one year "high and dry"

[gomaos]

It's been 1 year since my last drink of alcohol.

At the time I used to get pissed 3 times a week, emptying 2 or more bottles of wine on occasion and then going to bed.

I'm very proud and happy not to be enslaved anymore by this horrible drug.

Approx 10 years ago I went 14 months without but then returned to it due to some "depression".

But my life now appears a lot more stable.

Not necessary better than 10 years ago, but more stable.

I believe and hope that my separation from alcohol will remain permanent.

Since the 8th of the 8th last year i am also off tobacco in any form.

To get past the initial "withdrawal", Kratom herb, which was still legal last year, was almost essential, meaning, I probably would not have achieved this without kratom.

And to proove that I simply have not just exchanged addictions: No, I don't need to take kratom regularly or at all. And I don't.

Mind you, I have not become a christian or muslim.

I still take select substances.

the best only... and out of free will, not addiction...

[2b]

Congrats Gomaos ! Inspirational , about the mitragyna how did you take it ? Smoked, eaten ? i doubt i could go a week with out drinking but i have given up the cigs since april 04 and dam that made a diference.

[mescalito]

Good one Gom...unfortunately I'm still a slave to a couple of substances.

One step at a time though

[Darklight]

gomaos:

It's been 1 year since my last drink of alcohol

Congrats sweetie! I remember how you used to get really annoyed with your drinking and am really happy you managed to get away from it. :D

[Thelema]

lucky you. I still drink nearly every night.

good on you to for not substituting it with opioids, GABA agonists, or MJ.

[bloodbob]

Congratulations hopeful this is the 1st of many anniversaries to come.

[gomaos]

about the mitragyna how did you take it ? Smoked, eaten ?

I think my "first time kratom" report is the only one that ever made it into erowid ("sooo disappointing!")(ego hurting)

they called it "on and off the booze with kratom" I used to have the link somewhere but then my pc crashed.

how did i take it? as a liquid, sometimes even as a moist or dry extract.

But it think a well- brewed tea is best.

My first experiment was with 30 leaves or so, then with 50.

Highest dose ever was 100 leaves, pretty much full-on tripping that. but very good.

But contrary to what all these lying law-makers in Asia (and Australia!)say, Kratom is not habit-forming! Not to my experience.

Since it isn't available anymore because it has become illegal, I have basically stopped taking it.

Perhaps very occasionally...

The thing that one should keep in mind with kratom is, that the freshly picked leaves from a tree are very similar to a bottle of wine which is freshly harvested and fermented... it's yucky!

Like 100 leaves, they definitely work, but sensitive people might have physical discomfort or so.

After picking kratom trees, they need to be stored at least a few months, after having been dried of course.

The taste of 2 months old kratom is sooo much better than the vile flavour of fresh stuff, and the old kratom is also much more effective.

All this has been discussed at lenght in this forum, and a search should turn up lots of information.

Congrats sweetie! I remember how you used to get really annoyed with your drinking and am really happy you managed to get away from it.

Thanks, love.

lucky you. I still drink nearly every night.

All you really need is the will to stop.

And the NEED to stop.

good on you to for not substituting it with opioids, GABA agonists, or MJ.

hey, I never said I was a holy man.

My last poppies got mildew lost almost all of them, so opioids,hardly, but yes I do take a couple of panadeine forte almost every day.

And gaba Agonists... only if some comes my way (hint, hint)

but tha herb, man, a guy needs something, and tha herb is sublime...

hopeful this is the 1st of many anniversaries to come

can't see why not unless some real bad "depression" happens again, but hopefully it won't.

Can't see why it should.

[Dubius]

I am happy you have found a way out of alcohol.

I have never found a substitute to alcohol and such is my immunity to it that I can drink the new 1lt bottles of Jack Daniels, and still get up for work and 4:45 in the morning.

I can still work full days but I find my kidneys ache. When I drink beer I find the aching stops.

I know drinking is bad for me but I can't stop. It is as if I am on autopilot - work - pay bills - drink - seep - work............

[Thelema]

GOM you make it sound easy, but clearly it hasnt been easy for you...10 years....same here.maybe there's something other than willpower involved

[planthelper]

good one gom!

congratulations.

:cool:

[gerbil]

Good work gom, that's really good news.

I'm at about 6 months which was only a one off night, not including that one it's well over a year. It's amazing how much better the body feels.

I totally agree, kratom was fantastic when legal, it's mind boggling why it's illegal now, I mean it's really gentle on the body when you find a nice dosage level, no harm done at all. It was much more motivational for myself than alcohol, not to mention no headaches or physical pain! yay.

[gomaos]

Thelema:

GOM you make it sound easy, but clearly it hasnt been easy for you...10 years....same here.maybe there's something other than willpower involved

well if so I wouldn't know what, except the thing that's very important to me:

Alcohol is legal ,which means, society says:

"YOu feel like getting out of it?

Wanna have a good time?

wanna get smashed?

here, drink piss, that's all you are allowed!"

which arouses a strong opposition in me, which in turn gives me the power to stop.

I don't want to drink their rotten, fermented fruit juice, those lawmakers can drink that crap themselves.

The fact is, alcohol is one of the worst drugs, and the only reasons it's so polpular is because all other drugs are prohibited.

Should we ever really see legal marihuana, alcohol concerns will start losing big time, and probably start selling marihuana.

Dubius

we are in email contact now. I'd like to help you, but you know as well as i do that there is no substance that can make you stop

there are only substances that can help you stop.

I can offer any help available, but it's you who has to make the first, hardest step.

You mentioned Prozac: It probably would not work for me, since I don't believe in conventional medicine but rather in herbalism/ethnobotany.

