Jon

It doesn't look like you can quit if there are pills in the medicine cabinet, so you probably need to stay with your mother until you get yourself straightened out. When it comes to quitting an addiction, it is only we ourselves who can make the commitment. You can set an example for your father and even talk to him, after you are sober for a while, but he is the only one who can decide to quit for himself. Basically, I am repeating what the previous two posts recomended. Also be sure to read the article "quitting Adderall cold turkey. That goes for Ritalin too. You may want to do some tapering and you may want to pick a day to have a vacation day from Ritalin in advance of your quit. It will give you confidence that you can do this! Put some time in reading as much as you can on this site, the articles by Mike especially. I would plan your quit around a period of down time rather than a date. You will need a week or more to sleep and watch TV. You won't have the energy to do much else. Good luck! We are here when you need us.

#! What motivates me: money (of course), shelter, and adventure (getting outdoor). I am motivated to be around people I like. Nothing motivates me more than waiting until the last minute; Procrastination. #2 Hobby type: outdoor person, art and teaching about the natural world.(outdoor photography, bird watching and feeding the birds hiking,) designer (interior: decor accents and flow and still life photography, building a bird santuary). Reading, learning. #3 Helping others: Teaching; natural history, listener, worker, learning from others. #4 What type of exercise motivates me? Hiking, isometrics, calesthentics. I would like to start practicing light yoga, I would like to exercise the will power muscle by getting out of bed sooner, even if I hsd a bad night sleeping. Thank you Justin!

Yes. That's the idea, I think. This is a take off on Justin's idea for an I-Pledge Challange. Justin can you add anything that would make your great idea fun and workable based on the feedback you received so far? You are the idea man!

I like the idea of the I-Pledge challange. I would like to see seperate I-Pledge categories, so that various pledges don't discourage anyone. Maybe each of us will come up with a thread that suits us and maybe others too. Like an I-pledge yoga: I will practice yoga for 5 minutes of light yoga a day. Whereas a more general I-Pledge exercise might be too broad and mix in pledges of 30 pull-ups on M,W,&F with 200 push-ups on T, T & S. (that's you Blesbro ). Ideas: I-Pledge reading: for 15 minutes a day. I-Pledge not watching TV an hour before going to bed. Anyway, for me all my pledges must be baby pledges, because that's just where I'm at in recovery. I'm just doing some brainstorming here. There are better minds out there that can create something where we can all participate, without feeling less than. Overall, I think it is a stellar idea for nudging our recoveries along. It makes us an active participant rather than just waiting it out. That being said, there are some things, I believe, where all we can do is wait it out. That's one of my biggest concerns: to push or to rest. We need both.

Freedom's Wings, It's a health supplement: an amino acid. Check it out for a explanation and unfortunately an advertisment at: www.5htp.com I remember taking it a long time ago and it made me too drowsey. I was trying to take it for depression. Maybe I should look at it again for my nights of insomnia, which have improved since the begining of my quit. Keeping you in my prayers. It will pass.

Congratulations on one year. I'm glad that you report feeling like your old self again in month 12! That's sure nice to hear. Perhaps now you can post with optimism for those of us who are struggling. You aren't obligated, but giving back has been known to pack some powerful karma! Thanks you for posting.

Yeah, I was worried about you Occasional1 with your heavy workload, thesis...the Holidays and more stresses. All I can say it that I don't think you would be happy with youself if you didn't make it to a year and maybe a little more to make gains that are claimed by everyone who makes it that long. You are on the cusp. Ham probably didn't make it since he hasn't posted or logged on since September 22, 2013, when he let it be known his doubting thoughts on taking Adderall. There are many that try, but only a few who make it to sobriety and keep it. I know of only one way to do this: take only one day at a time. Your urges will pass, I am certain of that. You may get urges again and you will pass through them. My sister still gets cravings for cigarettes after being quit for 15 years, but she doesn't smoke. Your cravings will lose power over time, even though they may still occur. I am certain that you can endure them. Be my guiding light, please. @AmyQ - I think you know in your heart that you have already crossed the line and there is no going back. You have to come to this conclusion yourself from your own experience using your own intuition.You have to know it at a gut level, or live with the risk of taking just one pill casually from someone who offers it to you.

Hi AmyQ, Cassie's voice is one of the most friendly and knowledgeable on the forum. Her advise and comments are sound in my opinion. For dreams try lucid dreaming while falling asleep. Think of your dreams before you actually start dreaming. I've done this with some small success. If you are taking other meds that don't squash dreaming like Adderall does, your dreams will really take center stage. Distraction was like being on the pill, yes? It will take some time for the brain's elasticity to comform to a normal response. I know it's not especially good news, but you will only have to bite the bullit once if you stay with it. I am hoping you do.

I like your picture Justin.

Where would we all be if we quit our passions? Where would we be if we couldn't quit the things that are bad for us? We can all be proud of ourselves for quitting Adderall.

I am so sorry your life has taken this terrible turn after successfully quitting Adderall. I appreciate your warning to the pondering quitters out there. Maybe your warning will sway some of the fence walkers. I would love to listen to the whole story. You have definately stirred my curiosity. I respect your privacy and hope that I haven't crossed any boundries by expressing an interest in learning the rest of your story. I wish you only the best as you endure these challanges.

Toward the end of my Adderall use, my parinoia became much more noticible. Before it became noticable, it was ruining friendships insidiously. I used to smoke weed to help compensate the jittery Adderall feelings, but it got to the point that I became so paranoid after smoking that I became afraid of using it and had to quit. It would take a lot of paranoia for me to quit weed. I loved getting high. About a year later, I quit Adderall.

