OT-How did you drop the junk?

[thisDude]

Chemical dependency and wanna-be-musicians go together like Air Force Bases and Asian Grocery stores. Where you find one, you'll probably find the other. Bad analogies aside... Almost no one is free of vices. Name your poison... booze, cigarrettes, pot, heroin, double chocolate-cream filled eclairs? Personally, I used to drink a lot. I mean... A LOT. Some people are genetically pre-disposed to have an obsessive tendency towards addiction. And I happen to beleive that when you have an addiction, you will always have it. The trick is to transfer your addictions to something productive. For me it was a total life overhaul. I moved to a different city, dropped contact with all the losers that were bringing me down, and completely focused on career goals. I think this plan would work for anyone, except maybe hospitality/restaurant workers (in any city, your server is probably hopped up on something). [b]How did you guys/gals overcome your vices?[/b]

[Tedster]

Quite a good topic. You're right, anything that controls you is something you should strive to control. I used to be a 2 1/2 pack a day cigarette guy. I quit, cold turkey. What helped me is holding the end of a ballpoint pen the way I'd hold a cigarette. I took the ink thing out, and once in awhile I'd take a hit off it. Looked stupid, maybe, but it worked. Halls coughdrops, too. Even if you're not a menthol smoker, a Halls lasts about as long as a cigarette, and they're not "yummy" like gum or something. I've been cigarette free for almost 17 years now. I used to dabble in substances when I was in [i]HIGH[/i] school. I quit after just looking at the people around me who were doing that stuff. They weren't becoming "elevated". They were just burnouts. Plus, a guitar player friend of mine with great chops, a guy I looked up to, never partook of anything, after watching his mentor O.D. on heroin. Seemed like the good players were drug free. The "druggie players" weren't getting any better. A lot of folks go to parties and think they're cool getting as fucked up as they can get, but, in fact, most people just think they're fucked up. Seeing those types just increased my resolve to keep myself relatively clean. I say relatively, as I still have a few beverages now and again.

[nursers]

(boink) Well said Tedster!

[halljams]

I just quit coffee a couple weeks ago. I'm doin alright. Eatin alot of avacados. Smilin at all the old ladies. You know, the usual.

[Rog]

This is my third day without a cig, I've tried stopping several times, hopefully this is the one :eek:

[where02190]

After 25 years of rippin' and roarin' I finally hit my bottom, and found a new way of life with the help of a 12 step program. Now 5 1/2 yrs clean, my life has become more than I ever dreamed possible. Drugs and alcohol are just one symptom of a much deeper problem of adiction. A recognized disease, it cannot be cured, but it can be held in check, if one is ready and willing to do the work and make the changes. Hope this is helpful.

[Wrave]

I quit in stages. I was so addicted to anything that affected my psychological state that there was a whole list of dependencies for me. First I quit hard drugs, I mean the really hard stuff...I got scars to prove it. Took me the better part of two years and the help of lots of good people, family, friends, professionals in the addictions field and physicians, two or three stays in hospitals (some would say "asylums") private and state owned, medication that was harder to kick than the drug I used and slowly, becoming honest with myself and realizing that I was living wrong and hurting lots of people, not just myself. All of those things and more were needed to get me headed in the right direction. There's also a spiritual aspect to my recovery that I won't dwell on except to say that if I hadn't have asked, in the stillness of my own heart, I doubt that any of this would have happened and I'd have just been beaten by the shit like so many others are. But that was only the first stage. See, I had this "Ace in the Hole"... All the time I was in treatment, they kept asking me if I had a drinking problem. Who me? Hell no! My drugs cost me $300 per day and the guy that let me in the door of the house where I bought them always had a sawed-off shotgun in his hand, now, that might be a problem. But booze was legal, it only cost me ten or twenty bucks a night and everyone I knew drank. In fact, if you didn't drink, I didn't want to know you, you wierdo!!! So how could alcohol be a problem? Some seven years down the road after I quit the hard stuff, I was in pretty bad shape. Again, more help was offered and since I was almost at the end of my rope, I realized I needed it. A 12 step program, hell, I'll name it, just in case there's someone out there that is wondering what they might do to help themselves out of a hopeless situation, it is Alcoholics Anonymous, put me in touch with a different way of thinking and with people that could understand (even when I was lying to them) what I thought and felt and had done. That was in 1987 and I've been sober and clean since then. In that time I've gone back to school and managed to get a degree in computer science, kept a job longer than I ever had before that, reformed relationships with my family and especially my daughters and generally lived a much better life than ever when I was drinking and drugging. It's not all been a bed of roses. Life ain't! Getting back into music has been one of the best things that could have happened. I had to stay away for quite a while but in the last three or four years I've gotten back into playing and making music. No, I don't work in clubs today but I am not afraid of that scene anymore, I just don't feel comfortable there. I sit in my little home studio and try to give the music that's always been a big part of my life a voice. I've still got a lot of recovering to do yet too. One big thing missing in my life is that special someone. I spend a lot of time alone and out here in the sticks there aren't too many places to socialize if it's not the bars. I could go there but it's not all that much fun for me any more...drunks can be downright obnoxious! So I try to stay active in AA and do my music and my job and keep trying to improve the relationships I have with my daughters. It is amazing how fulfilling the simpler things have become for me. That's something I am grateful for. Messages like this one give me the chance to remember what it used to be like. Thanks.

