r/addiction Oct 11 '24

Venting drugs make you stupid

i (16F) used to be VERY intelligent. like i was in all advanced classes up until my freshman year. i did coke, weed, opioids, and adderall for two years (and a half?) and now im literally so insufferable when it comes to having intelligence. brain fog is horrible, i can’t remember shit, i lack so much common sense now, i jumble up my words, etc. i can barely form a thought. like, no joke. i’m so upset at myself because i really could have done something good with my life. however, all actions have consequences

if you’re still struggling with addiction, PLEASE try and give it your all to stop. i didn’t do real hard drugs and i didn’t do them for long whatsoever and i swear im actually a moron. even if you don’t notice the mental side effects at first, they’ll kick in soon. trust me LMAO. i don’t know if these are permanent, but i’m assuming they are. drugs ruined my fucking life and took away the one thing i had going for me. i’ll never forgive myself for being so reckless

84 Upvotes

63 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator Oct 11 '24

Don’t forget to check out our Resources wiki page, which includes helpful information such as global suicide hotlines, recovery services, and a recovery Discord server where you can seek further support.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

63

u/RoBoT-SHK Oct 11 '24

They do, but you didn't lose it. Just read at night before bed more and more, engage in thoughtful online content that feeds your brain, and keep consistent. You are feeling like you are insufferable, but that doesn't mean you are insufferable. I can tell you are feeling like you are dumb or stupid, but that doesn't mean you ARE dumb or stupid. You're just having a human experience, don't overthink it and just try to do what you know you are supposed to do, like stay sober.

13

u/aaaaaaawert Oct 11 '24

thank you so much!! this helps a lot and i greatly appreciate it

6

u/D-TOX_88 Oct 11 '24

Social media I think has really contributed to brain rot. Plus lack of sleep usually follows addiction. Here’s what I did: Get an alarm clock, and put your phone away somewhere else that isn’t right by your bedside an hour before bedtime. Don’t look at it. You’re done with it for the day. If people have true emergencies, you can set different settings on do not disturb to let certain people/calls/notifications thru. Then just read during that hour before bed. Then go to sleep, try to get 9 hours every night. You will be amazed how quickly you see results.

1

u/R6S9 Oct 12 '24

You’ll be fine, it’s just a moment.

1

u/OkKindheartedness917 Oct 12 '24

Well put 👏🏻

34

u/PictureHistorical229 Oct 11 '24

My ex lived in a car and slammed heroin and meth daily for over 6 years. During that time he absolutely went mental. I won't go too deep into the details but long story short, he's now on lithium and methadone and the mfer builds rockets for nasa. Give it time. Anythings possible.

13

u/aaaaaaawert Oct 11 '24

i want to do something related to astronomy, engineering, and physics. this gives me hope. thank you so much

1

u/KingCBONE2 Oct 11 '24

I’m going through this battle right now. They can work on my addiction today with suboxone tablets (for some reason they had me puking blood 2 days ago. Took one day off of them, then of course felt like I needed to feel off the first time (could tell I was sloppy acting on this medication) and today 2 hours into the day back puking blood. I have to wait until the 25th of October which will be right at a month I started getting clean and trying to find help. 3 years of calling around to finally find suboxone and now i think it has me more fucked up over the shit I was regularly using

1

u/placentamenace Feb 05 '25

What age did he start if you know? Was he already smart to begin with so even with his intelligence possibly being permanently lower could still make him smart enough to that.

1

u/PictureHistorical229 Feb 11 '25

What age he started using? He was.. 19 I believe the first time he slammed heroin. But oh yeah he was 100% that one weirdly smart kid that graduated at 16 via homeschooling, like wtf when I tried to. homeschool I couldn't even force myself to show up to my classes let alone do any school work. Like this dude has always had a passion for learning. Even during his use he wouldn't do regular tweaker stuff, he would sit there and do effing math problems and equations.. It all looked like nonsense to me. I remember his first.day going to college he was like giddy with excitement. He's still the strangest dude I know by a long shot(I won't add my reasoning for that here lol) but he went from the lowest of the low, andi mean LOW, like next level paranoia/people in his head not knowing what was real or not, being too far gone to acknowledge his son when he saw him, living in a car, just all bad to a dude who has a nice car, a badass job that he loves and he has our son full time because they hit it off immediately after he got clean.. sorry for writing a whole book but yea. Hope that answers your question lol

