METHAMPHETAMINE
Meth Withdrawal is The Gift That Keeps Giving
The post-acute phase that no one talks about is the hard part.
Previously it was thought meth withdrawal could last for up to 5 weeks.
New research confirms what I have known since the first time I quit meth 15 years ago. Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms can linger for years. People suffering from meth psychosis may never recover.
The process of quitting meth can be broken down in 4 stages.
I. The Sleeping
The sleeping pretty much describes its self. About 48 hours after stopping you will find yourself incredibly tired with a ringing in your ears accompanied by brain zaps. This is when most people go “fuck this” and get more meth.
You will need approximately 16 hours of sleep a day which will decrease until you’re at your regular 8. For the above-mentioned meth addiction, my sleeping was almost 2 weeks long. My shortest was only 2 days. The longest I’ve heard of was 16 weeks. It depends on a lot of things like age, duration of addiction, size of habit, and other factors. During the short amount of time you are awake you will be so miserable you wish you were still asleep.
II. The Eating
You’re able to be awake without any meth for longer than 16 hours. You should take a moment and do something nice for yourself for getting over the initial hump. Because you’ve been miserable. You think of all the shitty things you did as a tweaker, You realize who you let down. The events you missed, the people that stopped talking to you. All those bad emotions you were suppressing hits you like a truck all at the same time.
Speaking of suppression, your appetite comes back with a vengeance. You gain back the weight you lost and then some in months. You tear up at the drop of a hat. You have fits of yawning. You start appreciating simple pleasures like eating, sleeping, drinking and fucking — which you are now awful at. You may feel terrible but you are getting back to something resembling normal underneath. Indulge in life-sustaining activity and in about 3 months, arrive at the next stage.
III. The getting your shit together
You are done feeling sorry for yourself. Apathy is replaced with anger. You are furious because you are clear headed enough to realize it’s all your own fault. Angry at yourself for letting it get to this point. You get your shit together and get a job.
Hopefully, you don’t spend your paycheck on drugs — though likely you will and are doomed to repeat the cycle. You aren’t unhappy but you’re not happy either.
Some people at the beginning of this phase will seek professional help. A doctor may prescribe anti-depressants. They take a while to work and have side effects. While you may be less depressed, you still are unable to find joy in anything. Relapse usually happens in this frame.
IV. PAWS — The infinite sadness
It’s been 6 months. You brain finally stopped screaming for meth when you wake up. You’re over the hump. But you still feel this emptiness. You’re back to the gym, haven’t been fired yet, maybe even found a non-tweaker girlfriend. Still…
The little things that are critical for your survival still don’t provide the dopamine boost as they normally would. And so it remains for about 18 months, but for some it can last up to 5 years after you stopped. Your brain is mostly repaired, but you’re never quite the same.
Because you can’t process dopamine you aren’t happy. Things can be going amazing for you but you get no satisfaction from it. This is why it’s my personal belief that meth is the hardest drug to abstain from. You remember being productive, not the 14 hours you spent looking out a slit in the blinds at a bush across the street that you were sure someone was hiding in. You’ve felt like garbage lately. Just a few puffs would put you back into action. Just 20 bucks…
Mileage will vary from person to person. Stage 4 is nonexistent for some people. For others, it’s the worst part. It’s not that hard to stay sober after the instinct to do meth when you wake up wears off around 3 months.
After about a year you forget the bad and remember how good it made you feel. I don’t know if that ever goes away. That’s why meth is the most addictive drug there is.
From my personal experience, you need to get away from all of it. Move away from it physically. Get a new number, delete all your old contacts. If you are around people who are still using meth, your prognosis for remaining off of it is poor.
Your brain can repair itself. The longer you wait to quit and the older you are when you do, the longer the sadness lingers. If you are addicted to meth, my advice is stop. Either finish your last bag or flush what you have and go cold turkey. The sooner you quit the sooner you will feel normal without it.
You will feel better eventually.
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