Hi Stephanie, I can relate to your story in many ways although I don't have an eating disorder. I know amphetemine use sometimes goes along with eating disorders, but think you should have seperate treatment for the bulimia. I'm no expert on the subject. I like juicing and if you are looking for what to juice, here is a rule of thumb: Eat (Juice) a rainbow of fruit and vegetables every day. I found juicing to be a lot of work and have had to take a break from it for a while. A guy by the name of Joe Cross has a nice website to check out and a video called "Fat, Sick and nearly Dead" that is excellent in content and great for motivation. You quit Adderall for 2 years, so you know you proved you can do the quitting. It also means that you are quitting a 5 year Vyvanse addiction and not a 13 year amphetamine addiction. The switch in perspective will make your recovery more optimistic. With your current level of satisfaction in life (80mgs just to get out of bed) quitting cold turkey probably wouldn't make you feel much worse, although you won't be getting out of bed much or off the couch in the beginning and you have to get rid of your pills that are near you. You admit to having little willpower over them when thay are around. Above all, don't give up hope. Read all of the excellent articles written by Mike and read the threads in the Forums. You see a slot of time where school is finished and you will have less responsibilities, so you can plan your quit and we are here to help you. Take action!

Chelle, Nice work tearing up your perscription! I'll bet it felt great, like closing the door on the castle dragon. Yes, I have heard that before— about the experience of being with other people and your mind on Adderall is like another person watching the scene you are participating in. Now you can start practicing being present around other people. It takes some getting used to. I'm still not completely comfortable with it yet. I think that is one of the reasons they call it "Adderall World." What an unlucky time to catch a cold or flu! I think the same thing happed to SearchingSoul when she started her quit. She made it through it and you will too. Congratulations!

Congratulations to all 4 of you gals for your courage and determination. You have set this forum ablaze with optimism and hope for people of the future who need a little inspiration to get started. I wish you all continued success. I am happy for you. You are miracles!

Chelle, Who's proud of you sweet pea? We all are. I know I sure am. You've got great courage to make a quick turn around! You can do this!

Congratulations on 6 months, z! That's a nice round number. Half a year. You have earned every day of it by working the forums. Nice job.

Thank you everyone for your valuable support. I feel like I know you all as friends as well as a support team. I wish time spent in recovery could paint a more accurate account of where a person really is in terms of healing, but time itself falls short in that respect. Everyone’s experience is unique to them. I can only say that I am in a better place now than I was at the start. I’ve experienced noticeable, but not notable, improvements in stamina and focus. I am still haunted by sleepless nights and have days when I do nothing at all. I always take aim at getting just one thing accomplished a day. There are still days where I miss the mark. I plod along each day with the knowledge I that am slowly improving and healing, It is out of conscious reach, but I sense it, and sometimes I can feel my heart glow because of it. My heart never felt anything on Adderall. Now there is a definate sign of healing!

Me neither. I guess I was covering up a lot of pain in the begining, then I started working rotating shifts..... It could always be worse. Thank you Blesbro.

Thank you Ashley and quit-once. Your support means the world to me. I wouldn’t be here without your support and support from many others. I have a deep respect for the service you so freely give.

Another 12 hour shift. Maybe they are good for recovery?

I was exhausted all the time, with the exception of the first few hours of the day. I needed the 20mg pill and a big cup of coffee in order to get up and started. I would need another 10mgs and other big coffee to get through the afternoon, even though I still felt exhausted. There was a period where I used up to 70 mgs a day. Then I would take Xanax and Ambien to sleep. The sleep I got was never long enough or of a quality to be refreshing. I noticed that I was losing friends. I ended three friendships myself. My state of mind was paranoid, detached, worried and stressed. I turned away from doing pleasurable things when invited. I felt trapped in a lifestyle that I could no longer bare living. I lost interest in everything that mattered. I was ready to quit, but I didn’t know how. My doctor told me I would have stay on it for life. I was blind to any wake-up calls. My mind was in a constant fog. I hung on, existing like the living dead for another 5 years. I searched around for help. I went to a recovery meeting at a local church but they couldn’t relate to my problems. Just going to the meeting was a wake-up call for me. Taking that action made me see how desperate I was. I had to find a way to get out of this insanity. I searched the web, found this website, and with it, the hope I was seeking. I followed one of Mike’s suggestions to take a vacation day. I hadn’t taken a day off from Adderall in 12 years. I survived the vacation day and started my cold turkey quit the following Saturday. I have been Adderall free for 5 months today. The support here has carried me through this rocky period. I could not have done it alone. Thank you everyone.

Hi Kori read all about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava I have taken Kava Kava in several forms. The liquid extract and high grade powder are more potent than pill form. It gives the body a nice relaxed feeling and reduces mental anxiety. I love it and use the powder in a milkshake as a weekend treat, sometimes. There are some health concerns especially a danger of liver toxicity. Kava is banned in some countries (listed at the end of the Wikipedia piece) If you don't take it every day and for long periods of time, you should be okay, in my experience. Use it in moderation. Even good things taken to excess will harm you, like chocolate. Maybe that is a good analogy for Kava consumption. Take it as you would take chocolate—once in a while.

That must be nice, you lucky guy. I spent a winter session in Geneva when I attended college. It was the experience of a lifetime!

Hi InRecovery, I wanted to chime in on congratulating you on reaching three years Adderall free. Thank you for sticking around the site. You are like a monument for all that pass through. You have proved that a return to academia is possible and can be accomplished with excellence. You are a great role model for all the college students who have an increased exposure to the drug, a "logical" reason for using it, and then get trapped in the web of addiction. Thank you for being here on behalf of these young folks too.