If you have been taking drugs for a while and just decide one day you are going to stop on your own, carefully read this. You CANNOT I repeat CANNOT stop abruptly. It is extremely dangerous and could be potentially deadly. You need to ween yourself off of it slowly. In my case, I tried to abruptly stop taking Xanax on my own not knowing exactly what withdrawal was. I honestly felt perfectly fine for the three days I was off of it until I woke up after a seizure that knocked out four teeth and put 12 stitches on my face. Had I know the exact danger of it, I would have at least slowly lowered my dosages until I was ready to be done. But if you seriously have a problem and are aware of it and want to stop, the best thing you can do is go and seek help. If you really are not into the whole treatment deal, there are plenty of 3-7 day detoxes out there that can quickly and safely ween you off of whatever you were using. If you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, your main issue is way deeper. My recommendation would be to get yourself into a treatment center where you are able to uncover the underlying behaviors that bring your addiction to the surface. The best thing, and I will say this an infinite amount of times, the best thing I have ever done for myself is go into treatment.
Even though I went in at a young age (I was only 20), I am so happy that I got the knowledge that I did when I learned it. I have come across many people in their 30's and even 40's that wish they could have gone into treatment at such a young age. They seem to all claim that they have wasted many years of their lives that they can never get back. What many do not realize is that this disease is PROGRESSIVE! Just because you have not gotten to point in which you consider bad does not mean you will not get there if you do not get help.
In my experience, towards the end of my active addiction, things were PROGRESSIVELY getting worse and worse each day. I can share my experience at Phoenix Airport with you. I was waiting for three hours at a layover to fly back to Philadelphia for my Grandfathers 70th birthday party in New Jersey. Might I remind you real quick that I came into this program thinking I only had a problem with drugs and not alcohol (ALCOHOL IS A DRUG!!!!!!!). Well I was sitting at the airport pounding down shots at the bar until I got kicked out and went to another terminal. After getting kicked out of the next bar, three hours had passed and it was time to get on the plane. Well, I was not so successful with that. The stewardess would not allow me on because I was so intoxicated. Therefore, I had to spend the night in Phoenix and pay an extra 400 dollars to fly back in time the next day for my Grandfathers birthday celebration. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO NORMAL PEOPLE! This only happens to alcoholics. Just knowing that this happened towards the end of my active use and that it is a progressive disease helps me to know that I can never drink successfully again. One drink, no matter how long sober, will lead me right back down this terrible path. Thank God for Alcoholics Anonymous and Treatment, or else I would never be able to say this. TODAY I HAVE SEVEN MONTHS SOBER!
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