[thisDude]

Wow, this post is back from the dead... Tiss the season I suppose... :evil: Quite serendipitous that it should pop back up since I quit smoking 2 days ago cold turkey. Last 2 days, I've wanted to punch everyone I met in the face. `VERY IRRITABLE` :mad: . But I've already noticed that I have more energy and my clothes don't smell as dingy. Friends tell me the first week is the hardest. I do find myself biting my fingernails, something I've never done before. I've also been coughing up some interesting stuff. Alright, enough about my phlegm...

[patrick_dont_fret]

Well, here goes. My father is an alcoholic, my mom's father was an alcoholic (he passed away a couple of weeks ago), and both his parents were alcoholics. Am I going to be an alcoholic? I sure as hell hope not. I don't want to be a monster like my grandfather (rest in peace) or my father (too bad he's not ^^^). I do drink, even though I'm only 18, but not to the extent of these people. I've been drunk before, but never pukedrunk. I also smoke cigarettes, but only a couple of packs a weeks (I can't afford to go anymore than that), and I smoke the marijuana when I can get it. Thats about it, folks.

[Jedi]

Drinking is my vice. I love to drink. I've slowed down quite a bit. When I was 19 to just shy a couple of months from my twentieth birthday, I was a weed-smoking alcoholic junkie. Thing is, I don't really like weed. I like the way it smells, but I hate what it does to my body. Makes me fucking paranoid. Anyway I was really trying to kill myself slowly, and thank God I woke up from that bullshit. After my recovery, I was totally dry for three years, no weed, no booze, shit no meat, no nothing. After that, I said fuck that, and felt I deserved a drink every now and again. Now, I'm a social drinker, drink a couple beers at a game or club, or with some buffalo wings(yeah I'm eating chicken again), nothing too crazy. My wife worries sometimes, because at the gigs after I play she knows how I love the booze. I don't overdo it tho. Going through that bullshit when I was younger, let's me know very well where becoming a junkie gets me. Rock fuckin-bottom. Jedi

[Franknputer]

After a very long time spending my own time getting high, I took a look at my kids & decided that I wanted to be a part of (and remember) their growing up.

[Gabriel E.]

I am fortunate in that I have never smoked cigs. In high school and college I smoked hash (weed was not available in those p[arts back then)- I was quite the stoner for most of my freshmen year. Then there was a shortage and nobody could get any pot - I started to feel more energetic, more alert and less interested in bad tv. Haven't smoked anything since. I also make sure I don't have access to video games. Otherwise that's ALL I'd do. I still have a scotch or two a day when I come home. Right now I'm addicted to vacuum tubes. :)

[Dak Lander]

Whoa, started cigs at a very young age. Kicked the habit 30 years ago. Tried just about all the existing chemicals about that time too. Didn't like them. Good thing too. Those, mixed with the chemicals I [b]have[/b] to take now, would really be a bitch. Drank one hell of a lot at one time. Now it's a couple of toddies now & again & I'll have a few beers at the gigs. Can't kick that food eating habit though. Just gotta have something a couple of times a day or I feel like I'm dizzy. I must be addicted. :eek:

[Soundcrafter]

For me, it's music. I'm addicted to it. Listening to it, and playing it and working it. Can someone help me kick it?!?!?! ;) I tried weed about a year ago. It was an interesting feeling, I enjoyed it, which is all I can say for it. Lately though, in some bands I get an amazing high just playing. If I really work on playing, who needs a material substance to change their mental state? Good thread. :thu:

[Magpel]

Oh man, I love getting high so very much that I practice ruthless moderation--2, maybe 3 times a month I indulge the herb. I want to enjoy it for the rest of my life, so I figure controlled use is the key. Drinking, like that too. Few weeks go by when I'm not slightly buzzed on alcohol at least once. I consider that moderate. I can't drink excessively without dire multi-day hangovers, so there's a built in control measure there. Ah, but the picture ain't so rosy. I'm engaged in a lifelong battle with nicotine addiciton, and this one's the bitch. I've quit many times, but never for more than 9 months. At about three months, I always experience a psychotic spike in which the me who wants to quit and the me who wants to smoke become two distinct people and the ID-iot who wants to smoke takes over the controls for a bit, and this is where my relapses usually occur. I need a new approach but I don't want to do the Zyban/Wellbutrin. I confess, I'm stumped. Nothing rags on my self-esteem and general well being as badly as this stubborn addiction. I wish I could answer your question, but I have not yet successfully dropped the junk.

[thisDude]

Hey man, I'm never the one to come down on anyone's party, but you're really limiting yourself by smoking that stuff so regularly. Pot will pull a gauze over your eyes that won't seriously impair you, but just slow you down a little. If you've got a steady gig and lifestyle that'll let you get away with it, right on... but for me, I didn't realize how dumb I had gotten until I stopped regularly enjoying that stuff. I'll partake evry now and then, maybe once a month when I'm around it, but even then I find myself not communicating very well the day after. :wave:

[MattC]

I wanted to extend my congratulations to everyone here who quit smoking. i saw my father (big navy guy) do it cold turkey when I was twelve. I saw firsthand whet he went through, and never want to have to do that myself. Myself, I don't smoke (save a few cigars every now and again over a game of 8 ball), and only drink occationally. My true vice lies with pepsi. I need at least one each day, or I get headaches and such. I usually drink 3 bottles a day, every day. Coffee or Stay-awake pills don't work, and Coca-cola only works a little. I've been on pepsi since freshman year- 7 or 8 years ago. I can't quit for more than a few hours, and I've tried many times. I'm afraid that the same thing will happen to me this summer when I turn legal...

[Magpel]

[quote]Originally posted by thisDeadDude: [b]&I'll partake evry now and then, maybe once a month when I'm around it, but even then I find myself not communicating very well the day after. :wave: [/b][/quote]I'm confused. You say you smoke maybe once a month. Is there really that big a difference between once a month and 2 or 3 times a month in terms of delterious effects and compromised awareness? Can I expect a massive increase in mental sharpness from cutting down from 3 times a month? (My guess is that we have a misunderstanding here ;) ) I ain't no pothead. I just really like smoking pot--like it enough to avoid abusing it. Great thread.

[Bralalalalalalala]

I smoked pot once. It made me rape and kill.

[Bob Keelan]

Now I KNOW that I'm addicted to nicotine. I know that I have to stop smoking and stop soon. The health dangers are well documented. Some of the other things are more subtle. I enjoy 2 or 3 beers every night. Does that mean I'm an alcoholic? Depending on availability, I would enjoy a small taste of ganja in the privacy of my home pretty much daily too. Does that mean I'm a pothead? I was never the type to get crazy-drunk or crazy-stoned, even back in my high school and college days. I've never really had much of a liking for the the harder alcohol or the harder drugs. I think this affects us all on an individual basis. I know people who cannot handle ONE drink! They just lose their minds! I'm much like the tortoise in that proverbial race, slow & steady. So I suppose the thing to do (and what I'm doing now) is that if you are even questioning whether or not you are addicted to anything is to just stop and see what your body tells you. I ramble... bob

[Dak Lander]

See! There you go Magpel. If you didn't partake of the herb, you'd understand. :eek: :D

[thisDude]

//I'm confused. You say you smoke maybe once a month. Is there really that big a difference between once a month and 2 or 3 times a month in terms of delterious effects and compromised awareness? Can I expect a massive increase in mental sharpness from cutting down from 3 times a month? (My guess is that we have a misunderstanding here )// I'm with ya on the recreation, just be wary of those blinders. 2 or 3 times a month sounds really close to every weekend and I'd be numb from that. I guess I'm around better stuff than you :D ... but you are so close to the border... :wave:

[whitefang]

Iquit smoking dope when I noticed it quit getting me high, and just simply put me to sleep. As I never had any problem getting to sleep to begin with, pot seemed like a waste of time and money in that respect. I gave up the pills and powders shortly after because it all seemed so pointless. And besides, too much mescaline led me to arterial sclerosis at the age of 31. Haven't been high since, and still get a kick out of things. Now, I gotta work on tobacco! Whitefang

[Wow]

Dudes, I like this post, guys are laying it on the line, only one thing bothered me: [quote] I smoked pot once. It made me rape and kill. [/quote]I hope this is a joke. If it is then I will just pass it off as a bad joke, but if not, please dont post anymore about this because frankly I dont want to hear the shit. I am pretty much going to say the same thing as all of you guys , but I think I am slippin a little. Fucked up at an early age, you know the story, but I lucked out and found a woman when I was 25 and she changed my life. I now have two wonderful kids, a nice house , a income that is very high and I dont want to say any more about that part. I find myself drinking more lately at night when the others are asleep. I NEVER do it during the day , I always do it very late at night and I get up early in the morning with the kids. Do I have it under control? I dont slip at all with my kids or family, I always do the right thing, But i feel I drink to much,and I cant figure out if it is guilt from past shit or if I really have my shit under control. PS. Maybe I'll go on Oprah

[patrick_dont_fret]

Great things from all that have kicked the hard stuff. I used to be a once or thrice a day pot smoker, but decided to stop being so stoned all the time to enjoy stuff. For example: I went on a trip to New Mexico this summer (there's some great stuff out there) to go backpacking in the mountains. I did the stuff whilst on the road, but stopped once I got on the trail. Why? I too wanted to remember the experience. But once I got back on the road, you better have been watching out, man. As for musical stylings, I think I can play more focused whilst 'on the pot', but not necessarily more creativly. At parties I might get supremely fiznucked, but only for that night. No longer, because as of now, I can ride a high for as long as humanly possible. But I seldom smoke the herb anymore, which is good.

[Super 8]

[quote]Originally posted by patrick_dont_fret: [b] I also smoke cigarettes, but only a couple of packs a weeks (I can't afford to go anymore than that).[/b][/quote]Dude, if you are STUPID enough to smoke -at the tender age of 18-, will ALL of the info that has come out in recent years about the HIGHLY addictive properties, the knowledge of how tobacco will affect your health, and the astronomical prices that are being charged for cigarettes, then you deserve everything that shit does to you. It never fails to amaze me how young people will so willingly sell themselves into a smoking addiction for no other reason than how cool it feels to be seen smoking. It's mind-boggling. How many more ways does it have to fucking be spelled out??? This shit will kill you. It will cost you a small fortune. It will stink up everything you own. It will do nothing to benefit you in any way. It will be an absolute pain in the ass for the rest of your life. But when you listen to the audience of teens for a reaction, all you hear are people lighting up their smokes. Fucking stupid! Personally, I've been really fortunate in the 'vices' department. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. Most of my friends took the habit up at the usual age. Some how I must have been thinking that day, because when the cigarette was passed to me I just passed it on. I was about 13 at the time. That was over 22 years ago, and it was a decision I'll never regret, because (to my knowledge) all of those people still smoke to this day. I'd love to see the statistics for people who take up smoking and are able to quit. My father was an alcoholic. I drink from time to time, but it has never meant too much to me. Last time I felt buzzed was probably last Easter. My Dad's favorite drink was beer. I really can't stand the stuff. I had many older friends who were in recovery programs for their drug habits. I think their guidance paid off when I was in my later teens and early twenties. I smoked my first joint at 19 or 20. I loved it. I haven't had any in about 5 years. The next time I smoke weed could be another 5 years or it could be tomorrow. Once again, it doesn't mean that much to me. As far as the heavier stuff goes: A younger friend of mine ALMOST had me talked into dropping acid with him -first time for both of us. But an older friend of mine talked me out of it. I've never had the desire since then. I never tried cocaine because I didn't think I'd like it (ironically, it probably would instantly have become my drug of choice :love: - guess I lucked out). These days, I pretty much stick to the prescription drugs (Adderall for ADD, and Effexor for depression), I'm hoping that I can be taken off of those in the not too distant future. To those of you who have managed to quit your vice, and turn your life around, you have my undying respect. I know enough about breaking nasty habits to know that what you were able to do could not have been easy. Swimming up stream is a hard, hard thing to do. Nobody does it because they want to. They do it because they know they need to. But I doubt that it's the swim that makes it so hard. Moreover, I'd bet its swimming with the knowledge that you could just so easily turn and go along with the flow, that makes it difficult. It's being [b]relentless[/b] in the flight to be free of addiction. You have to keep running even when you are exhausted. Like I said, you guys have my undying respect. To those of you who are trying to quit: Don't forget your friends at MusicPlayer who have managed to stay clean. They could be a great source for support just when you really need it! You guys should band together, and help each other out. :thu:

[Super 8]

[quote]Originally posted by The Troll with Soul: [b] [quote] I smoked pot once. It made me rape and kill. [/quote]I hope this is a joke. [/b][/quote]Yeah, I think somebody (probably Wewus) has been watching the old movie Reefer Madness. If you're not familiar with the film, it was sort of an anti-drug film from the 1940's or 50's. The problem was that you probably could have gotten better drug advice from the local street Pusher than by watching the film. It's become a classic for being soooo clueless. :wave:

[Wow]

[quote] If you're not familiar with the film, it was sort of an anti-drug film from the 1940's or 50's. The problem was that you probably could have gotten better drug advice from the local street Pusher than by watching the film. It's become a classic for being soooo clueless. [/quote]This would explain it if it were a joke then.

[Rog]

I've got to say that I find the Puritanical streak running through this thread very amusing :) I smoke weed pretty much every single day, I have a drink every other day and maybe I'll get drunk at the weekend (but not REALLY drunk anymore - I can't stand the hangovers!) I know and work with many people that live a similar lifestyle and do so without any problems. They don't miss work, neglect their kids, run up debts, or fail in any way. Also, they don't worry about how they might be alcoholics or pot-heads, worrying is a waste of time ... I think you know if you have a problem or, if you refuse to see it, friends and family will let you know pretty quickly :) I think this is a cultural thing. The US was built on strict morality and guilt. I think that Brits have a more relaxed attitude to all this. Just a theory. To sum up ... chill out :thu: It's now 4 days without a cig. These patches are really working :)

[Wrave]

Rog, your choice of words is unfortunate. Most of these responses have been from people who recognize the self-destructive results associated with over-indulgence in most any practice you can think of and they share their experiences unselfishly. If you are fortunate enough to participate without developing a craving, good for you. Most addictive substances are not glaringly addictive. What do I mean by that? Simply that the first time most any addict experiences the effects of a mind altering substance it's effects can vary from very unpleasant to extremely pleasant. What ever that experience is, the person could almost always take it or leave it at that point. Some will say, "Yep, been there done that." and walk on never to try it again. Others will want the experience again, but maybe only occasionally, special occasions or something like that. Then there are people like me who find the experience one that they wish to repeat again and again, as often as they can. Recognizing that you've developed an addiction is not always easy because nobody wants to be an addict. (I use the term "addict" to define any person who repeatedly uses a substance in spite of any adverse effects they may suffer.) Most of us who have survived this see how we lied to ourselves about our problem. Denial is a big part of addiction. For many years my drinking and drugging was just "partying". I was just getting ready for the show and for many years the drinking and the drugs didn't detract from my ability to perform. But the effects of all this takes it's toll. How quickly or how slowly depends on the substance and the way you indulge in it. For the many that like pot and believe it has minimal long term health effects I'd like you to know that it will affect your short-term memory in a detrimental fashon. Maybe not in the beginning but after a while you may catch yourself forgetting the changes in the middle of the tune. Maybe not now and maybe not ever unless you indulge the way I used to...but just give it some time. I guess I was going to list the problems I experienced associated with the entire list of drugs I used but that's silly. The fact of the matter is if you haven't had any problems that you can see are directly related to the particular substance you are defending the use of, if you enjoy the effects of that substance, you are going to continue using it. I know, I did. But that's whats insideous about addiction. One day, when the shit has hit the fan and you are sitting there wondering how the hell ya ever got into such a freakin' mess, it might come to you that maybe just maybe ya ought not smoke so much or drink so much or snort so much or whatever so much. And, if you don't kill yourself or someone else and if you are lucky enough to reach this point and still have some mind left and some health left, you might be able to kick whatever habit you have picked up. If you do then you can consider yourself very fortunate because 90% of all who become addicted never do give up the practice that kills them.