Well, make that recovering drug addict. I’ve been clean for almost 2 years. Anyway, you guys know the ground rules: this is not a debate, and, of course, NO how-to stuff. But I don’t need to tell most of you that. So… the basic stuff… I was really heavy into Cocaine and Crystal Meth. I got into it during my time as a raver, so questions about rave culture(in detroit at least) are welcome as well. So anyway, what do you guys want to know?
If I’ve got a friend whose drug habit I wish to discourage, are there any tactics I should avoid?
I thought the “rave scene” was more about Ecstacy, Special K, etc. than coke and crank. Did you ever do any of the former?
Maybe I’m wrong. I was always too cheap to party anywhere but home, so no direct no knowledge of the rave scene or any scene that wasn’t going down in my living room. Trips to clubs cut into one’s drug allowance. 
hmmmmmmm… that’s a tricky one. What kind of drugs are we talking about and how far progressed is the habit? The biggest thing to avoid in general is bailing them out of trouble, figuring they’ll think"that was close, i better be careful." The person has to be made responsible for their actions. also, I know it’s cliche, but its hard to help someone before they want help. Make sure they know how much you dissapprove, but make sure you’re available if they want help. Oh and nagging? don’t do it. it only makes it worse. beyond those general guidelines, a lot depends on the individual.
you are correct. the rave scene is MORE about hallucinogens, but over the years, the harder stuff became more and more prevalent. And yes, I did all that other stuff too. Truth be told, I think I liked acid best of all. LSD doesn’t tend to lend itself to addictive behavior however. at least it didn’t with me.
also, Ketamine(special K) is quite frequently used in conjunction with cocaine.
What made you decide to quit?
How often do you think about drugs?
Is the line they feed us about addicts/alcoholics constantly stuggling moment by moment not to drink/drug hype or true?
Which was harder to quit, cocaine or crystal meth? How long did it take to quit and how difficult would you describe the experience?
How would you compare currently legal drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, or caffeine to illegal drugs (judging by addictive properties, level of intoxication, health problems)?
What do you think is the best social policy that our government can adopt to help drug addicts?
How much sense does this theory make to you?: People do not become addicted to drugs. A person either has access to drugs or doesn’t have access to drugs. I have a maiden aunt who lives in the country. You could give her a month’s supply of cocaine, crack whatever but I don’t think that after that time she could find her own supply because she just doesn’t have a connection and would almost certainly be unable to get one. I’m pretty sure the intellectually handicapped boy who lives down the street couldn’t find one either. From that point of view what does addiction mean?
Did you ever commit any crimes for cash, to pay for drugs?
Stemming from anya marie’s question - did you ever find yourself doing something you knew was wrong or completely out of character to get drugs?
I don’t think that theory makes any sense at all – They are two completely separate ideas. I mean, someone could feed that boy down the street a steady diet of black tar heroin for a month, and the fact that he wouldn’t/couldn’t get anymore does not mean he would not be addicted at that point. When his supply was cut off, he would go through all of the typical mental and physical withdrawal pains just like anyone else.
Is cocaine really addictive? I hear that when someone is quitting cocaine, that there are absolutely no withdrawal signs and no real cravings. Is this true.
Also, in movies you always see coke users make use of a mirror and a razorblade. What are these used for? I guess that the razorblade can be used to cut up the hard cocaine. But then what is the mirror for? I mean, is it really necessary?
From my coke experiences, it is extremely mentally addictive WHEN YOU ARE HIGH ON IT. Once I came down and got a goods night sleep, I could go months or years before I ever got the urge to do it. But, If I was doing it, nd I knew there was anymore around, I would want to do it all, right then.
And the mirror/blade thing – that might venture into too much of the “How to” drug territory so I won’t answer it in full. I’ll just say that, no, it isn’t necessary, but they are about about the best tools you can have.
5ht,
Did you get massively paranoid when you were using coke or crystal? If you did, did you find it kinda of like being in a scary movie where everything is scary and you acually see shadows and people(usually cops) trying to break in? Did you enjoy that part of it(if you indeed experienced that). Also why does coke make one so paranoid?
Cocaine drastically prevents the reuptake of the excitatory neurotransmitter dopamine. Excess dopamine is thought to be the cause of schizophrenia, which paranoia is one of the most common symptoms.
I have a friend who is a long-time addict; he had been clean for five years. About a year ago he took up coke again - HARD - and went down a horrible path. He drained his life savings, totalled his car, got evicted from his apartment, sold every possesion he could, bounced checks all over town. My god, his family and I were praying the cops would pick him up and throw him in jail because the alternatives were more frightening. We got him into a hospital, and he broke out and vanished within 24 hours. He somehow pulled back from the brink, and has now been clean for about six months.
During the worst periods of using, he’d call me at all hours with raving paranoid hallucinations; things I knew were impossible. (“Your next door neighbors are spying on you and stealing your drugs via telekinesis? Okayyyyy…”) Since he’s stopped, he seems fine - but I sometimes hear flashes of paranoia.
Do the drugs leave a lingering tendancy toward this? Is it possible that it will be a permanent effect? Or should I be concerned that a sneaky relapse is in progress?
First of all, mad props for quitting and staying clean for so long.
What led you to try these drugs in the beginning? Had you tried something “softer” and then moved on? Peer pressure? Stress?
5-HT are you coming back? Gosh, I hope he’s ok. Maybe he’s at a meeting…
Kinda going off mornea:
What did you like about coke and crystal? Since you mentioned these two in the opening, I’m assuming that these were the ones you liked/did the most…I could be wrong.
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Drugs obviously get a lot of bad press, so what exactly was the appeal in the first place that attracted you to drugs?
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I was freaked out by the commercial about meth, where the girl is scratching and has bugs on her and cleans everything. Is that really how someone gets, or is that a rare case of overdose or something?