Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselling Thread

Post Reply New Topic

For a while, I was drinking cups of espresso-flavored vodka back to back. Thankfully, I have become alert to the threat...

I'm a bad boy.

ive never had a problem stopping smoking weed, but i think thats the major problem. If it was hard i would have done it but because its easy i think why bother, ill do it tomorrow.....

It's just having something interesting to do every night stops me doing anything else.

I've started to become more and more aware that it's possible to stop in life and never get going again.

You can't just stop in life. Even if it feels u can have a break and then get going later the way bodies seem to deteriorate is disturbing. Im becoming more and more aware of the importance of health and maintaining myself.

I just can't live a life where weed is the only thing in it anymore.

I need to establish some good routine and then at a later date reintroduce weed as something i can do occasionally, like 1 weekend a month but with some restrictions that mean it doesn't take over my life the way it has.

I'd love to have one of those bossy girlfriends that would help me with things like this. Someone bossy but not stupid i might add, plenty are bossy but its about having the right personality driving it.

I would also love one of these to help me organise myself.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/the ... t-puts-you


i think i could get a much better hold on it if i just had some interesting things to do with my life rather than this situation i have atm where i am cut off and spend 23.5 hours a day alone.

The times when ive been busy weed has just naturally taken a back burner because interesting things push it out.

I think i ought to just start getting out and visiting relatives more and see where that leads me. Ive got a huge family and i get on with most of them. I get invited to things, my cousin chris always asks if i want to go to the pub or something, but i always just blow it off.

I've got places i can go where there are people and i can socialise but the thing that bothers me has always been the level of intelligence with the people that are always there. I just seem stuck into a working class existence with not a bit of intelligent conversation ever irl. I think i just need some better social circles, will visit a volunteering site later and will get a bit more seriously into education and see if that can solve my problems.

Well anyway, day one of quitting, i will post every week on a monday.

I have been sober (alcohol) 21 years, but my Asperger's was diagnosed just within the last year. So, I am pleased to have found this thread.

Looking back, it is quite clear how my Asperger's would trigger my drinking. Fortunately for me the tools I learned to get and stay sober worked well enough anyway.

Today, I find that those areas of my life that have remained troublesome throughout sobriety are most often related to my Asperger's. And that insight has opened the door to a new set of tools to help address some of those troubles.

So yeah, I guess I have some gratitude going on today.

Hey all, I just want to say that within the last 2 years I have started to drink and do drugs (mostly cocaine) alot. It all started because well drinking would bring me out shell and coke would make me super social. So yeah it started out great making drinking and blow once in like a 6 week period. Now im to the point where it is 1 to 2 times a week. Im still paying my bills and never missing work (which I never go drunk or high) but I feel it could get worse and would like any tips thanks

^^Keep an eye on your money, and stop if it gets worse...

Guys I've been obsessing over ways to use and get away with it for the past 6 or so hours.

I have been sober for 9 months and 11 days, and I've never had this bad of an urge to use before.

It's a combination of all this stress I'm going through and everyone that seems to be relapsing around me.

I'm the head of house at a recovery house, which is a sober living house for addicts in recovery.

But in the past 4 days, I'm having to kick out over half of the people in it. There's a total of 5 including me and 3 of them have relapsed.

One was my ex girlfriend (who was my girlfriend at the time) and she overdosed on heroine, then once released from the hospital went home, so she's gone.

Next was a guy I've been suspicious of for a long time and we've given him two drug tests which he barely passed before. It's basically that we strongly suspected he was using but couldn't prove it so we couldn't kick him out.
Well earlier in the week one of our friends that doesn't live in the house approached me and told me he had gone to the house to find another tenant but couldn't find him so he went to that one guys room. He said when the guy opened the door of his room a huge wave of weed hit him.
Also the guy that has been suspected of smoking weed had suddenly been fired from his job from a retail theft charge that "popped up".

So we gave him a drug test yesterday night and he tested positive for THC. I said to him, "Okay do you finally want to be honest with me about WTF is going on?"
He then admitted to using both weed and heroine, that he's been stealing fifths of Hennessey from the grocery store to trade for bags of heroine, and that the theft charge was him getting caught doing it. His job found out and fired him.
So I gave him 24 hours to pack his things.

Then another guy we've been suspicious of because we saw him nodding out. He's on suboxone so I thought maybe it could have been from that the first time I saw him look tired and droopy, then the second time I was like, okay he's doing something.
I couldn't drug test him because there's no at home drug tests that isolate suboxone from other opiates. I have tried to get him to sign a release form from his doctor and out patient rehab counselor so I can make sure his drug tests there have been clean. He's been stalling on both.

Finally he left on Friday night to go see his aunts (Which I doubt), so I searched his room. I found a progress report that his outpatient counselor had submitted to him less than a week ago. It said that he tested positive for heroine and was not following his suboxone program or attending all his outpatient sessions.
So as soon as he gets back tonight I'm telling him he has to leave by tonight.

(The reason for difference of time between the two guys is that one has a car - the one I'm telling to leave tonight and the other doesn't so 24 hours is ample time for him to get his parents to come down and drive him home).


Just with all these relapses in the past 4 days has been so stressful and disappointing. That's not even the worst part. The fact that now I've got 3 empty rooms and if I don't fill them by the 1st of next month I'm not going to get paid by the landlord.

