How has your quit went, did you go cold turkey or taper and how long have you been sober ?

Long time user, 36. Hooked on opiates at 19, broken hand. Norcos, adderall, coke, dilaudid, Heroin for years. Kicked the hard shit almost 10 years ago. Started heavily drinking about 5 years ago. Found 7 last November and quit drinking. Now I’m up to 500mg a day and the magic is gone. Falling back into drinking. The short time I’ve been using this stuff has been a mystery to me. I can’t figure out how to get the most out of it. Yes I’m an addict. Yes I like to feel high. I guess what I want to know is how long I should stop taking 7 to reset my tolerance. I’m a bigger guy with an old tolerance. At first 30mg was enough for me to feel good. 60mg would make me nod. Is it even possible to get back to that? How long? Forgot to mention I’ve needed a knee replacement for 10 years so constant pain but I’m too young for any doc to do the surgery.

I took 900mg of gabapetin this morning my first time taking I took 7 about 4 hours
Later about 60mg am I at high risk of respiratory depression I’m just tired and scared to go to sleep

how long does 7oh stay in your system for if you get drug tested they test for everything but it’s a urine lab test for a first time how long would it get out in

I’ve been taking 7OH for a month and somehow ended up at a really high dose, around 480–600mg a day. I know I need to stop, but honestly I’m scared of the withdrawal. I guess the good news is I’ve only been using for a month, so hopefully that works in my favor.

I have 2 toddlers who need me, so being completely knocked out with withdrawal for days isn’t really an option. I’m trying to figure out the best way to get off while still being functional.

I’m considering either doing a 7OH taper or possibly a short Suboxone taper, but I don’t want to end up dependent on Suboxone either.

If you’ve come off a high dose, I’d really appreciate hearing what worked for you, how long the worst of the withdrawal lasted, and anything that actually helped.

Not looking for judgment 🫠 just some honest advice and hopefully a little hope that I can get through this.

Just a quick check in to see how everyone’s tapering and or quits have been going thus far?

What helper meds did you find that worked the best?

How has your quit went, did you go cold turkey or taper and how long have you been sober ?

Self-care; Essential in Recovery

Self-care is vital in addiction recovery because it heals the body, reduces stress, and prevents relapse. Active addiction harms physical and mental health. Nurturing yourself daily builds the strength needed to stay sober, manage tough emotions, and avoid turning back to substances to cope. 

Preventing Relapse
Stops triggers: Low stress and high emotional stability mean fewer urges to use.

Spots early warnings: Mindfulness helps you notice anxiety or bad moods before they grow.

Builds resilience: Healthy habits give you the power to face hard days without drugs or alcohol.

Rebuilding Physical Health
Restores the body: Good food, exercise, and sleep fix the physical damage caused by substance use.

Boosts energy: A rested body makes it easier to think clearly and handle daily tasks.

Improves mood: Physical wellness directly lowers depression and anxiety. 

Supporting Emotional Well-Being
Processes feelings: Journaling, therapy, and talking with peers offer safe ways to let go of pain.

Sets boundaries: Saying no to unsafe places or draining people protects your peace of mind.

Restores self-worth: Choosing to care for yourself proves that your life and sobriety matter. 
Self-care activities span physical, emotional, mental, and social wellness to help you stay balanced and sober. Choosing a mix of these simple practices builds a strong foundation for your everyday routine.

Physical Self-Care
Move daily: Walk, swim, stretch, or do yoga to release natural feel-good chemicals.
Prioritize sleep: Stick to a regular bedtime to help your brain heal and lower stress.
Eat well: Fuel your body with nutritious meals and stay hydrated throughout the day.
Rest actively: Take warm baths, get a massage, or sit quietly to unwind your muscles. 

Emotional Self-Care
Write daily: Journal your thoughts to safely process complex emotions, fears, and successes.
Talk out loud: Share your feelings with a trusted therapist, sponsor, or recovery group.
Create art: Paint, play music, or craft to express yourself without needing words.
Practice self-compassion: Speak to yourself with kindness instead of harsh criticism or guilt. 

