quit-once

In honor of David Letterman's recent retirement, I have created a top ten list of my reasons for quitting Adderall: 10 I regained a future I can now look forward to 9 They quit working 8 I grew tired of the Adderall addiction-based lifestyle 7 I didn't like the person I had become 6 I didn't like the image I saw in the mirror 5 Money. $500 per month for Adderall and cigs. And those Adderall-fueled purchases of useless stuff still clutter my life four years later 4 The physical effects of Adderall abuse were awful 3 The mental effects were even worse. I felt like I had dementia or early Alzheimers 2 I realized it was an unsustainable addiction 1 FREEDOM! What were / are YOUR top reasons for quitting?

Hey Greg- I would like to share some second-hand AA wisdom that I learned from my best friend several years ago: H.A.L.T. Hungry Angry Lonely Tired They teach that any one of those four feelings is a drinking trigger. I have found that to be true for me as well. Good for you for recognizing that feeling hungry and tired may cause you to feel cruddy. Just being mindful of these "triggers" can help you to help yourself in a good way.

Hobbies and exercise

I also used a GNC supplement with tons of caffeine and carnitine called "thermoburst hardcore" when I first quit. It satisfied my need to get stimulated from a pill and helped to ease me away from Adderall for the first few months. I also really liked yerba mate because it is all natural and has lots of anti-oxidant goodies in it, plus caffeine. I didn't like the way it tastes so I never continued using it. Strong coffee and (sugarfree) Redbull are all I need for my daily stimulation. Red Bull Rocks!

I really agree with Always Awsome's post above. (for some reason the quote button didn't seem to work today). I believe that changing habits and kicking addictions is more successful when you couple them with major life changes. Death, divorce, new jobs and moving all cause disruptions in our lives and they provide a fresh start to develop new behaviors. Why take the baggage of your Adderall addiction with you when you can leave it behind? Especially the source(s) of your pills. You seem determined that tapering is the best way for you to quit. Why is that? And how is the tapering thing going - are you able to strictly control your usage? What if you fail to stick to your taper plan? Is there any kind of pre-determined penalty for not enforcing the strict self-discipline required to taper?

Z, I notice a lot of your discussion is based on goal setting, and frustration about not achieving those goals. But the fact that you are making goals and trying to meet them says a lot about your inner drive. I feel like Adderall cost me some of my goal-driven behavior. And I have not yet regained it. I struggle with setting any goals in the first place. On Adderall, I enjoyed sitting around all day thinking about what needed to get done, because whatever I did get done seemed like a lot and even doing the laundry was an epic accomplishment. Life was kinda simple, but fucked up, because I was always fucked up on adderall. I sat around and smoked, and smoked more and really didn't do a goddamn thing of value during the last year or two of my addiction. Good for you for setting goals and trying to get things done. And double good for you for quitting smoking last year. The extra body weight is simply a side effect of kicking the cigs and amphetamines. Of course you will need to lose it, and in time it will happen. I suggest taking advantage of the summer months, good weather and extra daylight for getting more activity. And I also suggest taking advantage of all the locally grown, healthy foods that are available this time of the year. Kick the processed food habit, at least for the short term, and see what happens. Instead of setting a numerical goal of trying to lose 30 or 40 lbs., maybe just try a goal of regular daily exercise and better nutrition? Just some rambling thoughts. Congrats on two years of recovery. Thank you for all your valuable contributions (posts) and responses to those who are new to the quitting game. Keep on keepin' on....

Ever heard of MethMouth? Drastic reduction of the gum tissue and crooked / missing teeth. Very common among meth addicts. I have friends who had all their (remaining) teeth pulled before they were 50 and now wear dentures. Due, at least in part, to stimulant abuse. Just quit now - it is your best hope for saving your smile. Adderall is really hard on your bones and teeth. Regarding dental insurance, I have it and am damn glad I do. There might be some years when I don't use it, but when major work needs to be done, that 50% of the costs it does cover adds up quick.

What am I grateful for? More than anything else, I value my freedom. I didn't have total freedom while enslaved to Adderall and cigarette addictions. It was a hard way to live. I am grateful that kicking my addictions has entirely restored my personal freedoms.

Well said, and in about half as many words as I would have used. Cold Turkey Rocks!... and it is easier if you kick the cigs at the same time.

