What are the effects of prolonged drug use on the mind and body?!
Question: What are the effects of prolonged drug use on the mind and body.?
I am a 22 year old male with a history of drug usage starting from the age of 14. I will give a brief run down on what I used and for how long and how I feel it still effects me now that I am for the "most part" sober.
At 14 years of age, the first drug I tried was LSA.. By the age of 15 1/2 I was placed in a rehab center for 7 months. I had been abusing a surplus of pain pills, benzos, ketamine, cocaine, marijuana, and occasional x.
After the age of 17 I became a user of cocaine, marijuana, prescription pills...also my drug of choice was meth. I snorted and smoked meth for 2 years along with taking large amounts of x on a weekly basis. From 17-19 I had taken over 70 xtc pills, sometimes 10 in a weekend...I admitted myself in rehab for my meth abuse when I was using over a .5g-2g a day for almost a year (sometimes staying up 4-8 days) before falling asleep and repeating the process.
After the age of 19 and my second time out from rehab, I started using prescription pills...I had with withdrawals from so many stimulants...It wasnt until I turned 20 years old before I grasped the true meaning of being sober and I had a last stint with meth and xtc before it clicked...in all I probably took about 140 xtc pills and spent over 8,000.00 on meth in my time. I smoked marijuana regularly and took more xanax and prescription medicines than most would think was humanly possible.
I have been sober for 1 1/2 years. I have not abused prescription pain pills either but still regularly smoke small amounts of marijuana and drink occasionaly....
My problem now; I have elevated stress almost constantly...my muscles will ache with tension frequently. I get sick more often than I ever have in my life. My nerves bother me...I get sweaty and hot and my heart rate becomes elevated often in stressfull situations. Sometimes I drink alcohol to calm myself which isnt good but I dont have a big habit doing that.
I get these urges and I cant sit down...I'll pace around and get nothing accomplished, sometimes I'm shaky. If I drink caffeine it makes all of this 10 times worse so I stay away. I have ADD but there is nothing that can be done about it, the medicines are way to risky for myself to consume. I know this is really long but I wanted yall to really grasp the extent of my usage and help me figure out ways to cope with it, maybe tell me how long it will last...what should I tell a ddoctor and can anything be done.? One great thing...I dont crave drugs, I have gotten thru those symptoms, I just have lingering after effects.Health Question & Answer
At 14 years of age, the first drug I tried was LSA.. By the age of 15 1/2 I was placed in a rehab center for 7 months. I had been abusing a surplus of pain pills, benzos, ketamine, cocaine, marijuana, and occasional x.
After the age of 17 I became a user of cocaine, marijuana, prescription pills...also my drug of choice was meth. I snorted and smoked meth for 2 years along with taking large amounts of x on a weekly basis. From 17-19 I had taken over 70 xtc pills, sometimes 10 in a weekend...I admitted myself in rehab for my meth abuse when I was using over a .5g-2g a day for almost a year (sometimes staying up 4-8 days) before falling asleep and repeating the process.
After the age of 19 and my second time out from rehab, I started using prescription pills...I had with withdrawals from so many stimulants...It wasnt until I turned 20 years old before I grasped the true meaning of being sober and I had a last stint with meth and xtc before it clicked...in all I probably took about 140 xtc pills and spent over 8,000.00 on meth in my time. I smoked marijuana regularly and took more xanax and prescription medicines than most would think was humanly possible.
I have been sober for 1 1/2 years. I have not abused prescription pain pills either but still regularly smoke small amounts of marijuana and drink occasionaly....
My problem now; I have elevated stress almost constantly...my muscles will ache with tension frequently. I get sick more often than I ever have in my life. My nerves bother me...I get sweaty and hot and my heart rate becomes elevated often in stressfull situations. Sometimes I drink alcohol to calm myself which isnt good but I dont have a big habit doing that.
I get these urges and I cant sit down...I'll pace around and get nothing accomplished, sometimes I'm shaky. If I drink caffeine it makes all of this 10 times worse so I stay away. I have ADD but there is nothing that can be done about it, the medicines are way to risky for myself to consume. I know this is really long but I wanted yall to really grasp the extent of my usage and help me figure out ways to cope with it, maybe tell me how long it will last...what should I tell a ddoctor and can anything be done.? One great thing...I dont crave drugs, I have gotten thru those symptoms, I just have lingering after effects.Health Question & Answer
Answers:
You certainly have come a long way in the last 1 1/2 years.
What you tell your doctor is everything. You might want to have counseling to face the adjustments to growing up you did not make because of your dependency on drugs. You feel stress because you never learned how to deal with it without using something, even now you drink.
Consider a 12 step program because they are very successful in helping people deal with being sober, a very scary thing. You'll have someone who has been through it to help you along.
It'll be awhile for for you to get back to normal. Drinking has an affect on perception and seems to make changes to the brain. You will get over this all but you do need help.
Get into an exercise program to burn off the stress and raise your mood. Walking is great. Start doing some physical work to tire yourself out. You might want to get a treadmill (find a used one) and walk on it when you are so restless you can't sit but also can't do anything that takes concentration. Get some relaxation tapes so you can start learning how to calm down.
Give yourself time. This is a physically and mentally painful process but you have already made the most important step, faced your problem and stopped most of the usage.Health Question & Answer
What you tell your doctor is everything. You might want to have counseling to face the adjustments to growing up you did not make because of your dependency on drugs. You feel stress because you never learned how to deal with it without using something, even now you drink.
Consider a 12 step program because they are very successful in helping people deal with being sober, a very scary thing. You'll have someone who has been through it to help you along.
It'll be awhile for for you to get back to normal. Drinking has an affect on perception and seems to make changes to the brain. You will get over this all but you do need help.
Get into an exercise program to burn off the stress and raise your mood. Walking is great. Start doing some physical work to tire yourself out. You might want to get a treadmill (find a used one) and walk on it when you are so restless you can't sit but also can't do anything that takes concentration. Get some relaxation tapes so you can start learning how to calm down.
Give yourself time. This is a physically and mentally painful process but you have already made the most important step, faced your problem and stopped most of the usage.Health Question & Answer
paranoiaHealth Question & Answer
First, stay sober. If you haven't, the sooner the better. I was in the same situation. Started at age 14 too, did meth, marijuana and crack. Then turned to shrooms year later, then acid, then years later zanax, oc and x. 28 now and been clean for 3 years. I have memory loss, I twitch constantly and rub my nose every day. I'm stressed sometimes. It's called withdrawal cuz you've done it for so long, it's normal. As long as you don't do It anymore and keep yourself busy without involving drugs you'll be ok. It takes time and dont worry about it to much.Health Question & Answer