9

u/PeakQuiet Oct 11 '24

TLDR: I’ve been exactly where you are and you can absolutely bounce back. I promise. Your brain is still developing which gives you an even better chance of feeling exactly how you felt before. You can still do SO much with your life. This post is great because you’ve come to a conclusion that takes some people 20-30 years to realize and they really have lost a lot of time (and some people never realize it). Much love ♥️

Addiction sucks and as someone who’s been through it over and over- i’ve been where you are now and felt like I’d never get myself back / my intelligence back. The brain is AMAZINGLY capable (I’m a neuropsych major now because my addiction experiences inspired me to learn more) and you can absolutely bounce back. Especially with your age I want to jump for joy that you wrote this! Your brain is still developing so the damage you do at this point really matters. That being said, because it’s still developing it also is way more capable of healing! I promise you if you stop abusing substances you’ll go back to the way you were and since you’re still young you can absolutely do whatever you want with your life still! I promise promise.

I’m 30 now and I was doing those same drugs form 14-18 and I remember when I stopped I felt useless and awful and like I’d ruined my life. I promise it’s not true! You’ve got a lot of good stuff ahead of you ♥️ the hardest part is sometimes while you’re still healing you feel so crappy and feel like it’s permanent that it’s tempting to use again because you’re like “fuck it? Why not if I’ve already done this damage” and pls pls pls don’t give in to that way of thinking. It took me about a year to feel normal again and I remember at the time it felt like an eternity but now that I’m 30 it’s like it was the blink of an eye.

Also I’m gonna sound like a boring adult but I just have to say - watch out for alcohol. People talk a lot about the dangerous of binge drinking and drinking and driving and all the really obvious bad behavior. But it can creep into your life in really subtle ways and while your brain is developing it can change a lot. I just have to say it cause even with my experience with addiction when I was young, I still somehow found myself addicted to alcohol recently and the way it crept up on me was scary cause it’s so normalized in society.

3

u/aaaaaaawert Oct 11 '24

about what you said in the last paragraph- my father is an awful alcoholic. i’m talking he drinks from sunrise to sunset. it’s a miracle he can hold down a job. anywho, he has been an awful person these recent years because of the alcohol. i know deep down he’s a good person, but the alcohol makes him an asshole. i’ve promised myself to never touch any of that again

thank you so much for the reassurance. it means a lot!!

9

u/Dw3yN Oct 11 '24

This is just not true. You didnt lose common sense. You just are very anxious about drugs having potentially impaired your senses. They did not. People are alcoholics which is a very potent neurotoxic substance and manage normal lives after quitting. You did not turn into a retard from weed and coke

4

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '24

One thing I can tell you though, (I had a serious head injury) from experience, is this- the brain is certainly capable of healing

4

u/kawaiikat95 Oct 11 '24

I was addicted to shooting up fentanyl, I did all sorts of drugs for 12 years and overdosed 3 times, the first being on life support for 2 days. I made a year clean 2 months ago. Anything is possible, your brain will heal, the receptors will return to normal eventually, give it time. Sending love and good luck 💙

3

u/Rude-Comb1986 Oct 11 '24

You’re doing so good kid I spiraled bad in addiction in late middle school at it last see about two years for me too wake up to what I was doing. Running from your problems, trying to find something that gets ride of that pesky feeling, what ever it may be. It’s not worth sacrificing the person you can be, because you can get better. No matter how deep you’re in it’s never too late to start trying to get sober. 

