What's rehab like?

[BrokenBoy]

I'm curious.

 

[menander]

What are you going in for?

 

[BrokenBoy]

What are you going in for?

I'm not going to rehab. I'm just curious.

 

[Fino]

My guess is that it would be very similar to a psychiatric hospital. Do you know what that is like?

 

[BrokenBoy]

My guess is that it would be very similar to a psychiatric hospital. Do you know what that is like?

Ya.

 

[unperson]

My guess is smelly.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Imagine lying on the floor, in agony, for two weeks, and having to go to classes every day.

Every day choosing to be there even though your very nerves, skin, sinew, everything about you wants to leave and go get high.

It sucks and it's beautiful because if you actually do it, it changes your life.

But while you're there, your mind is swiss cheese from all the hard drugs, and it takes years to get that back.

They say for every year high, you lose five years of maturity.

And for every two years sober, you gain one year of maturity.

So you never get back to where you were before, but you grow immensely and become a functioning adult that doesn't rob and beat up your own grand father for a fix.

You heal, your family heals, society heals.

If you skip out and decide you don't want to finish, that treatment is too much for you, and you'd rather be strung out....

Then I hope you like collecting cans out of trash cans, sleeping in doorways, and being alienated from every friend and relative you ever had because through your substance abuse, you abused them.

 

[Raggamuffin]

For me, quitting took many attempts and was done by myself. So not entirely relevant, but I found of all the drugs I abused and quit, the ones I found hardest to come off were the legal ones prescribed to help my mood disorders

Ed

 

[Starfire]

Imagine lying on the floor, in agony, for two weeks, and having to go to classes every day.

Every day choosing to be there even though your very nerves, skin, sinew, everything about you wants to leave and go get high.

It sucks and it's beautiful because if you actually do it, it changes your life.

But while you're there, your mind is swiss cheese from all the hard drugs, and it takes years to get that back.

Having been to rehab a few times over the years, this is a reasonably accurate portrayal of what it’s like. One thing to add which I always found immensely irritating and creepy, is how often others want and expect you to reciprocate with their constant need to hug, or shake hands or put an arm around you for supposed moral support even when it was clear that people didn’t like or want to be touched.

Continuing on from rehab and no doubt especially in the 12 step programs, there are people who do this solely for their own gratification and sexual kicks. In my experience every group has one or two pervs that make a line straight for the vulnerable or attractive newcomers in order to do this and brag about their alleged clean time thus expecting respect and wanting to swap numbers quick thereby giving themselves a good shot at 13 stepping. It’s disgusting and sickening, even more so when it’s rarely brought up by other members for fear of rocking the boat or being cold shouldered by the rest of your recovery group.

The 13th Step: People Who Prey on Newcomers | The Fix

 

[SusanLR]

Depends on what you are going to rehab for.
There are the ones for addiction. PTSD. And then there's physical rehab.
The physical rehab is the only one I've done and that was in a nursing rehab facility after
major surgery.
I was in a drug induced coma for three days in the hospital after surgery and it did something to
my nervous system that started neuropathy of the feet. Also some nerves were damaged and I had to
learn to walk again. So it was 21 days of living in the facility with physical therapy twice daily and
some occupational therapy.
Then 2 weeks in a small group home until they knew for sure I could go home safely.
It wasn't all elderly people. There were three other young people in there for post op rehab and we
got together in the evening to play games or use the three computers they had.

 

[Gift2humanity]

For me, quitting took many attempts and was done by myself. So not entirely relevant, but I found of all the drugs I abused and quit, the ones I found hardest to come off were the legal ones prescribed to help my mood disorders

Ed

Were they benzodiazepines?
I'm prescribed them and slowly coming off them?
Sorry for the nosiness.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Were they benzodiazepines?
I'm prescribed them and slowly coming off them?
Sorry for the nosiness.

Yuck Benzos! Worst addiction, maybe harder than opiates! Don't even mess with them, and if a dr prescribes them, don't do it. It just makes you so high that you don't care about anything.

That's what led me down the long road of learning about natural and homeopathic medicine. Skullcap or Kava will help in a panic attack and are as strong as a benzo. But you usually don't need something that strong.

 

[Gift2humanity]

Yuck Benzos! Worst addiction, maybe harder than opiates! Don't even mess with them, and if a dr prescribes them, don't do it. It just makes you so high that you don't care about anything.

That's what led me down the long road of learning about natural and homeopathic medicine. Skullcap or Kava will help in a panic attack and are as strong as a benzo. But you usually don't need something that strong.

Too late, I am already addicted.
I have weaned down from 75mg valium to 27mg but its taken several years.
Thanks though

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Too late, I am already addicted.
I have weaned down from 75mg valium to 27mg but its taken several years.
Thanks though

I've been addicted to benzos several times in the past. Every time I just cut it off cold turkey. You will feel like crap for a few weeks, but during detox, magnesium supplements really help with the muscle cramping, as does kava kava tincture for panic and racing thoughts. Don't listen to your dr when he says it'll kill you. Benzos will kill you faster. One of my best friends was found lying on the kitchen floor, dead, by her four year old granddaughter who she was babysitting. She was 39 years old when she passed away.

I have a lot of history with drug addiction. And the best thing you can do is just cut it off. Or you'll be on it forever.

 

[Gift2humanity]

I've been addicted to benzos several times in the past. Every time I just cut it off cold turkey. You will feel like crap for a few weeks, but during detox, magnesium supplements really help with the muscle cramping, as does kava kava tincture for panic and racing thoughts. Don't listen to your dr when he says it'll kill you. Benzos will kill you faster. One of my best friends was found lying on the kitchen floor, dead, by her four year old granddaughter who she was babysitting. She was 39 years old when she passed away.

I have a lot of history with drug addiction. And the best thing you can do is just cut it off. Or you'll be on it forever.

I didn't know that Benzes were lethal?
That's really scary.
I'm a member of benzobuddies, have been for years, some of the cold turkey experiences on there are terrible.
I actually did my tarot the other day to ask it if I would be ill if I dumped the Benzes and it said I would.
I once had an internet friend who is very knowledgeable about Benzes and detox and they said that coming off them quickly can damage your central nervous system.
Also, to make matters worse, I stupidly went on progesterone for menopause not thinking to read benzobuddies to find out it is cross-tolerant with them, many women who have come off Benzes, either by slow taper or cold turkey have had real trouble getting off progesterone, so I feel in a right big hole.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Were they benzodiazepines?
I'm prescribed them and slowly coming off them?
Sorry for the nosiness.

No, I found them hard to get in UK. I only ever got some once from a GP when I was having a panic attack in the waiting room. Even then they were only 10mg and less than 2 weeks worth. Probably for the best though - I know how I am with things I enjoy, and I wouldn't want to have tackled another addiction.

It was SSRI's - I found coming off them quite harsh. It wasn't that I was craving them when I stopped taking them - it was feeling like I was on a comedown for weeks on end and not being able to sleep. Regardless of all the symptoms and aches and pains I get from stress - sleep was never affected. I was genuinely terrified I'd be a insomniac before the side effects of the SSRI's had finally stopped. Thankfully it wasn't the case.

Ed

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Transfer to bioidentical progesterone cream. It's so wonderful!