Hey Roobiki, way to go! I knew you were getting close and I was planning an inquiry post to see if you made it all the way to 60 if I didn't hear from you soon. You still have many miles ahead in your recovery journey, but knowing you made it 60 days Adderall free is a great start. You certainly did the right thing by eliminating your supply options! Please do something special for yourself for completing the 60 day challenge.

people's cell phone habits really annoy me so now I must go on a rant. Your experience in the pub was unfortunate for several reasons. First, the phone should have been silenced and secondly, why can't people just leave their phones alone and enjoy their surroundings or their company? phone rings in classrooms, meetings, restaurants or yoga classes are really annoying. People always talk at a higher volume when on their phone in public - why is that? If someone thinks they can talk and drive then fine, but science has proven the level of distraction is on par with being legally drunk and I think cell phone use while driving should be illegal everywhere. Because I generally don't silence my phone, I usually leave it in the car or at home. I usually pull over to take a call while driving. During Adderall, I was convinced keeping my phone in my shirt pocket was causing heart palpitations. In fact, I couldn't tell the difference between the phone vibrating and a heart palpitation. But when I quit carrying it in my pocket and the palpitations continued, well, that was just one more reason I needed to quit.

We don't like keeping the phone that close to our bodies. I am terrified of the radiation from a cell phone, so I always have the ringer turned on, and LOUD. One time in the grocery store, my phone went off and the lady in front of me looked at me like I had farted or something.

Congratulations for quitting and happy birthday. I believe that taking advantage of major life changes can be the key to long term quitting success. In your case, you took on a different role in a new job and had to be fully present as a father. When you get a chance, please come back and give us a few more details on your method(s) of quitting and how bad your addiction got and what was your "ahah moment" that made you decide to quit once and for all. Welcome to the forum.

What's wrong with Mango? Hope you have pet health insurance.....a.k.a. obamacat (that's probably not even funny to a Canadian) Good Luck to Mango!

I researched a lot of on-line forums before quitting and found that depression was one of the most universal symptoms of amphetamine recovery. In fact, I made a top five list of Adderall recovery concerns: 1) vulnerability to relapsing, and doubting your reasons for quitting 2) crippling depression 3) weight gain 4) laziness and lack of motivation 5) decreased mental performance and lowered cognition I chose the springtime for my quitting season to minimize or delay some of the above issues. I also researched natural antidepressant remedies and chose L-Tyrosine for my anti-D, as I had previously taken phenylalanine for depression 20 years ago and I knew that some amino acids worked to help my brain feel better. Exercise also works wonders to combat the depression and weight gain, but item #4 got in the way of exercising during my first year of recovery, complicating item #3 as well as the depression. Sunshine and a new outdoor hobby also helped me to overcome the depression. Actually, I expected the depression to be worse than it was after quitting. I was so overjoyed and relieved to have that addiction monkey off my back that I was willing to accept and deal with items #2-5 and the desire to relapse really didn't challenge me because the addiction itself and physical side affects of Adderall abuse were so horrible.

Great to hear from you, Ashley. Why does your stupid phone want to shout the word Adderall? It is bad enough that spell checker wants to capitalize the first letter, but shouting it in caps....really? Way to go making the three year mark.

Here is a poll I started several years ago on this very subject: http://forum.quittingadderall.com/topic/522-does-nicotine-drive-the-speed-train/?hl=%2Bdoes+%2Bnicotine+%2Bdrive+%2Bspeed+%2Btrain%3F

I think it does. I kicked the cig habit about the same time I quit Adderall and I had smoked for 30+ years.

About three years ago I hit the nine month mark. Nine months was a pivotal point in my recovery. My energy levels and motivation improved all at the same time and I began to have a more positive outlook on everything. I felt like the worst phase of my recovery was behind me and life has just kept getting better since then. I still have "those days" of mental fog, laziness and/or bad memory, but not too often. Congratulations to both of you for hitting the nine month mark!

I still have those annoying muscle twitches in my legs and feet. They get worse when I gain weight and get less when I drop a few pounds. Pretty sure this is one of my lifetime souvenirs from nine years of Adderall abuse.

Congratulations, Roobiki! It will be a long journey, but you have one hell of a good start. Every time you feel a moment of weakness coming on, just remember your major reasons for quitting and how many times it took trying to quit before you finally got here (at 30+days). Go treat yourself to something special today!

I like watching your turtle slowly approaching the one month mark. You're doing great!

Welcome back, Justin!

In the long run, nobody wins when taking performance-enhancing drugs, not even Lance A. And in response to Cassie's comment, I agree that life skills and problem solving ability are much more important than a high GPA. However, there are a lot of companies or industries or institutions that over-emphasize the importance of one's GPA or academic performance (i.e. law school). Personally, I would not choose to work or study in such environments.

In my opinion, Using Adderall in an academic environment = using anabolic steroids for athletic competition. Both are performance-enhancing drugs.