I HAVE BEEN ADDICTED TO PRESCRIPTION AMPHETAMINES FOR 11 1/2 YEARS!

Almost half of my life i have been seriously addicted to prescription amphetamines...i do not know how to overcome this addiction. The answer is to all the questions you will most likely ask regarding the attempts I have made at quitting...at 2 years into this, I attended my first outpatient facility...and the list still continues. i have reached a point where I will lose this battle to the drugs (and it's not because i have given up on wanting to quit).

The ritual of detoxifying, sleeping, eating, sleeping, hazey existence, anger, pain, lethargy, incapable of any physical...anything. Then the inability to exist like a normal human being for...i honestly do not know how long it would take. I've never stayed clean long enough. If normal is just a more mild case of the detox ----- there is no way i would be able to function on a daily basis in that world.

Please help!

I was also addicted to prescription and otc amphetamine like pills (e.g.- ephedrine). I started taking them when I was 15 in order to help me lose weight and gain energy. I am now 28 and have not taken any ephedrine for 15 months. I can totally relate to the feeling of never being able to function "normally" again. I didn't go to rehab. When ephedrine was banned in 06', I just stopped taking them. The helpless feeling is difficult to explain in mere words. It was horrible. I slept for what felt like forever. No one knew that I was going through detox, so it was hard for my friends and family to understand where all my energy went all of the sudden. Over the following year I gained almost 20 lbs. and that is with a low-fat diet and 1+ hrs. of exercise per day. I still do not feel as energetic as I would like, but it feels tremendously empowering to have quit taking ephedrine for over 1 yr. now. I do not know you, but I am sure that if you keep trying and refusing to relapse, you will succeed. I can't promise that you will ever begin to feel better than "a more mild case of detox", but at least you can stop feeling like you are fighting a losing battle. Keeping a clean, healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise has helped me a lot. I wish you luck in your journey. Remember to be patient with yourself and just take one day at a time. Learning to say no when your other people's demands exceed your energy limits is o.k. If they are a real friend, they will still love you. Be honest with yourself and determine what the drugs mean to you. Then decide how to let that go and fill that void with something or someone else that is more positive.

This makes me sad and you said "please help", so I will give you my two cents -- don't get mad! Maybe if, instead of blaming the drugs for your problems, you'd take look at yourself and your own motives then you might be able to get past your addictive behavior. It doesn't even sound like your discussing addictive medications, but maybe there is some hidden meaning in your words I am not catching?

Using anything, be it medication or food or sex, as an excuse, crutch or escape from reality is baaaaaad news and points to a mental "problem" in my opinion. I don't mean you are psycho, or even that you have a legitamite mental "disorder" like depression or bipolar (though you very well might). You may simply be in denial that you are in a bad relationship and don't have the guts to end it...and so you try and find a way to make yourself feel better or forget, for example.

Anyways, can I offer you advice? Take a vacation. Break your routine. Reevaluate your motives and take control of your life. It really sounds like you are making yourself miserable and with a little common sense applied to your decision making processes you could be much happier and ditch the bad habits! See a psychologist if you need help.

Good luck, I truly believe every person deserves to find happiness and I wish it upon you!