Since you are "a man of the middle" you probably believe in Prozac, and it might even work.

I also remembered that there is some stuff available at the Doc that's used to treat heroin-addiction.

I tried the stuff some years ago and it definitely worked, for a month or so... after that you can try something else.

gerbil yeah re kratom; probably the stupidest thing the TGA in Australia has ever done.

Utterly unreasonable, and it's such a super-valuable herb.

The TGA are stupid idiots!

[ 22. February 2005, 13:46: Message edited by: gomaos ]

[devils_cactus]

Good work Gom.

Very nice. I still drink, and I'm a sucker for ginger beer, however thats not out of control.

My smoking and snorting was at one stage though, but i agree, theres no good trying stopping unless you have a reason.

My habit(s) were effecting friends and family and thats when it was time to stop.

Want me to send you up some home-brew ginger beer?

its the nicest thing you'll taste...with ginger in it

[gomaos]

Want me to send you up some home-brew ginger beer?

its the nicest thing you'll taste...with ginger in it

alcoholic ginger beer?

You're joking right?

Like my neighbours says:

"Oh you're off alc. Just have some "mead" then..."

so what difference would that make.

alc is alc is alc is alc and just 1 glass of any alc will make an ex-alcie addicted again.

Don't know why people don't understand that.

If a junkie is off heroin, you wouldn't offer him "just a little snort' would you?

Same with alcies... actually to me there's absolutely NO difference between someone who's addicted to alcohol or to heroin. The only difference is that alc is legal and heroin is not.

If I was given a choice I would have to take under the threat of loss of my life, either to be an alcoholic or a heroin-addict, I would choose heroin because it's not fattening like alcohol.

A skinny junkie still has more chances to find a sex partner than a fat alcohol-addict. Nobody wants a fat, smelly piss-pot!

[hebrew]

if that is ginger beer that has alcohol in it that devils cactus you are one insensitive person, after having a major drug addiction in my early 20's i know how difficult it is to kick such a habit, and in no way is it fun, i can imagine alcohol even harder than the drug i used because it is used socially and thus harder to distance yourself from.

good work gomaos

[Chemical Shaman]

Nice work my man, very proud of you.

I use drugs maybe 5 or 6 days a week, alcohol only maybe 2 or 3, but im totally fine with that

I definately never ever thought that i would EVER be doing this with my life, but it isn't causing any problems whatsoever. I wouldn't say that im currently addicted to anything, although there is one particular substance im starting to worry about because im finding that I can't go to work without being on it and go to the toilets every few hours to re-dose (while im at work). Haven't been straight at work in months.

I guess in a way im kind of glad I don't have any ketamine right now, for many reasons. If I did im pretty sure i'd be spending 8 plus hours a day in a pitch black bath tub getting out of my head. This is the only drug I have ever had a serious problem with, no idea how long it's been now since i've had any. I just no that all of the electrical aquipment in my house is finally all working properly (it's weird whenever I do ketamine in the bath all the electrics in the house go weird).

I like to think that if I see things going a little pear shaped with drugs then I can just pull myself out. I was always able to do this with alcohol, weed too. There have been plenty of times where i have found myself just drinking way too much so I simply say to myself "alright lets stop this for a while."

I think a year is an amazing achievement man. i've probably known you for about 4 years now and seen you go through all sorts of shit with the booze, I couldn't be happier that you're off it.

well done.

-Chemical Shaman

[psycho0]

very well done gom!

[Hagakure]

i have never been an alcoholic but used to binge drink as most young australians do these days.

when i found harder more brain tickling drugs i saw that that was the feeling i was searching for in my binging.

without a doubt the alcohol industry would suffer with more legalised drugs.

[apothecary]

I always pull myself out of habits if I can just to fuck with myself hehe.

Not just drugs/etc...e.g. a couple of weeks ago I didn't listen to any music voluntarily for a week (which is a feat for the guy who listens to music from his waking minute until he has earphones in bed at night).

I find that when you fuck with your mind you can catch it by surprise and push it to some cool places.

[mescalito]

"Not just drugs/etc...e.g. a couple of weeks ago I didn't listen to any music voluntarily for a week (which is a feat for the guy who listens to music from his waking minute until he has earphones in bed at night)."

Hat's off to you man! (music is my drug of choice)

I know from fellow shaman's that this is the basic principle of the fast

Good training for when we finally free the plants!

[psycho0]

i guess it's the same as the shamanic 'not-doing'

[Hagakure]

a week of no music would be very very hard for me.

im am very much an addict with side effects of my addiction being a slight loss of hearing.

an interesting concept though and i may give it a go.

[gomaos]

thanks for all the congratulations, one might get the impression that's my main reason for doing it.

Anyhu, time to say now: That's done, no need to look back, chapter closed.

the new chapter: How to stay off it by making one's life interesting and satisfying enough...?

I shall dedicate this new year to it...

where to start...?

[mescalito]

I think you already have started

[AndyAmine.]

Ahh, Gom, good on ya mate.. I feel ya..

You sound a lot like me a "dry drunk".. although for me its not alcohol. the saying "1's to many and 1000's not enough" fits well.

I find having some time built up is a major factor for me, once I can say to my self (and others) that I havent used in such and such ammount of time, I dont want to ruin it.. its been over 5.5yrs for me. I couldnt live with my self if I fucked that up.

I have often wondered if I should share my trials with drug addiction (basicly my life story) on this forum but am worried it will change peoples veiws of me like it almost always does in "real" life.

I think your post has helped me make up my mind. thanks Gomaos.

[ 05. May 2005, 06:28: Message edited by: AndyAmine. ]