Krax Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 So at week 7 I wake up with a voice in one ear asking me and questioning me as to whether I can really accomplish what I need to do without ritalin. I as thinking about the videos MotivationFollowsAction linked to one of her posts, it was about online porn addiction. It described the brain's activity with addiction in general. I'm not a scientific type of person at all, so if this makes sense to me it should to everyone else as well, but one thing it talked about was how when there is an addiction of course it's not really about the thing you're addicted to (porn, adderall, whatever) but the pleasure response you get, the dopamine release, to the thing. Anyways, once you are addicted a neural pathway is developed, trampled down on like a path through the woods, which becomes the path of least resistence for the limbic system (I think that's it, or the part of the brain that we have in common with all animals, sort of like our cave man brain) takes in functioning. So that pathway for me, thanks to my taking it for four years, is when I have work to do I take ritalin first. This step 1 being work without ritalin, that's a rough path that I'm working on now. So it's like a rut, it takes your bike into it and controls your steering wheel, not the other way around. The point is, I hope this helps others too, is now when I approach something I have to do not only am I getting something accomplished but I'm developing a new rut in a new path (actually the older path I use to take before ritalin) and working towards that one day where it becomes the path of least resistance so that I don't have to hear that voice anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motivation_Follows_Action Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 It's an interesting proposition. I'm not a neurologist (or anywhere near it) but I think you may be conflating something - others please chime in. The reason you don't want to do paperwork is not because the neural superhighway you'd created by doing paperwork on ritalin for years has all of a sudden become a big dense forrest, crowded over because you're not using that part of your brain any more; but that there is a significant lack of dopamine, therefore causing depression, and lack of motivation. I do agree with you in the "creating a new neural superhighway" concept... that's what plasticity is all about. And the more you work on independently creating neural pathways the stronger they will be. But the attempt at correlating dopamine depletion and neuroplasticity I'm just not so sure about. Back to V.S. Ramachandran I go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted January 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 how long does it take for dopamine levels to bounce back to normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassie Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 From my experience, it took about a year to feel normal again, 'brain-wise.' Keep in mind it's not just your dopamine levels. Altering your dopamine transmitters also affects the balance of other neurotransmitters, which affects the balance of your hormone levels, etc. etc... It's a whole complex chain reaction in there, thus the looong recovery time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motivation_Follows_Action Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 I agree with you Cassie from a previous post it would be nice to have a flip book to reflect on and see what is happening regarding our brain's recovery to "normal". One thing I have been wondering is how to find the balance between "going easy" - acknowledging that I'm in recovery and pretty fucking depressed - and working super hard on driving to be a better person, fixing areas of my thinking and life that weren't great during my addiction. The video recommends the "reboot and restore" approach, which makes a lot of sense. It requires a tremendous amount of energy though and disclipline which is fucking HARD when you have zero motivation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motivation_Follows_Action Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 I found this really helpful - no it's not neuroscience, it's more psychology, but it's v practical... 1. Practice intentional thinking. What you think about is ultimately what you become. What we once called “the power of positive thinking†is increasingly backed by scientific evidence. The more attention your brain pays to given input, the stronger and more elaborately it will be wired and retained in the brain. When we give our attention and focus to good things, like peace, joy, and self-control, our brains rewire themselves in a way that allows us to experience those good things. Wouldn’t it make sense, then, to be intentional about what we give ourselves to? 2. Pursue alternate passions. The famous philosopher, novelist, and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was right when he said we are shaped and fashioned by what we love. Certainly this applies to our brains. The life focus of a person struggling with addiction leads to tunnel vision. Pursuing alternative passions expands your horizons and rewires your brain at the same time. 3. Employ the power of repetition. Studies show that repeated behaviors, over time, cause structural changes in the brain. These changes can be negative, causing compulsion and addiction. Or they can be positive. Repetition helps lock behaviors in the brain in the same way an athlete develops muscle memory. Be encouraged. Your struggle with addiction is a learned response, in many ways, just like the athlete. Your brain can unlearn, and it can change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassie Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 One thing I have been wondering is how to find the balance between "going easy" - acknowledging that I'm in recovery and pretty fucking depressed - and working super hard on driving to be a better person, fixing areas of my thinking and life that weren't great during my addiction. When in doubt, err on the side of 'going easy.' Whenever I pushed myself to do things for the sake of growth in early recovery, it led to stress and inner conflict. Honestly, there's no harm in waiting until you're ready to make other life changes, and when you are much further along in recovery (and feel ready), the easier those changes will be. Early recovery is a very confusing time, and in hindsight I wish I would have just 'gone with the flow' more instead of trying to force myself to grow, because that growth is much more effortless now that I am 'recovered from recovery.' I hope that makes sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted January 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Cassie at what point time wise would you say you reached recovery from recovery? I'm at 7 weeks, the last week has been difficult, whereas 3 and 4 weeks ago seemed better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 lol dude, you'll know when the time has arrived... there is no universal set regiment of recovery processes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted January 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 I didn't ask anyone for a "uniform set regiment," I was asking Cassie how long it took Cassie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassie Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 After a year I felt like I was recovered from recovery. It's been 13 months now and I haven't had a bout of PAWS in two months (knock on wood). Once I stopped thinking about adderall all the time, that was a big turning point for me. That was maybe around the 8 month mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted January 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Thanks, did reading and posting on this forum, as much helpful as I'm sure it was, but didn't that keep you thinking about adderall more? I'm a little concerned that I won't be able to stop thinking about it if I keep coming back here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassie Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 I thought about adderall no matter what I was doing, so it was a moot point for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley6 Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 It's normal to think about it all the time since it defined your life for so long, especially in early recovery. This website helps to reinforce the countless negatives of adderall, rather than letting yourself romanticize it, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krax Posted January 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 That makes sense, I appreciate your responses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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