So now I'm scrambling around, a few days before Christmas, trying to call in patient rehab centers to get interviews set up so I can fill up those spots.

I'm also meeting with my friend who's the head of house of our other recovery house to work on the rules.

It's been a learning experience, we're not an established recovery house that's been around for decades like the Oxford houses. In fact this house was established 7 months ago, and I was the first tenant to ever move in. The head of house relapsed and was kicked out 3 months ago and so I've been the head since and plan to remain this way until I move out in April because I'm moving to Florida (THANK GODDDDD!! !!)

I'm just upset, frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, pissed off, feel like crying, feel like jumping through a window.. I just don't even know.

I spent all morning thinking about going to buy some kratom, or Robitussin pills, or a six pack of beer or SOMETHING. Planning on how not to get caught.. It was like two voices in my head struggling and fight each other. Two urges.

Voice 1: Come on. Let's go. Just go buy a six pack and take a bath. You'll feel better. Remember how it used to make you feel? How you used to love watching TV and smoking cigarettes after a couple of beers?

Voice 2: It's not worth it. You've come this far! Remember how the buzz from alcohol only lasts so long and then you feel crappy again so you have to drink MORE alcohol? Remember how it used to just make you fall asleep? Remember how it destroyed many friendships and your school record?

Fortunately voice 2 has kept me from going anywhere and it made me call my friend to come over here and talk to me. Voice 2 also devised a plan so I have no way to buy anything. When I go to pick up my friend, I'm spending all my money on cigarettes and going to McDonald's, that way I have no money to buy anything with. (Stealing is not a risk for me as I never stole anything even in the darkest most desperate times of my addiction).

Sigh. Why does this suck so bad? Why can't I be like everyone else and have a few beers when stressed out?

mate, you know why you cant just have a few beers! you sound like you are strong in your recovery and have a good understanding of that addictive voice you are hearing. You are working in one of the hardest jobs in the world and still not giving in, be very proud of your self for that! I have felt betrayed, heartbroken and so disappointed a thousand times by people you come to care for very strongly and relate to throwing their recovery away and relapsing. Do you receive any job supports i.e seeing a counselor or group supervision? if you do then take advantage of anything you can to keep talking. Hearing yourself talk about how you are feeling honestly and openly helps to diminish the power of that addictive voice. Addiction thrives when it is secret and hidden, keep talking to people that you trust. You have an opportunity to have a long career in the addiction services and what you are going through now will give you valuable experience for the future. kia kaha bro, stay strong

I gave up for a bit not just in this area but on life. Methadone helped with one issue but created another. Withdrawal = pains, hot flashes, chills, restlessness and depression. Not been a good couple of weeks why must I be so weak against opiates. Maybe it's because I can sleep on them, it's a good thing I'm alone here or I'd be driving others mad with the fitz and pacing.

I used to smoke one or two joints in the late evening but I stopped doing that for the time being. Since I am not a big drinker of alcohol and never even tried other types of drugs I don't think I ever had or have a substance abuse problem. I enjoyed smoking a moderate amount of pot but have always been weary and scared of other drugs and the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol. I like to be in control of myself at all times. The idea of not knowing what I am doing anymore doesn't appeal to me at all.

I think most people are prejudiced or ill informed when it comes to cannabis whilst ignoring the most dangerous substance, alcohol.

I just have to say that 12 step "AA" sobriety is f**k*ed.
If that is the only option for sobriety, the addicts/alcoholics of mankind are lost.

There has to be other options.

I've just become completely burned out on 12 step culture.
One huge component, perhaps the greatest is "working with others". It is a very socially oriented program.
And that has been my greatest sore point with my many ventures into 12 step sobriety.
And for the most part the 12 step culture is an extroverted, many associations/superficial connection kind of society.
People just stand around before & after meetings, chit chatting. Then as someone gathers months sober, they fade into the background, while everyone pays attention to the next newest person.
It is a very collectivist culture as well. It all about the group and "staying in the middle".
And with my lack of desire to socialize that much, rigidly following that path has proven problematic for me.

Bahhhh...

I'm just done with 12 step sobriety.
I'll stay sober my own way, for the most part. Yes, I will have occasional "slips". But in regular society I get a hell of a lot more respect mostly sober, sometimes having a bad week. On the surface, people in AA around here say "we don't shoot our wounded", but there is a noticeable loss of respect for a chronic relapser like me. In AA people are allowed one, maybe 2 relapses, but once you have over 15 "relapses", you are written off as "he'll never get it.", which means "he'll never march along in line with all us other AA automatons", which I guess is true. And don't get me wrong all those relapses are not the sober 30 days, drunk a few days, sober a little more, out for a while... I was what I call a "long cycle relapser", Fully several meetings a day, sponsor, commitments, involved,when I was sober, usually for 1-2 years. Then I'd be out for 3-6 months. It's a less common pattern that few in AA understand. And to those on their 1st few entries into AA, I think it scares the heck out of them, so they shy away from me, because I am an example that the 12 steps are not 100% perfect, that AA is not the be-all end-all solution for sobriety. That maybe they are not completely safe from that monster AA had "saved" them from.

For me now, it's just about how do I live a healthier life. It's not just about drinking & pot use, but also about eventually quitting cigarettes, eating a healthy diet (I'm a drive-thru poster child), and getting out for exercise. I have learned good things through 12 step literature, which I do my best to apply in my life. I've just had it with meetings.