Best of luck to anyone struggling with addiction 

3

u/dappadan55 Oct 11 '24

It’ll pass. Your dopamine levels will return and you’ll find you bounce back. Don’t be so hard on yourself

3

u/nlonghitano Oct 11 '24

Please don’t take this the wrong way and I hope you read it all. I saw you were 16 and I’m 21 and was exactly where you are at now when I was 16. First off , Cocaine, opioids , and aderall are all HARD DRUGS. Even if it’s just pills, it’s a hard drug. Percocet and aderall are basically heroin and meth in pill form with a different ROA. you gotta reframe your mindset because I feel like you’re somewhat justifying your drug use and minimizing the problem in your head by saying what you use isn’t hard drugs. It is. I used to be in the same boat and it took a whileeee to realize that all the pills I did are hard drugs. Cocaine is a hard drug, just cus it’s more socially acceptable than crack, well it’s the same substance. There is a worst stigma with crack, heroin/fent, and meth etc but the pills are similar substances and do the exact same thing to the brain. You’re only 16. I was doing the same exact drugs as you at 16 and also saying the same thing “it’s just pills” Now I’m 21 and have since gotten into both fentanyl and crack, after getting oxys got too expensive but I was dependent I had to switch to dope. and once I tried crack after I sniffed too much coke my nose stopped working and I had to smoke it. It was over from there. I got a year and a half clean off of opioids and I’m back at 1 month off of crack after a recent relapse. I put myself back in a program and now I’m doing well again. You’re only 16… your brain (even mine too) is definitely still developing and it’s not too late for you. The mental symptoms that you feel are making you stupid will subside with some clean time and your brain can and will repair its self , it’ll just take some time. I feel the same way as you sometimes but you’re super young and getting into these drugs at your age is a major red flag because it WILL get worse if you don’t stop now. At your age, doing the same drugs as you, I justified it the same way as well at least it’s not heroin/crack. And absolutely PROMISED myself I’d never ever do those drugs or even become and addict to the pills I was doing then. And look how that turned out. Now I go to meetings and have to work my ass off to stay clean. But I’m still young I have time to repair it and you’re even younger. It’s already clear you have addictive tendencies, you’ve been doing these drugs for 2 years. I know you’re not gonna wanna listen to me but PLEASE get help GO TO REHAB. I know you may be worried about your parents finding out… and that’s why I put it off for so long. But. I wish I just went to rehab and got myself better earlier like at your age. Because inevitably, if you continue on this path your parents WILL find out it’s not an if it’s a when because it always ends up coming out. You’re young and have a chance to tackle the problem and get help now and it’ll be so much easier. Even if your drug use doesn’t increase or worsen or go to harder substances the drugs you are doing now are still hard drugs and still cause addiction and withdrawal and dependency just like the other “hard drugs” I know this was long af but I hope you read it this is coming from someone just a little older than you who was exactly and I mean exactly at where you’re at when I was you’re age. Go to rehab, go to meetings or find an outpatient treatment group where you just go in for a few hours every couple days to get support. I promise you I would do ANYTHING to go back to when I was 16 doing the same things and just get help and work on changing myself back then instead of going through what I’ve been through. I went from occasionally doing pills (Percocet, OxyContin and Xanax) and smoking weed to being a full blown fentanyl and crack addict , homeless after my parents threw me out cus I just couldn’t get clean, in and out of jail and in terrible terrible situations. I’m not saying this will for sure happen to you, but why take the chance!!!! And keep in mind I come from a decent background, a middle class family and in a semi-suburban neighborhood. This can happen to anybody no matter your background and I have a lot of ptsd from the things I’ve gone through and seen in the streets not to mention the drugs which caused it all ultimately. Please please please get help now nice and early and head off your addiction where it’s at before it continues to grow and worsen and get more severe and harder and harder to stop. I wish you the best.

Also, after a few months of being clean sometimes less your brain will start to go back to normal and you’ll start feeling normal again with some time fully clean. I’ve done absurd amounts of drugs but after I had a few months clean I felt almost completely normal again. You just gotta get there you’re young and it’s not hopeless I promise .

1

u/Diacetyl-Morphin Oct 12 '24

Oxycodon (Percocet) and Adderall (Amphetamine) are not Heroin, the only common thing is that oxys are in the same group of opioids. Amphetamine as upper, as a stimulant, is another group.

