GettingOffOfIt

I tried to quit several times cold turkey before I tried weaning off instead and was successful. The third week always got me around day 17-18. Symptoms were the worst for me then and were causing me to give in.

It will come and go. Like a roller coaster. Right now just focus on getting past the rough parts. Seemed to me like the 3rd week packed the biggest punch for me but was temporary. You gotta push through the rough patches either way and you will feel better.

There is no harm in giving it a few practice runs before you are successful. It took me several tries. I would make it a few days, a week, and got all the way up to 18 days once before I decided to taper off and stay off for good.

Have I had to relearn how to work? Yes and no. That was me doing to the work on adderall, not the pill. The pill causes dopamine to be released which makes everything interesting. It makes whatever you are doing enjoyable so you can focus and enjoy unpleasant tasks. I’m still the same person so I just had to figure out how to make myself interested in what I’m doing. I figured this out because there was so much I dreaded to do after the pill, but I realized when I was playing video games, I could lock in and stay focused for hours. I didn’t need a pill. There are ways to trick yourself into getting yourself motivated to do work you don’t like and enjoy it. The trick is to break down large tasks into simple steps and start attacking the smaller ones. As you complete each one your brain will release some dopamine and you will gain momentum. You just have make yourself start. If you have trouble there, set a timer for 15 minutes. Promise yourself you will work on that task the best to your ability and will give yourself a reward like a 5 minute break after. Do that a few times an you will see that you can do this. Some days may be harder than others but this method works no matter what shape you are in. Ive gotten to the point to where I don’t have to do that any more most days. As along as I eat healthy and stay away from processed foods, exercise and sleep I can work all day and stay focused now. I tapered off and had quit alcohol when I quit over 2 years ago. I was depressed before and my depression went away when I quit. I did have some anxiety that would come and go. Not anymore. I think no alcohol was the key. Insomnia came and went for a while. I took naps in the afternoon that helped when I couldn’t sleep well at night. It was incredibly effective. Back to working, I would recommend the book What to do when there is too much to do by Laura Stack. She teaches a great method for breaking down tasks in a way that will boost productivity in half the time which is a godsend for anyone trying to work while recovering. I also recommend searching for any info in help with adhd because those are the symptoms you get when stopping the pill. I still use the app FocusAtWill for brown/pink/white noise types of sounds to help me hyper focus at work

Everything you are experiencing will pass. I wouldn’t trust any of your emotions for a while if I were you. They will be all over the place. You are through the toughest parts already. You are in competition with who you were yesterday. Just focus on beating that person everyday. You will still probably have a really bad day pop up here and there. It’s normal. Just do what you have to get by when you do and know that they will come less often the longer you get on your journey. Don’t let the bad days discourage in thinking you are going backwards. You aren’t. It is a part of healing. Just pop on Netflix when it happens and try to find something enjoyable to do. I would suggest you embrace ChatGPT while you are trying to recover. Put everything you write in there and have it critique you or make it more coherent. Have it check your work. Ask it for advice. Make it organize your tasks. Lean on it as a crutch for work and be thankful you decided to quit at a time when it is available. As for the rest just keep pushing through. You will see some big improvements soon. I’m at 26 months on my journey. best of luck

kaizen

I can’t believe it has been 2 years since my last dose already. It’s crazy how powerful the drug is. I hadn’t had a craving or even thought about the drug in months and last Friday that little voice in my head was telling me that I could take a dose and finish a task and it won’t bother me. It’s an ongoing battle but you can’t make the decision each day not to. You have to decide up front and never stray from it. Good luck to those still trying and to those who have been successful! Hope everyone has a great 2024

Get you some l-tyrosine to help your focus for a little while. I also go to 5 hour energy when I need a little extra. Also try breathing exercises they help keep your anxiety away. I have to write down each step of what I’m working on to help me focus and get in the groove when I don’t want to. Maybe some of this can help you like it did me if you are interested in trying.

I hate you are experiencing all of this. Sounds like you may need to see a real doctor (not a physiatrist) for all those symptoms.

Just realized I have made it to 1.5 years clean when I looked at my calendar. I’m also 2 years off alcohol as of July 2nd. I am proud of myself. Good luck to you all!

Gonna try it. I need an ice bath for recovery after exercise anyway sometimes

I’ve been doing great. I will post more updates tomorrow on this thread when I have more time but wanted to get this post in since today is my 16 month clean anniversary. Withdrawal wise I don’t really have any negative effects anymore. I have plenty of energy. I haven’t suffered from any depression. I’ve embraced who I am and just moved forward. I try to focus on others and making their lives or day better. I found that makes me feel great. I got a new job and have been there 3 months. I doubled my pay and make well over 6 figures now. I love my new job and I hate that adderall made me happy for so long in my crappy previous job that I hated when I got off of it. As far as withdrawals, I’ve consumed no alcohol and ate a healthy diet 70% of the time while exercising vigorously almost 100% of the time. It definitely played a role but no way tell how big. Compare to other success stories if you are interested. I drink up to a couple of cups of coffee per day. I rarely take any l-tyrosine to focus. I don’t take any l-dopa. They used to help, but I have found I don’t need it anymore. I have plenty of energy throughout the day as long as I sleep 8 hours and I do most of the time. I got through the early stages by doing whatever work I could when I could do any. I haven’t had to do things that way for a while. It’s almost like the person I used to be on adderall is just a distant memory now. I am the person I always wanted to get back to. Oh and I went outside yesterday in 88 degree heat, and I didn’t get my adderall sunburn after 5 minutes! It’s great. I didn’t get burned at all actually.

It’s normal. The cravings will improve. They usually come strong and then vanish after a few minutes. They may vary in frequency and intensity but they slowly fade away. It’s normal to feel stronger at first than where you are now because it was still in your blood stream for a few days and it took a while for your body to realize it wasn’t coming back. Now your body is re-calibrating itself to run on its own again. Let it run its course and look forward to the future. It is like letting the lawnmower run in spring to get rid of the bad gas from sitting up all winter. It should start noticeably getting better soon. It won’t be linear improvement where the next day will always be better but it will be more like ups and downs, like a roller coaster, some days will be worse than others but the bad days will fade away. I’m at almost 15 months and it I still get one bad day of energy now and then but it is very rare. I think that is normal for regular people too though.

I would recommend you go to a standard family physician instead of your psychiatrist to get help while off the meds. It would be worth a try

I would recommend that you wait a few weeks before you try to make sense of how you feel. Just know that it will pass and force yourself to do things that matter like homework, even though you don't feel like you care. You will. Your brain is like a sponge and it takes some time to dry out and work properly without the drug again. Trust the process and try to keep yourself busy doing whatever you find that can stimulate your brain during withdrawal. It will make you feel better. Movies and video games worked for me. Whatever can distract you from thinking about how you feel will help. Also think about the person you want to be when you come out on the other side. Write that down and read it everyday. Get a mental picture of that person so you can see yourself. Know that you are on a journey to get there. You can also take a selfie every day and watch yourself improve over time. I wish I had done that. Also, you can also set timers to help you with your homework. You really just need help getting started, your brain is still there and will work if you can get it going. Put a timer on for 10 minutes and force yourself to focus on one particular task and only that task for the entire 10 minutes. Then take 5 minute break. Then repeat the process until all tasks for an assignment are done. Bump up to 15 or 20 minutes when you think you can handle it. It helped me get through a lot and maybe it can help you too. Good luck.