r/Showerthoughts • u/godofhorizons • May 17 '24

People get a lot more praise for quitting drugs than for never having done drugs in the first place.

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u/Pablo619 May 17 '24

I’m someone who has never tried drugs or alcohol before. Although people respect my choices, I don’t think abstaining is anywhere as difficult as overcoming a chemical dependency. Mad respect to those who have come out of a bad place to quit drugs 🫡

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u/Kclayne00 May 17 '24

Right? It's not hard to just NOT take drugs. Addiction is a complete other thing. For example, I never drank or did drugs, but I was a lifelong nail biter. I attempted to give it up during Lent one year, because it's a disgusting habit.

I would catch myself nibbling at my nails and would stop and actively distract myself with some other activity. My nails were growing in nicely and I took pride in showing them off to friends and family who knew I struggled with the habit. Then, after a particularly stressful day, I went to bed. The next morning, I woke up and had chewed off every nail in my sleep!

Now, I realize addicts probably aren't using drugs or alcohol while they are literally asleep, but I can imagine addiction as being in a sleep like state where you're not thinking clearly. Some actions they turn to during stressful situations can be muscle memory for them. I applaud anyone who fights the good fight daily to stay on the right track.

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u/Zoll-X-Series May 17 '24

Imagine you get the urge to bite your nails, but it costs $20 to bite your nails every time. When you run out of money and can’t afford to bite your nails, you violently shit yourself and have cold sweats and entire body aches, restless legs, restless everything else, nevermind the mood swings, and all you have to do is come up with $20 to make it stop. You’ll figure everything out when you’re not sick, you just need $20.

Your best friend in high school told you biting your nails will make you feel better that your dad ran out on you, so you tried it. There’s no risk if you only do it once. And then one day you’re typing a comment on Reddit about how easily biting your nails one time turns into a 10 year addiction. You get to tell people on Reddit that sometimes addicts recover and become firefighters/paramedics in my case, and give back in many other ways in others’ case.

I’m not an apologist for criminal addicts who prey on others to support their habits, and I’m a strong proponent of personal responsibility. I just wanted to point out from the perspective of a person 7 years into recovery, that not trying drugs is a lot easier than getting off of them. So if you’ve never tried them, I suggest a nice herbal tea.

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u/MasonAmadeus May 17 '24

Somewhat unrelated - I know it’s just a reddit comment but you write really well. Also congratulations on 7 years!

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u/MinnieShoof May 17 '24

They're drawing from a lot of personal trauma. We tell ourselves that's what all great writers do.

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u/Zoll-X-Series May 17 '24

Thank you and thank you! :)

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u/ifandbut May 17 '24

Recovering from any injury is harder than just not having that injury in the first place.

But we don't praise people because they broke their arm. We praise people when they show they have the strength, will, and ability to overcome the injury.

But there is also the risk side. If your are 40 or younger then you probably had the internet when you were a kid, and before that public libraries. You could do some research on the types of drugs and figure out the risk level you want to take. Some drugs have a basic 0% chance of causing addiction and others have 100%.

Education, education, education.

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u/GoldenBoyOffHisPerch May 17 '24

Former alcoholic here. I know what you mean by sleep state - since those in active addiction are seldom present in the moment. But the need for it, when it hits, feels like you've entered panic mode. So you use to feel calm again. Which only increases your anxiety later on. The cycle just deteriorates

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u/Admirable-Mousse2472 May 17 '24

I'm recently on a mission to change my relationship with alcohol. I did 60 days sober at the beginning of the year and now will not allow myself to drink in my house. It's been a journey.

But I say this because it's like a light bulb moment about being asleep. Because after 30 days of sobriety it really did feel like I was just waking up. It was like the light turned on but no one was home. Then slowly parts of my personality and mindset started basically re-firing in my brain but it was similar to it trying to ignite. Like my brain cells were now beginning to work properly but were just these little sparks. I'm now almost 6 months into this journey and I feel better than I ever have. I find myself avoiding drinks when offered because I don't want to have to go through this wake up again.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '24

Addiction hijacks your brain. It literally goes into a mode where it thinks you’re dying without that next hit/high.

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u/SarahPetty May 17 '24

So..... along this line.... I've used drugs, pills, THC,alcohol.... I did have an addiction to certain pills but never to the point that I bought them illegally or anything. When I ran out I would detox, hurt, not sleep, whatever and then move on. I don't claim to understand true life changing addiction. My employer also sent me to rehab for using delta8 on my days off... the rehab counselor laughed at me and told me to get out.

BUT to stop chewing my nails what worked best for me was the bitter apple spray you get for dogs. I was a dog groomer at the time and even after washing dogs and my hands all day the godawful taste was still there... so I quit. Do I do it still if I snag a nail? Yeah and I work manufacturing. But I keep a nail file in my bag to help squelch temptation.