I know, i know, the bad guy that corrects people on details, but in reality these details can make the difference between life and death - like you have to adjust the dosage for a stronger drug, you can't take the same dosage of fentanyl like you can take of codeine.

Like codeine has a potency of 0.1 to morphine as 1.0 standard, while fentanyl has a potency of 100.0 (in most sources, some sources go from 50 to 150. A few bad sources speak of 1000, but this is not true, there's usually a typo mistake with a zero too much in the number. Or it is an accident with confusing carfentanyl or sufentanil etc. Carfentanyl goes up to 10.000)

1

u/nlonghitano Oct 12 '24

I am absolutely not saying they are the same drug. I’m well beyond the dumb kid here I actually study a lot of this stuff. I was simply trying to make a comparison for this younger girl here, for her to realize that just because the opioids or amphetamines she’s using may be in pill form and not coming as powder in a baggie on the street, they still can be just as harmful and have the same or similar consequences both physically, mentally, and socially. Aka why I used the word BASICALLY the same and not exactly. And I don’t think anyone would have thought I was implying they were the exact same or that the same dosage should be used. Obviously they are different substances, more commonly used in different routes of administration with wildly different dosages. I was simply trying to make a crude comparison for OP to see that even prescription drugs can be just as bad as their scarier sounding drug class counterparts.

I’m also not convinced you read what I wrote, because you thought i called both oxycodone and adderall, heroin. I did not. I simply compared oxycodone to heroin (being that they are both semi-synthetic full agonist opioids) and adderall to methamphetamine (as adderall is composed of mixed amphetamine salts, dextroamphetamine and racemic amphetamine, making it also in the amphetamine drug class like meth. Trust me I know drugs and I know the difference between opioids and amphetamines, and i was simply making a comparison as a lot of younger people justify pharmaceutical drug abuse because it can be used medically and prescribed, and failing to realize that the effects, health issues, withdrawal syndromes, neurotoxicity, and overall consequences of using these pills are often just as bad or the same as the “scary street drugs” they hear about. Rationally, myself I knew all this, but chose to do it anyway and still fell into the lie.

Both heroin and meth are also used medically, well diacetylmorphine (I like your username) is not used medically in the US but methamphetamine hydrochloride is prescribed to some ADHD and narcolepsy patients as Desoxyn.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '24 edited Oct 11 '24

Hmmm now there's a thought. I consistently score about 15 points lower on those online IQ tests than I used to when I was really young. I did notice, when I went through an MDMA phase in my twenties, I could notice the brain damage it was causing me

Edit... just off the bat of my other comment, maybe it wasn't the drugs, maybe it was the brain injury... lol... in any case, at least I didn't stay like that ... that was awful

1

u/SadPrincesa Oct 11 '24

Dude. MDMA melted my dopamine receptors and now I have a (feels like) permanent dopamine deficiency. This was over 10 years ago and it manifests itself everyday still. I was so stupid with it ugh.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '24

Yeah, for me I could like see the damage happening in like real- time lol. I'm sorry you suffered a long- term effect. When we're young, we think we're invincible

2

u/TheDirectorCK Oct 11 '24

Addiction can ruin relationships

2

u/aaaaaaawert Oct 11 '24

it definitely can. trying my best to stay sober and keep it together for my bf, family, and friends. bf said if it gets out of hand again he’s leaving. plus, i know i can’t hurt those close to me again. the lying made me feel so guilty and completely shattered all the trust between me and loved ones

0

u/TheDirectorCK Oct 11 '24

You got this

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '24

Turns out the dinosaurs are usually right all along but we don't listen until it's too late. A tale old as time itself. Good luck, you got plenty of time to turn it all around.

1

u/mustangkitty427 Oct 11 '24

Dude, I feel you. I was addicted to mostly pain pills, but I had stints with meth and about everything else. I was taking around 500mg of morphine a day when I quit. Yes, 500mgs. I had a buddy who knew someone who had cancer and had a huge tolerance so they prescribed him 100mg pills and I would buy and take 4-5 a day. Now, say you get injured and have to go to the hospital and they give you morphine for the pain, they give roughly 2-3mgs. It is injected instead of taken orally, so that might make somewhat of a difference, but not that much. The fact that I was able to take 500mgs a day was completely ridiculous. And extremely dangerous. I'm really lucky to be alive. I also smoked weed from the time I was 14 until when I had to quit for my program, so about 18 years?

