SleepyStupid

hi there! Sorry for the technical issues. I updated the forum software and a bit of the main website this past weekend which may have caused some issues with linking due to SSL certificate issues. I am aware of a few things that are still glitchy on the forum (profile on hover, hearting posts, etc.), but mostly everything should be functional. please feel free to update this post or send me a message with any other issues you encounter (:

totally this! people often get trapped in their recovery waiting for some switch to flip or magically feeling of being "healed", but it's really about appreciating every victory and letting them add to the confidence of a post Adderall version of you. thanks for sharing your story, it is very inspiring in it's honesty and reality (:

Yup - the trap is waiting for "something magical to happen". it won't. certainly there will be good days and bad days, but there is no distinct flip of a switch where you start feeling "cured". IMO, I only recognized my recovery when I was able to do things that I didn't think I could without Adderall. so as @DrewK15 said, the action had to happen before I realized my progress. 5 months is a tough period because it feels like you have just enough energy to want to do something, but not enough to actually do it . I remember that feeling well! watching TV and videos is just fine for where you're at, but you should slowly start seeking out challenges when you feel ready (:

this reminds me of Fitter Happier - a Radiohead song that is a commentary on conformity and the disillusionment of it. it's worth a listen. not to say that your plan doesn't sound healthy, but it doesn't sound like that of a real person. I think you are not only addicted to amphetamines, but addicted to crafting an identity - I know the feeling because I used to do it too when I was on speed. I agree! the thing is, I don't see much of these "pointless" activities in your writing. I'll be really honest with you - quitting Adderall is a process in which the first few months will be rife with pointlessness, lethargy, sudden and extreme disinterest in the things that you used to obsess over. you will not be successful in this process until you address this theme of guilt you have towards doing things that seem useless. I think this is something a therapist could help you work through, but you need to be ready and willing to disassociate from all the rationalizations and frameworks you've built around the inner addict that you are becoming.

Agree with @DrewK15 - the more successful route is usually cold turkey, particularly for abusers. the main challenge with tapering is the discipline required. for some people who have been taking their exact prescribed dose with no abuse for years, tapering may be a viable option, but generally not for recreational users and abusers. as you say, simply having the Adderall and being tempted to go back up - all it takes is one bad day where you take a couple of extra, suddenly you're up all night, then take more the next day cause you have some important stuff, etc. etc. if you feel strongly about the taper route, and do not have a partner or friend to dispense the dosage, you may want to look a kSafe or similar to time lock your pills. gl and keep us posted!

hi @Trevor95 Thanks for reporting this! I'll take a look into it, but in the meantime you can view the page on the internet archive here: https://web.archive.org/web/20190112185056/http://quittingadderall.com/15-milestones-quitting-adderall/

hi @ScaredtoFall welcome to the forums - this is a courageous first step, even though it may not feel like it. as you've likely heard many times before, an addict is not ready to quit until they WANT to quit, and it sounds like you're definitely there. your story is very familiar to me, and as a fellow binge abuser I must deliver a harsh but necessary truth: you will never be able to go back to using it just as prescribed. once you know the feeling of over using, avoiding comedowns and chasing the high there is simply no way to unknow that feeling. you may be able to control and limit yourself for a period of time, but all it takes is one especially stressful or bad day to fall off the deep end. to me it always felt like a Jekyll and Hyde - take enough Adderall and a totally different person emerges that has NO problem taking and doing whatever they want to stay alive. so here's another thing that Adderall does very well - convinces you that you're life and job is sooooo stressful and that being on Adderall makes you soooo excellent at everything and every idea is golden and everything needs to be done to absolute precision and perfection. many of us used to spend hours pouring over every word in an email that should have taken 15 minutes to fire off. that's just what speed does - makes you anxious, speedy and feel great. it's a hard drug masquerading as a medication. to be clear, I'm not saying that it doesn't genuinely help some people, but we have tons of folks on this forum who took it just as prescribed for many many years and discovered the ultimate truth that it's a life that is simply unsustainable in the long run. if Adderall had no side effects and didn't turn us into zombies, no one would ever come off it. but the reality you've already admitted is that the cons far outweigh the pros. I think you already understand that the person who has created all these expectations is you, but your next challenge is to truly believe in the person on the other side of this journey that you want to be. this is going to be challenging because the addict in you will do everything to fight for it's life, prevent you from seeing that you can be an even better person after all of this. not just a better person, a new person. I don't like thinking of this process as "recovery", because that implies trying to get back something you've lost, which often translates to productivity and energy. I like to think of this more as "discovering" a new better version of yourself. but that discovery process cannot start until you've distanced yourself from the drugs for a sufficient period of time. the first few months of this journey will absolutely suck, and the addict will try everything to rationalize its existence - the belief of a better person will carry you through this. when you have enough time away from the drug, and that addict voice is not so loud anymore, then you can start discovering and figuring out exact who this new person will be! that all said, I think if you are still using at this time, make use of that energy to put the right support structures in place and plan for your recovery "discovery". if you need help with the details, we're here to help (:

it's not so much an ideology as it is a belief that your life can and WILL be better when you're off the drugs. at the end of the day, if amphetamines didn't have side effects, or didn't stop working, why would anyone quit? you're here and on this journey for a reason - the addict is trying to make it seem like there has to be some grander or greater purpose than simply your life and health. i remember struggling with this idea of "losing" the race if I stopped taking Adderall. what was the point of living if I was just going to fail? one of the most powerful pieces of advice given to me at that time was simply: "you don't have to win anything. its okay to just live." that got me through a lot of my early recovery, but long term recovery is about truly believing that there is a person on the other side that you would rather be than the addict. the secret is that it's true for everyone - you just need enough time away from the drug to realize it. I think the authenticity you speak of is a result of "just living". i think you should give it a serious shot (: gl and keep us posted!

