Motivation_Follows_Action Posted January 15, 2013 Report Share Posted January 15, 2013 Mine's the 24th... we are quitting buddies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post StartingOver3 Posted January 31, 2013 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Hello everyone! It's official: 3 months of adderall free life in the books!!! 3 months ago, I never thought I would get this far, but I have arrived! There is so much progress still to be made! Work is tough!! I sell radio advertising for a relatively decent sized market, and the ups and downs are hard to deal with. If I didn't have my nightly workouts to look forward to, I'd be lost. I'm on the fast track to the best physical health and fitness I've ever experienced in my life! I figure that no matter what happens in life, if I have my health, I am confident and comfortable in my skin, and I am proud of how I look then not too much can go horribly wrong in life. I love being completely sore the day after a hard workout, because I know that is how my muscles are telling me that I am making progress (Don't worry, I always give my upper or lower body a day or two of rest after a workout). I am typing this at work, so I am slightly rushing through this post, but I just had to get on here and share the good news! I don't smoke (and haven't for over a year!). I take ZERO medication (for recreation or prescribed), I drink one or two nights a week (Usually Friday, sometimes Saturday). I haven't been this clean and clear headed since high school 6 years ago!!! Aside from the expected work-related stress and my love life (A story for a whole different post, lol), life could not be better!!! Just typing this post has me through the roof with elation and excitement!!! To those of you thinking about quitting who are reading this: Life is far too important to speed through it on Adderall!!!!!! Sure, we all had our honeymoon phase with the drug, but it was short lived and deceitful!!! It doesn't get any better or more real than just experiencing life the way it was meant to be lived: Adderall free (also free of a lot of other vices). Everyone has bad days where they're not productive, they fail at something, they get dumped, they forget to do something, they think they're not good enough, they think they have too much work to do, etc. etc. Adderall just lies to you about all of your insecurities, and strips you of any real joy over time. You lose your sense of self. You forget about the people most important to you in your life. You lose real friends, and gain fake ones that have the same problem with adderall as you do. You forget what a sleep schedule feels like. You forget what eating regularly and healthy feels like. YOU FORGET WHAT BELLY LAUGHING EVERYDAY FEELS LIKE. You forget what genuinely smiling feels like. You forget what it feels like to looking forward to social events. You forget what meeting new people feels like...... I could go on if you'd like me to, but I'll just sum it all up real quick......... You forget what LIFE feels like. Please give quitting a chance. It will suck hardcore for a bit, but I promise you, there will be one morning when you wake up and realize "I am happy for some reason, and I don't want a pill!" Exercise! Smile! Laugh! Sleep EVERY night for 7 - 9 hours again! Go out with friends! Make new friends! Find your true passion! Figure out who you want to become! Set realistic goals for yourself! Fall in love! Tell the people close to you that you love them! Most importantly, once you quit, you can begin to love yourself again. That is what this is all about. For some of you, I am sure that adderall isn't your only problem, and that you're fighting multiple battles. Just know that I was too, and will always be. Just like an alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, even if he or she has been clean for 50 years, I will always be addicted to adderall, but I know that there are much, much, much more important things in life than taking that stupid drug that ruined some of the best relationships I had going for me at the time. I love my new life, and I wouldn't trade it for the world! Nothing could make me want to go back to that way of life. Thank you all for your continued support, keep fighting the good fight. 3 months and 1 day Adderall FRRREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! Tom 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomedayDreamer Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 This is really great to read-- thank you so much for posting your update. I am only into my 3rd week and it's been terribly rough at times, but it's inspiring to read your reclaimation of life. Well done!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 getting better though right SomedayDreamer? you're out of the dark now, much better than days 1-6 right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomedayDreamer Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 getting better though right SomedayDreamer? you're out of the dark now, much better than days 1-6 right? Overall, in the 30,000ft view? Yes, a bazillion times better. The biggest challenges and biggest rewards are both dawning, but I'm definitely leaning towards the positive. Most of the crappiest stuff is situational (job loss, finances etc) but INSIDE me, I feel gravitation towards a steady if staggered upward progression. Externals can always be beyond my control anyway, but internally I am feeling more and more like "I got this, some shit sucks in life, but I got this" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Life is far too important to speed through it on Adderall!!!!!! Sure, we all had our honeymoon phase with the drug, but it was short lived and deceitful!!! It doesn't get any better or more real than just experiencing life the way it was meant to be lived: Adderall free (also free of a lot of other vices). Reading this is incredibly motivating StartingOver. You sound really grounded and healthy. I'm @ 3 weeks and pretty much spend my days just going thru the motions. I do appreciate living stimulant free and yes there are momentary good feelings. What I look forward to the most is just to feel normal again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver3 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 I'm approaching 4 months clean and sober........ my life has never been better!!!! I'm broadcasting high school basketball games for a local radio station, selling advertising for the radio, and truly enjoying life. I haven't been able to say anything like that in over 5 years, and I've gotta tell you, it feels so good that it almost brings tears of joy to my eyes. I am so far removed from that dark dungeon that had become my life on Adderall. Just a short update this time, but I feel so elated today that I had to post. As always, thank you all for your support. Let's continue to be a beacon of hope for anyone seeking inspiration to quit Adderall. Without this site, I would still be on the shit! Guaranteed! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit-once Posted February 16, 2013 Report Share Posted February 16, 2013 Hey, Congrats on the success with quitting so far. And thanks for the update - it lests everybody around here know how you are doing and it lets the new folks know that people can and do quit and get on with their lives without addiction. Please continue to let us know how things are going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea Posted February 16, 2013 Report Share Posted February 16, 2013 I'm approaching 4 months clean and sober........ my life has never been better!!!! I'm broadcasting high school basketball games for a local radio station, selling advertising for the radio, and truly enjoying life. I haven't been able to say anything like that in over 5 years, and I've gotta tell you, it feels so good that it almost brings tears of joy to my eyes. I am so far removed from that dark dungeon that had become my life on Adderall. Thank you for posting this update and congratulations! I am so encouraged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motivation_Follows_Action Posted February 16, 2013 Report Share Posted February 16, 2013 Thanks for posting, startingover3. Your original description of your story and how destitue your life seemed was such a great leaping off point, and it's great to see this thread follow through to how good you feel today. It's a terrific story, really positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver3 Posted March 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 4 months Adderall free! I am starting to sound like a broken record, but I haven't smoked (cigs, cigars, weed, anything) In over a year, I haven't taken pills, done any drugs, done anything like that in over a year, and I haven't taken an adderall in 4 months! Life is truly a blessing, and I am loving it so much! I do tend to think about Megan every now and again, and some days are worse than others, but I have accepted my life without her, and I am doing ok!!! Everything is peachy!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley6 Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Startingover, If you're sounding like a broken record talking about how great you're doing, that's the best possible place to be! Congratulations to you, and I'm so happy you're finding true happiness. It's amazing the sanity that comes with giving up adderall, huh? The fact that you don't feel like you NEED your ex is an amazing part of recovery and shows true progress. High fives all around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motivation_Follows_Action Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Never stop posting, celebrating, confirming your success! It's really great to hear about the good times as well as the struggles. Congrats and stay strong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver3 Posted April 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 Hello all!!!! I am approaching a big milestone...6 MONTHS ADDERALL FREE!!!!!!!!!! I never thought I would be able to say that AND feel this good! My job is really starting to pick up, I am in the best physical shape of my life, and, most importantly, I am comfortable in my own skin! I finally love myself again, and can recognize my real, genuine personality!! Sure, there are some downer days every now and then, but, as I've said before in previous posts, that is just life! Adderall ruined all of the great little things about life that I appreciate so much now! Life is so vivid. I love interacting with people. I love laughing with people. Life is now about love, joy, creativity, and not about seclusion, depression, and disappointment. I have made more genuine memories in the last 6 months than I did during my 3 year blur on adderall!!!! Life has returned, and it is magnificent!!!! I will close this post like I do all my others: If you're thinking about quitting adderall, do it! Don't waste another minute trying to rationalize to yourself the use of that nasty "medicine." Stop looking at it through rose-tinted glasses, and accept how badly your life is becoming on that shit. Everyone is supposed to struggle sometimes, Adderall doesn't change that. But, Adderall does remove TRUE happiness from life. Just think, you could be typing something just like this in 6 months... and you will be smiling from ear to ear while doing so... Thank you, Tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted April 17, 2013 Report Share Posted April 17, 2013 SO3 has your desire to play video games (without adderall or alcohal) returned at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver3 Posted April 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 @krax Just in my downtime. I bet I average less than an hour per day, whereas before, I was putting in like between 4-8 hours a day. I can enjoy them in moderation, which I definitely do. I had an obsession with them on adderall. Now, it's more of a random, occasional stress reliever. The funny thing is, I never play on the weekends anymore. I would much rather be hanging out with my family and friends, which is much different than the way I was on Add. To say I'm in a much better place mentally would be a serious understatement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver3 Posted April 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 Or I spend my time playing basketball at the gym, lifting weights, golfing, etc. To say I'm in better place physically would also be a major understatement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 Thanks I really related to that part of your experience. During Ritalin/ focalin binges I would sneak out of bed and stay up all night working on computer music , just totally obsessed with it. Now I have no interest in it whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 during the last 5 months when I was on it, I was actually taking it as prescribed, and I was getting 8 hours of sleep every night. So now that I stopped, I don't have an insanely unbalanced chemical makeup in my brain, and I am not horrendously sleep deprived. SO3: I've got a question - and I ask this because I read your posts in one sitting and found them very compelling. My question is if I understand your story correctly, you went from abusing the addy (that is taking it more frequently than prescribed) to actually taking it in accordance with the prescription, is this right? It seems the consensus among recovering users is that once they started abusing it, they could never return to non-abusive use of the drug. Please understand I am distringuishing abuse from addiction. Was this hard to do, and the big question for me is why you quit at that point if you had it under control?Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian05 Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 You were on adderall for 5 years...were abusing it....quit cold turkey and had absolutely no withdrawals or depression or anxiety after you quit?...how is that even possible? Are u taking any supplements or anti-depressants? I find this fascinating and kinda hard to believe. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver3 Posted April 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 Krax, I wanted to quit cold turkey, but I felt like I couldn't do it, so I decided to give it a try as prescribed for once. I was still a very unhappy person during those five months. Losing Megan forced me to try taking it as prescribed. After awhile, I was so fed up with the medicine, I decided it was time to be done. I didn't care if my production would slip, or if my motivation would be gone. I knew I wasn't gonna get Megan back, and I knew I had to make some serious lifestyle changes in order to find happiness again. Sebastian, I don't know where I said I took add for 5 years. I started towards the end of 09' and quit towards the end of 12'. So subtract 2 years from your assertion and we're on the same page. I do experience small moments of depression, anxiety, etc. but that is because I am human. I take those moments in stride, and move onto the next experience. I don't find it necessary to explain every little moment when I get upset on this website. I'd much rather post about the big picture: my life is one thousand percent better off add, and that is without Megan being a part of it at all. I am not on anti-depressants, nor am I on supplements. I can understand how some people would need those kind of things to move on from add. I am extremely blessed to not need them. I am lazy some days. Some days I just want to nap. Some days I am very productive. In conclusion, I am much more in touch with reality, both the good and the bad. Don't believe me if you don't want to, but I just know this: I am on this website to tell my story, to update everyone on my recovery, and to motivate others who were or are struggling with this difficult addiction. It can be beat, and I am beating it every day. Not every day is glorious, but I am happy to announce that I am living a genuine life now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted April 18, 2013 Report Share Posted April 18, 2013 Thanks for the response Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver3 Posted May 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2013 What's up, y'all? It's been 6 months since my last addy... 6 months! Half a year! It has gone so fast, and I have no intentions of going back! I realize that it seems like sunshine and rainbows are flying out of my ass in every post, and that I am living in a utopia, but this is not true. What is true is that I am living a life of purpose now. Off of mind-altering, hindering substances, and away from solitude and depression. I feel everything now: elation, excitement, sadness, laughter, stress, pressure, laziness, anxiety, fear, natural highs and natural lows. It is... Awesome. This is life, and as cliche as this sounds, I only get one shot at it, and I know I am doing it right now. I love life, I love this website, and I love who I am. I love knowing WHO I am, whereas on addy, I had no fucking clue who I was. I was on auto pilot, just along for the ride. Now I am in control of my life, and I am choosing to attempt to enjoy every moment: good and bad. Because without the bad, there would be no good, and that is what makes life so damn beautiful. Love you guys, Tom 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motivation_Follows_Action Posted May 5, 2013 Report Share Posted May 5, 2013 Because without the bad, there would be no good, and that is what makes life so damn beautiful. this is beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver3 Posted June 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2013 Hello again, I am approaching 8 months clean and free from Adderall, smoking, pills of any kind, etc. I still enjoy drinking once or twice a week, but I am by no means anywhere near dependent on alcohol. Now that I got my substance-consumption status out of the way, lol... life is super cool. I have been a wee bit down lately, because I just found out a couple of weeks ago that my ex is already engaged to her new boyfriend. I didn't let it get to me too badly, just put me in a bit of a fog for a week or so. Other than that, I am doing great. My job is really taking off, and I am meeting and exceeding goals monthly. I am starting to make some decent money, and I am starting to look at moving into my own place again. I am also looking at getting a new car, which would be fucking sweet. No new prospects as far as the dating scene goes, but I am having fun being single. I am pretty much in a hunky-dory state of mind these days: I never get to high or too low, just pretty even keel. I was never even keel when on addy among other substances, as a matter of fact I was far from it. On addy, I couldn't handle any sort of set-back, nor could I strive to accomplish anything worth while. Man how things have changed... so much has improved over these 8 months that it is almost surreal. It just goes to show that we humans are truly capable of anything if we set our minds to it... By the way, my basketball game and golf game, along with my physical fitness in general, are at all time highs. I thought I was Tiger Woods when I golfed on Addy... If who I am TODAY i.e. sober and fit, went up against who I was on addy, my sober self would kick my addy-addicted degenerate's ass! hahaha! And my jump shot on the basketball court is getting a little ridiculous... wish I would have gotten clean years ago!!!!! Get rid of your vices, life is full of real spices, that will bring to you unbelievable surprises, Tom 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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