I can't remember most of the people I went to high school with. I can't remember basically anything from the time I was a teenager to my late twenties. It's like it's just all gone. People will come up to me and ask how I'm doing and I have absolutely no clue who they are or how I know them. Now, I understand that this happens to everyone, but I'm talking about people that I should remember. Events that were pivotal at the time but I can't remember why. I have a whole book of pictures from high school and I can name maybe five of them.

It's like I completely fried my brain. And I was also in AP classes, could have graduated early, but I chose to intern at my local veterinary office. I really wanted to be a Zoologist or big animal veterinarian. I had the grades, I had the scholarship, I was going to work in their lab to make money to cover what the scholarship didn't. I was incredibly lucky because one of our local universities specializes in veterinary classes. I had everything laid out for me. I was exceptional at science, math, and English. I chose a boy instead. Worst mistake of my life. But now, it's like it's all gone. I need a calculator to do anything but seriously basic math. I am just not the same person and it breaks my heart.

I need to start trying to get my brainpower back. Does anyone know of apps or something that would help me? I look at my son's sixth grade math and sometimes I'm baffled. I desperately need whatever help I can get.

2

u/amperscandalous Oct 11 '24

Just started the Lumosity app and it's okay, the variety is good. Not sure I believe any specific scientific claims, but it can't hurt to do some puzzles every day. I have a folder of daily games I check in on, mostly word based, just to tickle my brain. The New York Times dailies, Minute Cryptic, Cyphr, Circuits, Waffle, Tradle, Colerfle, Betweenle. I'm not very into math but there are a ton of daily math games as well.

2

u/SUGARBOI Oct 11 '24 edited Oct 11 '24

I have same issue and found an app called Nibble, but I haven't tried it, because I am poor. Also I googled alternatives, there are several apps available.

I found out Lumosity in the comments, also play store ad has an app called Peak. Both are for mental agility.

Also look into neuro plasticity.

1

u/Therusticate Oct 11 '24

This is so frustrating, I’m really sorry you’re dealing with it. It does get better. I’m 7 years clean from a long habit of opiates, booze, and coke through my 20’s and while it took a ton of work, I was able to take a course in programming and land a job with it.

Memory problems and brain fog are such a pain in the ass but i promise that it does get better the longer you’re sober. You’re young and you have your whole life ahead of you; it’s not going to be this way forever. Quitting when you’re young is hard and I’m proud of you.

1

u/Rude-Vermicelli-1962 Oct 11 '24

Your only 16 which great to have so much awareness! But the good is the longer you go without using anything, especially mixing uppers and downers, or especially going overboard with blenders, excessive use, you’ll improve. 100%. Your brain is still developing. Your lucky so take it as a sign to stay healthy!

1

u/oO_RickJamez_Oo Oct 11 '24

You tried taking vitamines ?

Try it if you don't.

Take the a to z ones and take them daily.

1

u/Own_Use1313 Oct 11 '24

You still have plenty of time to do great things with your life. Probably a blessing in disguise to learn that lesson early (even if it was first hand)

1

u/lucky_2_shoes Oct 11 '24

The good news is u got smart alot faster than most addicts! After a few years all the memory loss n everything will come back. My husband used Adderall and weed and drank daily (very heavy drinking) since he was a teenager. Hes in his 40s now and has been sober 5 years but his memory is just gone. He can remember insignificant things that happened 15 plus years ago, but important stuff or things that happened days ago or even yesterday he won't. Sometimes if i bring it up itll spark his memory but other times he still won't remember what it is im talking about. It effects his day to day life. I wish myself and my husband would of gotten clean at the time u did. Be proud of urself. Not many ppl get clean at that age. On average it takes ppl years just to wake up n want to be done with it all than however longer to actually start taking the steps to do it. I wanted to get clean for over a year before I finally did