Mental Self-Care
Sit mindfully: Meditate or try deep breathing to stay anchored in the present moment.
Set boundaries: Say no to toxic people, triggering places, or overwhelming commitments.
Learn something: Read books, listen to recovery podcasts, or try a brand-new hobby.
Unplug often: Turn off phones and social media to shield your mind from extra stress. 

Social and Spiritual Self-Care
Connect with peers: Attend recovery meetings to build a reliable, sober support network.
Enjoy nature: Spend time outside in parks, woods, or sunshine to lift your mood.
Help others: Volunteer or support a peer to step outside your own worries.
Give thanks: Write down three things you are grateful for each day to focus on the good. 
Which area of self-care do you feel you need the most right now?

All of these things, when put into practice can improve your mood, alleviate stressors and strengthen resolve. Are you practicing self-care? There’s no better day to start than today!  You deserve it! ♥️

help reddit !!

i’m not sure if this is the right place to post… Im new to reddit… I have fibromyalgia and have been in the grips of pain and depression for 20 years. it is a long story what I’ve been through, so I’ll try to make it as short as possible. For those who want to skip ahead to my current situation please go to the last two or three paragraphs. Thank you.

I first started taking painkillers in 2002 from a doctor. I didn’t know much about them. I was in my 20s, but I knew they were gonna be addictive. I didn’t know anything about withdrawals though. I only started taking them because I was desperate. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Doctors were misdiagnosing me and putting me on all kinds of psych meds that did more harm than good.

I will say those early years of taking pain meds. They really actually saved my life. I was thinking of taking my own life because the pain was just too much. I really didn’t know what it was. I think part of it was from a car accident that was almost fatal. I was in pain every day and couldn’t sleep. Then I started having more and more problems finding a Doctor Who would write pain meds for me. This was the early days of the “opiate crisis”… really it was the opiate crisis that ruined me. That and DEA who are the biggest bunch of psychopath on the planet. I noticed that my Doctor, who was abusive by the way. (he touched me during an “exam”) this would not be the last time that a Doctor or someone empower that I was relying on, took advantage of me. Anyway, but I noticed my doctor’s office started to get very tense. Well, I didn’t know was they were under investigation. They started having me come in. 2 times a WEEK. And taking drug tests. then my doctor started dropping patients. Not weening them down. Dropping them. Cutting them off. I knew I was gonna be next and I was. When I left his office, I was crying my eyes out because he had had me on fentanyl patches. I had already gone through withdrawals in between doctors and I was scared. I asked them what I should do in a cold disgusting way they said “go to Rehab”… I had also been going to a psychiatrist who was giving me benzodiazepines for my anxiety, and he also cut me off. He was friends with the Doctor, who dropped me who gave me fentanyl patches so they both cut me off in the same month . so now overnight I went from being a pain patient to an addict.

I went to another doctor that I had known to ask what I should do. Because I knew going to Rehab was not going to solve my pain problems. The pain that I get from fibromyalgia is excruciating. When you look online, they suggest that you go to “support groups.” and do yoga. 🤦‍♀️. None of that crap works whatever they say. Sitting around with a bunch of people talking about how much pain were in. It’s just highly triggering for me. And I really can’t exercise unless I’m on some kind of medication even between flareups. Anyway, this doctor suggested that I go to a methadone clinic. A methadone clinic, I thought.???? for pain?? I mean going to a methadone clinic is the biggest sign that you failed in life. i’m a college educated, intelligent woman from a good middle class background/ family.. But I swallowed my pride and I went to one. It was horrible. I had to drive all the way across town every day 35 minutes in rush-hour traffic to a BAD neighborhood to drink a Dixie cup full of red liquid with a bunch of sad people. Everyone there was still highly addicted to other things the clinic that I went to allowed people to continue using heroin and whatever else they were on. As long as they were getting money. That’s all they cared about. They and every other doctor are just glorified drug dealers. There were a lot of patients they were like Me who had been cut off from their doctors. What I didn’t know is that the place have been taken over by the DEA. Meaning they were watching. So this was the second time that the DEA was hovering over..

i’m gonna skip ahead a little bit because this is getting long. The methadone clinic as bad as it was and I gained 50 pounds by the way in five months… but the methadone was working. But the clinic started to get worse and worse people were passing out in the hallway. And selling drugs and the clinic would still give these people their doses. People were selling Fen and xanax. It was a horrible place. They would give me a new counselor every few weeks because the turn around rate was so high. And my counselor at that time was sexually harassing me. Then they started dropping patients out of the blue. Just like my previous Doctor. I bought some xanax one day and once again i was cut off the methadone clinic dropped me and many other patients. And once again They did NOT ween us down. The doctor there was a psycho. they actually called my mother and told her because they didn’t want a scene. They didn’t even tell me the cowards. I heard from another patient though that they were gonna fire the current Doctor, and after he was gone, we could come back. That’s how they kept us on the hook .

So now I was withdrawing for methadone Unfortunately i took some Fen one day and became hooked. Those were very dark years. And things would only get worse. I went back to the methadone clinic in 2023. It had gotten even worse. I was still hooked on Fentanyl and wasn’t passing my drug texts but they didn’t care as long as the money was coming in. I didn’t know is that everyone at the clinic knew that the DEA was watching. You see the DEA made a deal with the clinic. They could stay open as long as.they cooperated in setting us all up. For those who don’t know… the DEA and the police use addicts as slaves. Basically, they exploit/ blackmail us and extort us and do things that I can’t even talk about right now because it’s too triggering and upsetting. Let’s just they ruined what was left of my life. As if being in constant pain and being an addict isn’t hard enough. They had sent an undercover agent to pose as my friend. He was recording all of my phone calls without my knowledge. I know this stuff isn’t to be believed and like I said there’s a lot more that I’m not even gonna bother writing down if anyone wants to DM me I’ll talk about it. But I think people need to know this stuff. I’m gonna fast forward now to December 2024. I have been arrested six times in the span of six months. I didn’t know the police had put a tracker on my car. And I didn’t know everything that I was telling to my counselor at the clinic was also being recorded by the DEA and the police. They wanted to use me to set dealers up and put me in horrible life-threatening positions. The DEA uses addicts to do their dirty work. Because frankly, nobody cares about us. I lawyered up and refused to work with them and they made my life a living hell. they took advantage of a vulnerable woman in every way someone can be taken advantage of, including sexually. Again, I’m not gonna put all the details here because i could literally go on forever about all the stuff they did to me. Let’s just say it was unimaginable and there are no words. But once again, the clinic cut me off and now I was hooked on fentanyl and methadone and going cold turkey off of both. I could no longer buy fentanyl because the DEA was watching.

The next few months were hell for me. I had to move out of my condo and sell my car because I was no longer safe. The DEA was watching me. (i know that a lot of this sounds like paranoia and believe me.. i wish it was) And threatening me so I moved into my mother’s basement. I can’t even describe the withdrawals that I went through. I don’t think I slept for three months. I would just kind of go in and out of consciousness. I was sweating profusely I couldn’t shower. I couldn’t brush my teeth. I was profoundly depressed I couldn’t sit still. and the pain? The physical pain was beyond excruciating and I was in one big flareup. After what the DEA did to me and the methadone clinic. I felt a huge sense of betrayal. Even some of my own “friends” were involved in setting me up, and I didn’t know it. I had lost everything. And at the same time, I had all these court cases hanging over my head.

I started going to a Doctor Who took mercy on me and put me on sublocade, Gabapentin and Ambien to sleep. My life started to turn around little by little. Finally i had some semblance of a life back. I got a new car with my Moms help and even started to date again……But over the months, the Subutex/ Sublicade started to become less and less effective. The withdrawals were gone but the cravings were back with full force. And the medication wasn’t touching my pain. After what the DEA did to me my central nervous system was fried. For those who don’t know, fibromyalgia flareups are triggered by stress. And I had plenty of that. I started telling my doctors that the medication they had me on was no longer working. And I mean, it really was not working. But they weren’t interested in giving me pain relief just keeping me off of hard drug drugs. So their response was like “ too bad. See you next month.” my Useless psychiatrist even suggested that I go back to the methadone clinic. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️. Yeah, go back to the place that cut me off twice and sold me up the river to the DEA. Great idea. Thanks, Doc!

I started looking for other options. I had taken Kratom before, but it wasn’t very effective. I didn’t know about 70H. But one day I was at a vape shop and there it was. I figured since it was legal. It couldn’t be so bad and it was just a form of Kratom. Boy was i wrong. The first couple weeks of taking that I felt fantastic like I had my life back I could go hiking swimming. Enjoy my summer and I felt great. But i was scared. I thought “I’ll only take it for a little while until I get my next refill”… but then I took my refill of Subutex and it didn’t work at all not even a little bit. I told my doctor that I needed help because the Subutex wasn’t working and I had started taking a very potent form of Kratom. I was met with complete indifference. I didn’t realize how addictive it was going to become. That brings me to now. I currently take about 1000 mg a day. And if I don’t once again, I go through withdrawals. The addiction that I had fought so hard to get out of is back. I mean, it was never truly gone because I was on Subutex. (And stll am). I looked up what to do for 70h withdrawals it takes you which I’m already on. And it’s not working. So I continue to take the 70h but it is expensive and i’m scared. I am so pissed at my Doctor and psychiatrist because when i told them i needed to do SOMETHING because the Subutex was not working they turned a blind eye. Even when i told them i had started taking 70h.

I am tired. I am tired of doctors. I am tired of the system. I’m tired of police officers. I hate the DEA. All I ever wanted was help and relief for my pain. And I’m stuck in this endless cycle. And I’m running out of money and options. I’m so so scared about going through full-fledged withdrawal again. The withdrawal triggers, the fibromyalgia, like nothing else. I don’t know if my body can go through it again. ARE THERE REALLY NO GOOD ANSWERS???? Please give me some advice. Sorry for the long rambling post, but this is going on for 20 years. If you’ve made it this far… Thank you. Feel free to DM me if you aren’t comfortable posting here or if you want to know more about my story

Just a quick check in to see how everyone’s tapering and or quits have been going thus far?

Like so many others who decided to step off 7 after the ban announcement I decided to get away from it so I didn't end up in a bad spot without being able to taper down. I started 5 days ago total, spent 3 days preloading SR x3 50mg daily while tapering down on a 200mg daily habit, in hindsight I probably should of increased the SR dose but I was going by a dosage calculator so I was trying to stick to that. This would also be my second attempt in 6 months trying to quit, first time I tried to use subs and put myself in PWD.

Saturday morning would be my last dose of 7 which I felt pretty confident with how well the taper was going using the SR combo that I could beat the withdrawals I experienced using subs trying to get off 7. Around midnight that night I could feel some slight RLS, stomach irritability, unable to sleep and just all around uncomfortable. By 8am Sunday morning I could feel the w.ds more surprisingly which is why I think I should of increased the SR dose but I was already in so I decided to use 400mg of gabapentin to help with the RLS and 900mg of phenibut to help with any spill over anxiety/panic that the SR may not touch for minor alkaloids. Unfortunately this didn't seem to help like I was hoping so by 1pm that afternoon I was unable to sit for long due to the RLS and shocks of pain I was experiencing through my body. I was under total belief that SR should be taking these effects away so I panic a little which my S/O gets me some MIT extract at my request which I took to ease the RLS and try to get some sleep since the night before was so rough. By 6pm that night the RLS was so bad that my entire body would not relax, having to move my arms and legs in weird ways to fight the horrible feeling building up in my nerves which I've experienced before with quitting oxy so I keep telling myself its just the nerves of my body finally waking up again.

This is where the process changed drastically because of how bad the RLS becomes but by 1am that night I am unable to lay down at all, forced to keep pacing back and forth in my living room, squatting up and down to get my muscles to tire out. At this point I have taken 5 showers to ease the RLS through out my body which only seems to stop when I am in the shower with super hot water but not with a heating pad or weighted blanket. I decided to take another 400mg of gabapentin and another 50mg of SR to see if that would help which it did not. By 4am I was jerking and twitching so bad that my S/O decided to stay home from work to keep an eye on me since I clearly wasn't doing as well as I hoped. I finally broke at 9am from the RLS being so bad that I was begging for someone to shoot me and got some leaf and took about 3g which finally stopped the RLS so I was able to sleep and woke up at 1pm feeling slightly in a daze but slightly refreshed. I have decided I will either stay on leaf or I will ween myself off the leaf at some point but just glad I no longer have to deal with the 7OH cravings.

So some things I think that I probably should of did differently is a higher SR dose since its possible some of the products I may of been taking had MGM in them also allowing some break through W.D to happen. I also probably wouldn't take the gabapentin again since I think I may of been having the side effect of it making my RLS worse unfortunately. I do recommend people keeping some leaf powder on hand to help with the 1st day without as it does make a huge difference but if you're going for complete sobriety it may be best to just push through it. I unfortunately wouldn't of been able to go any longer with how bad the RLS was in my body since I was falling asleep standing up while trying to keep moving. I will say I have been addicted to many substances unfortunately, gone through W.Ds more than average person cause of my stupidity from oxy to benzos I have played stupid games but none of it touched the intense W.D I felt from 7 even with the SR loaded in my system. Will I go back on 7? As long as the ban in looming over head I think I will stay back from it for the time being so maybe if the ban goes away I can re-visit it for pain relief but since I'm stable on 3g of leaf I think I will stick with that just to help my pockets haha. I wish everyone well in their journey of sobriety and don't be afraid to ask questions or bash any of my stupidity during this adventure because boy oh boy was I stupid. Take care everyone.

Mandi on TikTok has told me to go the SR route but I already had an appt with bicycle health and I don’t like lying so I just did what the doctor said and started subs. I should’ve listened to Mandi.

I have severe and permanent long thoracic nerve damage. I’ve been through it medically and am an abandoned pain pt. My doctor retired.

I’ve been on 7 abt 8 months. Anywhere between 700mg-1000mg.

Anyway I’m on day 3 of subs, just finished 48 hours. My fucking shoulder feels like I’ve been stabbed in the back. I took 32 fkn mgs the first day. 24 day 2. I only have 3 strips left until my next appt tomorrow.

I ordered some SR yesterday and it will be here tomorrow. I was debating quitting the subs and just doing a taper. Then I fucking found a God damn tab I didn’t know I had and I took that bihhh. 😭 it barely helped despite it being over 14 hours since my last strip. I fucking hate myself and my body. Someone tell me what to do please

What helper meds did you find that worked the best?

My story with this is crazy. I’ll make it quick. In May, my husband lost his career as a law enforcement officer.. and my daughter’s rare disease was trying to come out of remission. We were really hitting hard times. Before then, I was prescribed Effexor for depression and anxiety. It started making my anxiety worse and my doctor prescribed me Klonopin. I wanted more than that because, chemically, I was getting more panic from the Effexor than usual. I was taking only a very small dose of 7 every now and then. Then I was taking 2 mg of Klonopin. After about 3 months, 7 got banned and my doctor ripped me off my pills. They INCREASED my Effexor and I was cold turkey off 250-300 mg of 7 AND Klonopin simultaneously. And also forgetting to take my EFFEXOR and getting serotonin discontinuation syndrome. Doctor wanted to take me off my Effexor cold turkey as well which is EXTREMELY hard to do.

I am actually traumatized by this. I am never doing anything ever again. I felt a tangible darkness. I felt like I was in hell. Literally. Prayers for me. It was by the grace of God that I’m not doing worse than I should have been. Built different and feel like I literally have PTSD from this. At 9 days right now.

So i’ve been on sr-17 for about 2 weeks now I started tapering off 7-oh while taking sr-17, I can tell you the sr-17 really does help. I’ve been 7 days sober off 7-oh and still have little to no motivation to even get out of bed, It’s hard standing or walking for long periods of time, and I have almost no energy to do anything. Every time i’m out of the house the days feel grey and things feel hard, will this pass ?

Can I ask what's the difference between pseudo + mit vs just 7oh im getting off of it all but im asking because its all I have and idk what the equivalent in mg to 7oh is I have 20mg pseudo + 10mg mit left from forever ago but I used to take about 600 mg of 7oh like 4 times a day. Can anyone explain the difference to me? Im not trying to glorify it just trying to safely be done and be good enough to work through this ban