrote:
It's both a physical and a psychological problem. It's physical (withdrawal) and psychological after withdrawal. Also, if family members are addicts, there's a higher probability of becoming an addict. This could be because of physical makeup or environmental having to do with how one was raised.


Granted and also psychological,during withdrawal.
It's all mind games within your own mind and one must gain back control,rather than let the mind control you.

And i agree with physical makeup and environmental,as i had very little family,grew up poor and in a poor suburb,full of drugs and crime at the time.

My two elder brothers were cocaine and heroin addicts,so that just added to the mix and also not understanding why i was different.

Such is life,no regrets.


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ElabR8Aspie
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19 Apr 2017, 4:26 pm

nurseangela wrote:
April 14, 2017, was one year for me without any alcohol. I used to use wine to help me to sleep since my sleep schedule is so screwed from working nights. It didn't work well because I needed more and more for the same effect. Now I drink decaffeinated hot tea before bed and get a better more deeper sleep for about 4 hrs. I also take benadryl. Before I would get 2 hrs sleep, wake up and have another glass of wine, then 2 hrs more of sleep, rinse and repeat. Sleep was never restful. Now, I also have no Gi problems and no hangovers. I do miss the taste and the warmth of wine. I almost went back to it when my friend died, but my willpower won out.


Firstly,well done on your year of sobriety.: )

I can relate to working nights,as i use to myself and drinking more,for more effect.
It's been so long since i've had natural sleep and i've tried various natural alternatives and they don't work for me atm.
Though i don't over drink now,a few wines at night,helps me sleep.
And i can't function properly on lack of sleep.

I plan to quit one day,when the timing is right.


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You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)

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CyborgSpaceKitten
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20 Apr 2017, 5:32 pm

nurseangela wrote:
CyborgSpaceKitten wrote:
I am an addict who has been in recovery for a couple of months now. I am currently going to outpatient treatment and am on methadone replacement treatment. I go to group 3 times a week and see a counselor etc. and it is definitely a disease. If I am not using drugs, I become addicted to other things...eating, cigarettes, games, stealing...you name it. Unfortunately, it can be hard to gain the support of family members that don't understand the disease, so it is important to find someone you can talk to that does understand... a sponsor or just another addict in recovery that has a decent amount of clean time under their belt.


They need to wean you off the methadone - that's just substituting one drug for another.


I am going to wean off of the methadone, but not until after I have gone to group and counseling for a while. It's not replacing one drug for another, it's treating a disease. Just like anyone else takes medicine when they become ill, even if it's an illness they brought on themselves, I'm taking a medication to treat a condition that I have, which is physical illness when I don't take opiate drugs. When it is time to do so, I'll come off of the methadone, but not until I'm mentally ready.



ElabR8Aspie
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21 Apr 2017, 4:31 am

Disease?Excuses?Your replacing one for the other to seek comfort in an inevitable withdrawal.
Your laying off the inevitable with a band aid fix,one that has more of a half long life ie:methadone.

It ain't an condition,your delaying the inevitable.

And groups/counseling,i see that like a religious sect,not in control of your own mind.

How does that help?How is that constructive in your own mind?

It starts with you,no one else.


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You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." --Ralph Waldo Emerson