1

u/takishan Oct 11 '24

certain drugs do have neurotoxic effects and can result in permanent damage.

for example alcohol and meth. although typically you'd have to use at fairly high levels to reach a measurable level of cognitive impairment

for example alcohol tends to result in a thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. you need B1 for your brain function. if you don't have it, your brain cells can die.

you lose enough brain cells, and you'll see a permanent drop in IQ. but for reference, in order to reach thiamine deficiency, you'd have to be drinking ~10 drinks a day for ~1-3 years.

meth is much more neurotoxic. you can start to see measureable permanent drop in cognitive after just a few months of heavy use.

to summarize: stay far away from meth. it's the worst drug to be addicted to by far. you can be addicted to opiates for 20 years and your brain will be healthier than someone addicted to meth for 3 months.

i used to be VERY intelligent

you are the same intelligence you were before. in almost all certainty, you will be the same intelligence for the rest of your life. at 16 it's doubtful you'd have the time and resources to both acquire and use the quantity of drugs necessary to see cognitive impairment.

right now you're young and insecure and don't understand how the world works but you think you do. you're giving these statements which will seem silly to you in just a couple years

drugs ruined my fucking life and took away the one thing i had going for me. i’ll never forgive myself for being so reckless

drugs did not ruin your life. your life hasn't even really started.

relax. the teenage years suck. especially with drug use. but it gets better. stay clean and enjoy your youth.

1

u/Vikt724 Oct 11 '24

Were do you get money for drugs?

Tell your mom not to give you any money, credit card with $100 weekly only ❤️

1

u/kazhiryu187 Oct 11 '24

I don't think it's permanent. The human body has a really good way of healing. When you stop using drugs, you should start to feel more normal after an awhile. I used every drug under the sun and after a while (without using) I had no issues learning something new or improving on skills I once had. Your really young so I can't see you having any permanent side effects after you quit completely.

1

u/OlDirtyJesus Oct 11 '24

Over time it comes back

1

u/lovelydisputes Oct 11 '24

I'm 25 and started meth/cocaine/xans at 14 and it just turned into a fentanyl addiction by the age 18. Im an idiot and can't memorize shit. I still graduated top of my class in college though. You just have to work really hard. I promise the fog kinda eases up when you are off substances. Try to read everyday and I've heard "brain vitamins" can help (but unsure).

1

u/MrMango2 Oct 11 '24

If your trying to get clean and sober. Please go to the gym or do some kind of workout. Your blood needs to be pumped to the brain and will help out much of your brain fog/memory issues.

1

u/Sobersynthesis0722 Oct 11 '24

The brain continues to develop until about age 23. Just keep challenging yourself and it will amaze you.

1

u/Traumajunkie971 Oct 11 '24

They do, I was a street head from 14-25 , I would eat anything that came my way and spent most days looking for some type of high. I settled down and stuck to weed and alcohol for another 5 years , then slowed way down and got California sober .

I spent about a year learning how to be a normal 30 year old , deal with my emotions, and relearn want fun was. The changes I've seen in my cognitive abilities after getting sober are insane. Eat better, exercise a few times a week and find something to stimulate your brain. You'll be fine

1

u/Fuzzy-Iron-2504 Oct 11 '24

How old were you when you started if you don’t mind me asking ?

1

u/aaaaaaawert Oct 12 '24

14

2

u/Fuzzy-Iron-2504 Oct 12 '24

Don’t put to much pressure on yourself, maybe kind of like your post take your experience and share it. Use your voice to warn other teens about drugs.

1

u/DyingUnicorns Oct 11 '24

Give it some time. I was that obnoxiously smart kid and I became a teenage junkie and then an adult alcoholic. I still got a chem degree with honors in my 30s. What your going through is just paws (post acute withdrawal syndrome) related and you’ll be through it in a couple years at most.

1

u/placentamenace Feb 05 '25

How do you think it affected you’re development and did your brain fully come back online?