hi @ALA so glad to hear you're making strong progress! your approach at work sounds appropriate for where you are in your recovery - do the bare minimum and just make it through the day! be sure to focus on those feelings of empowerment after completing tasks - this is something that will become very important down the road when you feel like you've hit a ceiling. the trap that many people fall into is waiting around for a "feeling" of being recovered, when in reality that feeling is derived from overcoming challenges you didn't think you could take on without Adderall. the short answer is yes - the business model of psychiatry is more medication management than actual therapy. it is in their financial interest to keep patients on long term medication plans so they continue showing up. because there are no empirical tests for mental health conditions, and they don't exactly know how these drugs work, there is always another drug to try. to be fair though, I don't believe most doctors are necessarily putting money over your health, its just the way our health care system works. you need to take ownership of your own health journey and make educated decisions based on a number of inputs (certainly also including your doctor). that said, you may do better at this point with a behavioral or addiction therapist than a psychiatrist. gl and keep us posted on your progress (:

hi @Rob Glad to hear you've finally started your journey! unfortunately, there isn't really such a thing as a federal blacklist database. assuming you're US based, the closest thing is probably a state level program like PDMP (Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs). you can find more information at the link below. unsurprisingly, our healthcare system isn't so wonderfully integrated and accessible that every healthcare provider knows everything about you. If you're covered by insurance, a substance use disorder diagnosis may cause red flags in their system but that wouldn't necessarily stop a physician from prescribing. it's probably best to accept the fact that access control is and will always be on you. that said, taking some immediate steps like communicating with your current doctor to cut you off will at least make it more difficult to obtain a script. sometimes the additional effort of doctor shopping can be just enough to discourage a relapse. gl and keep us posted! (: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pdmp/index.html

haha, literally felt like getting hit by a truck. just sore and exhausted everywhere - I remember a particular binge after which I could barely move, it was really concerning. congrats on your (almost) 1 year!!

hi @Jon B Welcome to the forums! glad to hear that staying close to the site has helped thus far, the forum has over 10 years of stories and content for inspiration. one of the common threads you'll see is about the pros/cons of tapering (weaning down) vs cold turkey. I think that the general consensus here is that tapering introduces a point of failure in simply having access to Adderall. Life never gets less complicated over time, and you will absolutely have days of stress and temptation. if you simply have no access to stimulants on those days, then that's one less thing to battle! that said, one mistake won't erase all the effort you've put in, and that feeling of regret is a good sign. just get back on track with your plan. for these 3 weeks off work, I highly suggest throwing out or locking up your Adderall. if you can't bring yourself to throw it out, you can try something like a kSafe: https://www.thekitchensafe.com/ gl and keep us posted (:

@IGotThis first off, props for taking this challenge on seriously! for some people, an LOA can make the difference between success or not. it sounds like you've come to terms with this, and of course your health should take priority over everything else, but understandably your job and financial security are also quite important. there are probably a few different options on the table for an extended LOA, and it will depend on your employers policies and your employment status. the first step is probably reaching out to your HR department or checking your employee handbook regarding this type of scenario. you should look into the FMLA program which guarantees up to 12 weeks per year of unpaid medical leave without risk to your job security. there are some requirements and stipulations including how long you've been with the employer and also obtaining a medical certification. here's an excellent FAQ on the program: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla/faq you mention that you do not currently have a primary care doctor, but presumably you have a prescription from Adderall from somewhere? if you are obtaining it illegally, it's probably time to find a psych that ideally specializes in addiction to establish your medical necessity for leave. just remember through all of this that your health is the most important thing. don't make compromises that you don't believe are sustainable. gl and keep us posted (:

Looks like you did submit 2 responses above - not sure which box you're referring to but if you still need help feel free to msg me (:

Hi @magd welcome to the forums! first off, congratulations on your decision to cut down usage, presumably to eventually eliminate usage altogether. the first couple of weeks are going to be hard no matter what you do, but it sounds like you know that you need to give yourself more time to recover. if you're still taking stimulants at some point during the week, be careful of falling into the trap of procrastinating work until "pill days". regarding long term work ethic, perhaps consider whether the expectations you set for yourself are different than what others would actually expect of you. I'm not saying that doing a bad job is okay, but remember that those expectations were set while on a drug that pumps reward juice into your brain no matter what you're doing. many of us can relate to the feeling of writing epic, masterpiece emails when a two-liner would have sufficed! give yourself a break for a while - just focus on delivering by the deadline. bare minimum, sufficient work is fine for a while until you've had enough time away from the drug. gl and keep us posted (: