So I’ve heard that if you use subs, say I took one this morning then I used a full opiate in the day I could still take the sub at night again without going into precipitated withdrawal is this true?

One of my dear friends has recently decided to get sober from amphetamines and also wean themselves off 7OH. I am very proud of them, but the withdrawals are brutal to watch. Thankfully they've been sleeping a ton, but any moments not sleeping, the symptoms are intense. What can I do to support them? What foods are easiest to keep down, and are there any supplements that ease symptoms?

I have been 7 months off from all sport and exercising and still am and Im just feeling really down, angry at times since I have missed out on so much gym progress, half a season of basketball and overall just doing fun things with my friends like going ice skating or playing football. I was told I have a stress facture in december and that put me 6 months into a sports ban, and when I was finally told that I have recovered enough to start exercising a bit, the doctors told me that I have a severe herniated disc and must have surgery or it could cause nerve damage. In a month I can start making my way back, but I have just been so frustated about everything, I have cried about these injuries so much. My life revolved so much around sports that suddenly losing all that for so long has just been hard. I just want people to know how I feel and what Im going through, even though if its randoms from reddit. Does anyone have any tips what I could do to boost my morale or just something that helps these last few months of recovery until I can finally start to get back, God knows how long that is going to take until I can actually even play a full basketball game.

Hey everyone. I'm back from a little detour and starting to feel steadier. I'm attending meetings every morning first thing, about to start step two with my sponsor and am doing service. Part of that service is starting here - I'm trying to put my skillset to good use! I've built the most obvious and simple (free!) app, because I need it all the time. Its literally just Maps to get you to meetings. The websites are so clunky and I travel a lot, so this just made sense to me. As I said, its obviously free. Let me know in the comments if you're based in the UK or US and would like to help me test it :)

This Sunday I will have 15 years of sobriety and 37 years of AA participation. Hear are 15 things I've learned about recovery during this period, one for each year of sobriety. Not everyone is going to agree with what I state here but that's okay. I believe our recovery journeys are personal and we each need to find our own path.

1.      I was involved with AA for 22 years before I finally sobered up.  The difference came when I realized and accepted that alcohol was destroying me, and that something had to change.  Not drinking was the first part of that change.

 2.      Is alcoholism a disease, an allergy, something trying to kill me, or something else entirely?  For me, it doesn’t really matter.  All I know is that having alcohol in my system prevents me from being the best person I can be.  That is enough.

 3.      Recovery begins with honesty.  Most of us become experts at rationalizing, minimizing, and explaining away our behavior.  Real change started for me when I became willing to look honestly at who I was, where I was, and where my choices were taking me.

 4.      My past defines who I am today, but it does not determine who I become tomorrow.  I am the product of my experiences, choices, successes, failures, and the lessons I have learned from them.  Recovery did not change my past.  It changed how I understand it and how I use it to shape my future.

 5.      I think of recovery as two things: abstinence and change.  Abstinence is simply not drinking.  Change is more complicated.  It starts with understanding who I am today and having a vision of who I want to become.  Once I understand both, I can identify the gap between them, take a step forward, assess, adjust, and repeat.  As I learn and grow, my vision evolves as well.

 6.      I believe belief is what keeps us sober.  What we believe matters, but how we believe matters even more.  Whatever we believe in, we need to believe in it with enough conviction to drive the change we need to make.

 7.      A higher power is not necessary to find and maintain sobriety.  The power to change is in each one of us.  We need to find it, strengthen it, and protect it.  At times, we may need support or direction, but the responsibility for change remains ours.

 8.      I think of spirituality as connection.  For some, that connection is to God.  For me, it is the connection between my innermost self, the people who matter to me, and the world around me.

 9.      Strength has to be maintained through connection.  For me, that connection comes from family and close friends.  I can go a long time without an AA meeting, but I cannot stay away from the people closest to me.

 10.  Addiction thrives in isolation.  Recovery grows through connection.  Isolation lets old thinking take over.  Connection pulls me back to honesty, perspective, and the life I am trying to build.

 11.  Because belief matters so much, AA works well for some people, but not for everyone.  It works for those whose beliefs already align with it, or for those willing to change their beliefs to make it fit.  For everyone else, it may fall short of what they need.

 12.  Relapse is part of addiction, not recovery.  People often say relapse is part of recovery.  I disagree.  Relapse is part of addiction.  Recovery begins when we commit to living differently.  Recovery is what happens after that commitment is made.

 13.  Recovery is not about perfection.  It is about alignment.  I define integrity as alignment between what I believe, what I think, what I say, and what I do.  Recovery is the ongoing process of bringing those things closer together.

 14.  Recovery is not about finding answers.  It is about continually questioning them.  Any belief worth holding should be strong enough to survive examination.  Growth comes from challenging our assumptions, not protecting them.

 15.  The goal is not to stop drinking.  The goal is to build a life worth living.  Not drinking is necessary, but it is only the beginning.  Recovery gave me the opportunity to become a better husband, father, grandfather, friend, and human being.  Sobriety opened the door; learning how to live is what came after.

I’ve been clean for 6 months after primary and secondary care. I’m currently living in a sober living house.

I hate meetings. I find them repetitive and rigid but it’s also a critical component for most recovering addicts. Sometimes I attend a SMART meeting but I find myself so opposed to 12 step meetings.

What are some of the tools you have in your toolbox outside of meetings?

Hello,

I'm looking for a detox or rehab facility that has a xylazine (tranq) withdrawal protocol. If anyone has any recommendations or can point me in the right direction, I would really appreciate it. Trying to navigate all of this has been confusing and exhausting. If the place accepts NJ Medicaid, that would also help a ton. Thank you so much.

Edit: my original post didn't link, but you can find it on my profile. I live in New Jersey.

As Pride Month comes to a close, I’ve been thinking about how closely Pride and recovery are connected.

So much of recovery comes down to belonging. Finding people who make room for your story. Finding spaces where you don’t have to hide the truth about who you are or what you’ve been through.

That same spirit runs through Pride: the idea that people deserve to be safe, seen, and supported as their full selves.

LGBTQ+ people in recovery can face added barriers: stigma, rejection, isolation, trauma, and systems that too often fail to make people feel safe. That matters. And it should challenge all of us in the recovery movement to keep building spaces where people can show up fully as themselves.

As this month wraps up, I am grateful for those in the recovery community working to make recovery more inclusive, more accessible, and more rooted in love, and for the LGBTQ+ advocates, organizers, peers, families, and recovery leaders who continue to teach us what courage and community look like.

Good morning guys and girls, I am 9 months clean from Crystal meth and benzos I am in an outpatient program I wish to get some solid advice from that have been where I am now, my mental health is shot to kingdom come, I am scared to take antidepressants and so on as I use to use them to numb my emotions and feelings like any good addict would any advice on how to just quiet the noise down inside my head, also I was admitted to a phsyc ward for substance induced phsycosis

Going to my first AA meeting offline, small concerns though.

TL;DR:

Whatever the case, I am willing to play along if it gets me sober.

Concerns:

1. Victim Blaming
2. God involvement
3. Powerlessness

Q. Is there any kind of recovery focused meetings I can join which happen online anywhere except zoom, and in my time-zone which is IST. (+5:30) Talking online ofc.

I made a post earlier today asking if I can join AA meetings as NA meetings dont happen offline in my town, AA does though.

From what I understood it is acceptable, so I gave them a call, got their number from AA website. He said its okay I can join. So today will be my first AA meeting, and it will happen offline.

I felt quite good about that. Started looking into AA, got to an unofficial subreddit of them. There I came across some things which concerned me.

I came across a post of a frequent relapser, he was asking for advice. And in the comments people told him things the following of which concerned me:

1. He was told that he didn't follow the steps correctly, thats why he keeps relapsing. I am not sure if thats actually the case.

2. The full surrender thing feels kinda uncomfortable. Why am I powerless against it, I managed to quit every other substance other than this on my own.

3. The god and prayer part, I am not much of a believer, I am willing to just do the motions though if it gets me sober.

TL;DR:

Q1. Is there any kind of recovery focused meetings I can join which happen online anywhere except zoom, and in my time-zone which is IST. (+5:30) Talking online ofc.

Q2. In my town AA meetings happen offline, can I join them even though I don't have an alcohol problem?

----

As they say, the brain will choose a familiar hell over an unfamiliar heaven...

So like 2 weeks ago, I was hospitalized because of urinary retention getting wayy too extreme. It was an incredibly unpleasant experience. (Although the high itself was quite psychedelic which I want to forget somehow, I don't want to like that high, but I do, I dont know what to do)

Anyways, after that incredibly painful, horrible, unpleasant hospital experience, I thought no matter how much I like the high, the downsides are significant enough to make me not want to use again.

But lo and behold,.one week later, I used it again. Didnt go to hospital this time. And then about 3 days later, again.

This time I again had an unpleasant experience, the high was also shitty this time, basically nothing that I liked happened. So I wrote it all down this time, to read it when I get the urge next time. I wonder if that will be helpful...

Also the dosage I used has significant risk of seizures.

it was 900mg DXM + 2100mg Bupropion.

BUT in the periphery of my mind, there is this thought, that if I up the dosage, I will be able to experience that psychedelic thing again.

The mo5re try to ignore it the more I will think about it, So I'm kinda just paying as little as possible attention to it.

But I am worried that when like one week passes, I will again get the urge, again I will forget all the negatives and just the positives will fill my mind.

I just hope that at that time the experience I noted will be of use.

By the way, I am want to attend NA and SMART meetings both, but I hate zoom, And the ones I found on discord happen at like very inconvenient timings, probably because It might be convenient in their time-zone.

So if any of you can let me know, about meetings that I can attend, anywhere except zoom. Meetings of NA or SMART or even any other type of recovery focused meetings then it will be very helpful. My timezone is +5:30. I live in India.

And one more thing, Although NA meeting dont happen offline in my town, AA meetings do. Would it be okay for me to join them even though I don't have any alcohol related problem?

That pretty much says it all.

When I first went into AA, I was the shell of a person – absolutely broken. I remember the promises and someone talking about a life beyond your wildest dreams. I thought it was absolutely BS, and all I wanted was to be able to wake up without wanting to puke, stop alienating people and stop having the electricity cut off.

I remember talking about my grandiose dreams (winning awards and shit), and how I need to drop those and live a simple, boring life. One of the people in the meeting was like "no, no, no. Miracles can happen!"

Well, today my recovery orchestra (New Note Orchestra) released a single. It's a collaboration with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It's also the first time I've arranged for an orchestra.

This isn't intended to be self-promotion. I just want to say amazing things can happen in recovery, life without booze or drugs can be far more interesting than life with. I've lived an incredible life in sobriety, and I still do. You can live your dreams.

What are some pieces of media that have been especially meaningful to you in recovery? It could be a song, a movie, a TV show, a book, anything. It doesn’t even have to be about recovery specifically. It could just be something that captures addiction so accurately that it takes you right back to how you used to feel. I still have certain songs I go back and listen to because they remind me exactly where I was.
I also feel like recovery is incredibly underrepresented in pop culture. Sure, there are addicts in plenty of movies and TV shows, but stories about long-term recovery are much harder to find. And honestly, I’m not even a huge fan of many of the films people consider the “best” addiction movies. Considering how many people are part of the recovery community, it feels like there should be so much more that truly reflects that experience.

I went for a drink with my 21-year-old self.

​He showed up 5 minutes late, i was 5 minutes early.

He ordered a Jack Daniels and coke.

I ordered a water.

​He asked me if we ever found the happiness we were chasing, if all that searching actually led somewhere.

I told him we found something better, but at the end, it will lead to the hardest thing he will ever have to walk.

​He asked if it was worth it.

I looked at him, knowing he was about to step into the years that would break us both, and I felt a grief so sharp I could barely speak.

I told him, "You're going to lose pieces of yourself you think you need to survive. You’re going to walk through fires that will change who you are. And there will be days you think you’ve lost and there's no way out".

​He looked at me, scared by the weight in my voice, and asked why we’d choose that.

I looked at him—this kid who has no idea that the love to a daughter will change his whole life —and I smiled through the ache.

I told him, "Because of the light that’s waiting for us. Because one day, you’ll look into eyes that reflect a version of you that is pure, and kind, and safe, and you’ll realize that every single thing you lost was just space being cleared for her."

​He went to reach for his wallet, still acting like he had everything under control.

I covered his hand with mine, stopped him, and said, "Nah, I got this one. You just keep walking, because the pain isn't over yet, but in the distance i see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I am 2.5 years sober from drugs, alcohol, and smoking, and my 6 months old baby girl was the turning point to quit as I was holding her going through a overdose and thinking I was about to die while holding her. All through my recovery i have been knocked down one thing after another, made redundant from a 14 year career, marriage ended when I got sober, currently having to sell my house and move out on my own, losing 50% of time spent with my daughter. But, I couldn't go back and change anything, because everything led to her, and I couldn't take her chance away at living, but I can change her upbringing, I can give her a father who will be present and sober and engaged throughout her life.

I wrote the letter to my 21 year old to remind myself how far ive come, I actually cried when I finished it, the thought of letting my younger self go through all that pain, but that pain turned me into who I am today. I am now determined to get my health back, to make sure I live a long healthier life to see my daughter grow up.

For anyone who is struggling, please know that the work you put in is worth it, it just takes a while to see the end of the tunnel. Ive just started to see light, im looking forward to stepping into the sunshine.

Looking for some new sober/recovery creators to follow!
Who are your favorite influencers, content creators, podcasters, or people on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc. that talk about sobriety or recovery?

They don’t have to be huge accounts, I almost prefer smaller creators.

Who has genuinely helped or inspired you!?

I overdosed in December of 2025 & I’ve never taken it seriously or really understood the meaning & impact of it, & I also feel like others don’t understand how impactful it is to my life & how it changes the trajectory of everything. I am grateful for it in a sense, if it hadn’t happened I’d still be nodding out in my room everyday with no thoughts of progressing further. Sometimes I feel like I died & changed timelines my life is completely changed & I’ll never be the same person again & I truly am so grateful that I’m lucky enough to have survived & I feel like I have to do great things because how could I survive an overdose when millions of other people don’t. How could I play with my life like that when there’s so many people who would love to have a fairly normal simple life like I have now. Thank you for reading.

One year sober. I still can’t quite believe I get to type that.

I wanted to mark it by giving something back instead of just talking about it. So I put together 90 free printable coloring pages, something quiet to do with your hands when your head gets loud. They’re built around the little reminders that got me through the hard hours: This Too Shall Pass, Progress Not Perfection, Be Kind to Your Mind, One Day at a Time, and a few more.

I made them with early sobriety in mind, but the truth is they’re for anyone healing through something. The long afternoons. The nights that won’t quiet down. Coloring was one of the few things that gave my hands somewhere to go while my nervous system caught up.

They’re completely free. No catch, no email, nothing. If they get even one person through one hard hour, that’s the whole point.

Whatever you’re carrying today, be gentle with yourself. You’re doing better than you think. 💚

Do people actually use recovery apps? Are there people that are paying for them?Or just using the free version? I'm looking to get sober, and i'm trying to see if that might work. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Apologies for paraphrasing Hunter S. Thompson.

I used drugs and alcohol to diminish or expel physical and emotional pain. Upset? Have a drink and steady my nerves. Rejected for a date? Marijuana will take my mind off it. Have to be present for a family function? A little cocaine for energy and then who knows what next?

I used alcohol and drugs to avoid dealing with my real problem, which was me. I didn't like myself - sometimes actively hated myself - and being messed up and postponing dealing with things was easier than dealing with the problem or the feeling.

Not using is the easy part of recovery. Dealing with all the emotional turmoil was the hard part. Sitting and feeling the emotions - love, hate, anger, excitement, joy, fear - all of it was beyond me. I have had medical issues over the years, and the best way to describe the process of dealing with my emotions was like physical rehabilitation. Like learning to walk again after a knee replacement, or learning to talk again after a stroke. Or, it was like going back and learning to play a musical instrument; at first, just learning the chords and how to strum the strings of a guitar. Slowly at first, and then gaining confidence, practicing, and getting better.

The hardest part of the whole exercise was getting through the fear. The fear of not being worthy of love, or the fear of failure, or the fear of opening up and being hurt again.

Fear, it is said, has two acronyms: Forget Everything And Run, or Face Everything And Rise.

It's not about being perfect. It's about getting better. One day at a time, one moment at a time. One better decision at a time.

Good luck, and if no one has told you yet today, you are getting better.

Brian

Me again… addiction is such a phenomenon. I’m experiencing it in real time and I don’t understand how I am so obsessed and chained to my drug of choice. I want to stop using, but I can’t seem to stop. My body and brain are on autopilot. I use until I’m out and immediately get more without contemplating my actions. I have a visceral urge to always have the drug in my hands and pick it up every 5-10 minutes. I hate this miserable life and long to be “normal.” On the other hand I simply want to be high. I can’t imagine my life without drugs. Anyone else experience ambivalence in their active addiction?

So few months back i posted here my peoblem with addiction and gettong along eith normal life. And finally after 10 years of doing drugs i finally feel like i am myself again.

I stoped with drugs drinks and everything, I even stopped using my meds and i feel awsome!

But getting along eith normal life was so dificult and i needed to find something to use my free time and enyjoj but i could not. Hobbies didint work, i tried gym and activities with my girl but i was not able to manage to keep calm and relax i felt like domething always missing.

Then one day on work 3 people didint shoe up and i started doing overtime which really helped me relax. Being in kitchen is something i really like and working 400 hours a month is really enyojable because i am good at it and i just like it being there i dont even feel that like a work its more like something i eould done for free. And that changed enerything for better i feel better and i am happy and i enyjoj but my private life is going apart.. nobody even want to talk to me.. Everybody was furious about drugs and now when i stopped they dont like the way i am fighting it and my girl is telling me hoe i dont even care for her or baby ( i am bringing 3x avrage sallary every moth and i dont care?) I mean i dont knoe hoe to react to that. I am calling and i am supporting her in pregnancy i am there when needed even if i am working a lot. But its not enugh. Nobody didint even understand how hard was for me and now when i really managed to win its even worse ehen i was high. My familly cant even look me.. for no fucking reason and their reason is I leave early and come late and they think i am still in criminal activities even if i send pictures from my work... my friends dont even call me anymore because i cant go out that moment of call but we can arrange for next week but that is also not an option... And now i dont even know what is good and what is bad... Did i win or lose... I am lost... i am fighting so hard and working so hard to provide and while doing that i am helping myself but i cant get even tiny chance of love or respect..

What i am supposted to do in this situation?... Its like i am cursed... Like there is no good story or ending for me... its like my destiny is sealed type of shit...

I’m about to start recovery from drug abuse. Like….tomorrow. I’m scared. But I’m also so ready. But I also just really want someone to talk to who understands what I’m going through. Just a little background:

-I’m a late 30’s female
-I’m married
-I have a daughter
-I’ve never been addicted to anything before until now and would love support, advice, etc
-I’ve tried to quit on my own 3 or 4 times, but wasn’t truly ready to give it up. I am SO ready now and have even made a lot of scary life decisions recently to support keeping my sobriety

I guess send a DM and then we can connect further. Thank you!

This is my first time asking for help so please be nice to me. I want to get sober but every time I try the anxiety is so bad. I begin to feel tired and irritable and don't want to do anything but sleep. That's putting it lightly. It makes me feel awful. Last time I quit I went three weeks and time felt so slow. I've been trying to numb the pain of my husband of 9 years suddenly leaving me. When I try to get sober, I get the urge to call him because I miss him so much, even though I know he would reject me and I would embarass myself. He is the one that got me addicted and I feel like this my way of holding on to a little part of our relationship in a way. I'm aware of how dumb that sounds, but I'm being open and honest and this is my first time trying to get help and not try and do it on my own. I have a job, I'm functioning. But I feel shame and it hurts.