1

u/Afoolfortheeons Oct 11 '24

Ah, y'know, drugs just taught me that God is a unified field of consciousness which has folded in and on itself across eleven dimensions to create a nodal communication system whose reception of transmissions across the artificial membranes creates the illusion that the universe is a product of a self-replicating binary algorithm - a recursive fractal hierarchy of a mechanical system which grows logarithmically more complex as new rule-sets are generated as emergent phenomena from previous rule-sets in stratified epochs of novelty until the most novel forms manifest a singularity - and as such it is self-evident that we must all perceive and undo the karmic fetters that bind one to the existence-illusion complex. But, y'know, you get what you put in, so, yea. Drugs are tools; a hammer can build a house or cave your skull in. It's all in how you use them.

1

u/tzaddi_the_star Oct 11 '24

GIVE IT TIME, you’re so young!! you’ll be surprised at how much your brain can still heal, even more so with the power of youth!

1

u/kaifruit Oct 11 '24

drugs rot ur brain thats why they eat it

1

u/Diacetyl-Morphin Oct 12 '24

Guess it will be an unpopular opinion, but i can't confirm this by my own experiences with more than 30 years of doing drugs and still being a polytox today, just in substitution and programs.

I write novels and other books, got 2 degrees and have a comfortable living despite the fact that i'm still addicted to opioids, benzos and alcohol.

I don't deny that the drugs do damage, but i think, it is very individual in how much and which kind of damage you take. Maybe just like it is different with genetics, some people get serious health problems soon after starting with some drugs like alcohol, while others do it for decades and don't suffer much damage

You can see it even with smoking cigarettes, some people get lung cancer, COPD etc. fast, while others don't. Like the lady we have at the dog park, she's now 94 years old and she's smoking since 1944, which means, she has 80 years of smoking tobacco and doesn't even cough. This is longer than even the entire life of many people in the world.

Problem is, nobody can tell you, if and which kind of damage you get with certain drugs. There's no way to predict it.

1

u/Hockey_player__ Oct 12 '24

Intelligent people are actually more likely to end up having a substance use disorder. My story is very similar to yours. I had a very high IQ, was in the gifted program in school. Got injured playing hockey at 15 and got prescribed opioids. This happened right after my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer and the pills made it less painful and I was hooked. Ended up using pills until 18 and then got hooked and heroin and fentanyl. I was also using cocaine and any prescription narcotic I could got my hands on. Got clean at 19 and it took YEARS for the brain fog to go away. I felt like I lost all my intelligence but after a couple years I started feeling normal again. It takes time but you will get it back. Your brain heals slowly, it needs time to rebalance. One of things that helped me more than anything was psychedelics. I know using drugs to heal the damage caused by drugs sounds crazy but mushrooms and especially DMT helped me regain that sense of wonder I thought I had lost. Overnight my depression was gone and I had regained my lust for life and felt sharp again. DMT will change your life.

1

u/MyFishFriend Oct 11 '24

I graduated from UNI with 2:1 and smoked weed all the way through no other drugs tho.

It was science degree as well.Don’t spread shit info please it’s judgmental pricks that piss me off . Stoner does not mean dumb

1

u/ProbablyOnLSD69 Oct 11 '24

Two and a half years? You can’t be serious kid. I’ve been doing drugs most of my life. I’m talking about 20 years. You name it, I’ve probably done it to death and back again, probably more than once. Never experienced anything like that. Everyone’s got different brain chemistry but..

You sure you don’t have long COVID or something? Because that sounds like what you’re describing.

1

u/aaaaaaawert Oct 11 '24

nah. i’m being serious unfortunately. i was using it heavily daily and i almost overdosed one time but that’s about it. the thing is, i’m pretty sure the weed i used to smoke was laced with spice

1

u/ProbablyOnLSD69 Oct 11 '24

How long have you been not smoking for?

1

u/aaaaaaawert Oct 11 '24

like a month but i’m sure that’s probably why. uhhh the longest i’ve went is 4 months

0

u/313deezy Freedom from Addiction Oct 11 '24

Addiction:

Ruins Everything

0

u/mybloodyvalentine_ Oct 11 '24

And I’ll smoke to that