I'm taking the first step of 12 steps. I have an addiction.

[Bullwinkle925]

It can kill me. I fight it each and every day, but I never win.
Now that I've taken the first step in admitting this, what is the next step??

[JVS]

1. um, giving me your stash?

[Bullwinkle925]

2. It scares me to think of not having it around.

How could I ever pass it over to you?

[JVS]

3. I think sooner or later if you wanna quit you gotta get rid of it

[Bullwinkle925]

4. Have you ever given up something you wanted so bad??

How do you trick your mind into giving it up?

[JVS]

5. never done it

[Bullwinkle925]

6. sigh

[Radio_Lady]

10. I did it in 1986-87. I was addicted to a romantic idea of a person... for thirty years.

Work hard on it, Bullwinkle, you will get there. I had to go through complete withdrawal, in a hospital, plus Love Addiction group therapy for months.

From London with love...

Radio Lady

[Deep13]

14. Convincing yourself you want a healthy life more than a temporary high.

[Frank Cannon]

20. It's not the substance that you want so bad...

(and I assume that we ARE talking about a substance here), what you REALLY want is to stop the physical/psychic pain you incur when you can't have it. But the substance CAUSES that pain. Remove the substance and, eventually, that pain lessens and you don't have to want to get rid of it so badly.

I don't think you can "trick" your mind into giving a substance up. It takes some help. Follow the advice of the people posting in this thread.

[KitchenWitch]

7. Check your PM!

:hi:

[conscious evolution]

8. Actually,You just did the first two steps.

You have realized you have a problem.
you are asking for help with it.

Those are the first two steps in a nutshell.

Hang in there.It can tough the first few weeks but you Can pull through it.I know I did.

[Radio_Lady]

11. Good luck, Bullwinkle. I wish to share your enthusiasm -- one day at a time!

[Frank Cannon]

9. Get help with it

Kind of like what you're doing now, but on a more regular, personal level.

The worst part of addiction, at least for me, was the loneliness. You really are roasting in your own miserable hell almost all of the time, which only feeds the desire to use/drink/smoke even more. It's a goddam endless cycle from which there appears to be no escape.

I would urge you to find a 12-step program in your area for your addiction, or--at the very least--find an online forum in which you can participate regularly. Connecting with others who are successfully fighting the same problem can save your life.

Best of luck to you. I know what you're going through.

[Radio_Lady]

12. OT: What a neat picture, Frank Cannon! Thanks for posting...

[Frank Cannon]

16. Thanks, Radio Lady.

I think your sig pic is pretty cool too. :hi:

[zanne]

13. You need people to support you.

Congratulations on taking the hardest step of all. I quit drinking 28 years ago. There's no way in the world I would have made it if I hadn't made friends in an addiction support group. (I won't mention the name of it because I won't advocate for one over the other). They DO help. I was really against joining one, because I'm NOT a "joiner". What I got from it was strength. It was my strength and my choice, but I wouldn't have had it without other people. Think about it, OK? And the very best of luck to you. Congratulations.

[Deep13]

15. The next step (with a small 's') if you have not done so...

...is detoxification. That will cure you of the physical addiction. I don't know what the substance is, but some of them, especially meth, require a clinically controlled detox. After that it is a matter of behavioral modification to control the psychological impulse to use drugs.

By beginning this process you have already demonstrated that you are stronger than you thought you were. Ultimately only you can do this for yourself. You need to want to have a normal life more than the temporary gratification of whatever it is. YOU CAN DO THIS. You, your life, your dreams and goals are too important to let some chemical get in the way. Some sort of support group might be helpful. I recommend psychiatric assistence in your effort. You were strong enough to create this problem, so you are strong enough to end it.

I strongly suggest you approach this as a behavioral problem to be solved by scientifically proven methods and resist the temptation to think of it as a spiritual matter (whatever that means). Whatever you think god is or is not, it should be clear to anyone who watches the news that god does not intervene in people's lives. Letting go and letting god, therefore, is a recipe for disaster since no god will be taking over in the driver's seat. Since you are the only one who can do this for you, it is important that you believe you can do it. Messages that you are powerless and doomed to fail without supernatural intervention will only create new problems in addition to your habit. If finances mean you cannot afford anything but an AA type thing, then use the mutual support it provides. You do not, however, have to by into the cultish 12 Steps/Big Book mentality. None of it has ever been demonstrated to work and, in fact, most of the steps have nothing to do with controlling addictive behavior anyway. Remember, sobriety is a pre-condition for AA/NA. Consequently, we need to like that problem on your own before you can even start with them anyway.

Good luck. We are all on your side.

[Frank Cannon]

17. Great post. Thanks for that.

It should not be taken for granted that a person can just stop using without some sort of medical help at first. Even alcohol withdrawal can be FATAL without clinical intervention and detox, if the problem is bad enough--and that would be for a medical professional to decide.

I will differ with you on just a couple of points regarding 12-Steps programs. Although their efficacy has never been really demonstrated (and is probably nowhere near the rates they claim), anyone who's been in a meeting has seen many, many people who have decades of non-use under their belts. To the addict who walks into the door for the first time, that seems like an impossible eternity. The programs DO work well for some people. For many, they don't. Fortunately, there are many alternatives to these programs that can also offer support and help. The bottom line is to find something that works, WHATEVER it is.

And to my knowledge, AA/NA do NOT require you to be "sober" upon starting the programs. As long as you've stopped drinking, even just for the day, it's okay. A lot of people shamble into AA on "day one" of not drinking/using, and no one would ever call that sobriety.

[Deep13]

21. I see what you mean.

My concern about relying on testimonials of long-sober/clean AA/NA members is they may be crediting the program for something they did themselves (with help). Of course there does not seem to be any proof either way on that.

[RetroLounge]

18. Check out the Addiction/Recovery forum here on DU

it's a nice safe place to share...

:hi:

RL

[LibraLiz1973]

19. KUDOS to you!

I know you have a hard road ahead of you, but, you have taken the first two major steps.
We are all behind you here.

Stay strong- your doing the right thing!