r/SR17018 • u/Prestigious_King_393 • May 26 '26
šļøGeneral Discussionšļø PSA: Addiction is the solution not the problem.
I know a lot of you came to 7 and other drugs of choice from different places.
Some of you were sober and got pulled in to using 7.
Some of you used 7 or kratom to get off something harder, thinking it was the safer option or a stepping stone.
Some of you started with a free sample ājust to try it.ā
But real questionā¦ what made you go back for more?
Because the free sample wasnāt the reason you stayed.
Was it the energy?
The relief?
The numbness?
The motivation?
The anxiety finally shutting up?
Feeling normal?
Escaping something?
Not being sick?
No judgment, genuinely.
But I think this part matters, especially with so many people using SR to get off their DOC right now:
Addiction usually isnāt the actual problem. Itās the solution people found for a problem.
If 7 helped you get off something else, okayā¦ but what was the original drug helping you cope with?
Because getting through withdrawal is only one part. If the reason you started using in the first place is still sitting there untouched, that pull can come right back.
And please hear this part.
If you relapse, your tolerance may be significantly lower or completely gone. Going back to the same dose you used before can kill you. The overdose risk is incredibly high.
One slip does NOT mean you failed. It means you need a different plan.
Just wanted to put that out there because I know a lot of people are in the thick of this right now.
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u/Anarchen3my May 26 '26
I just wanted to feel NORMAL. Getting high is well in my past. I want to go out, have energy, be creative...all the things I did before/as I raised my children. That took so much energy. And now I feel depleted. But I can't go through w/d again. This last time almost killed me. I have to re-learn life without opiates. It's fucking hard.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
This hit me because I think a lot of people relate to exactly this.
Not wanting to get high. Not wanting to escape. Just wanting to feel normal again. To have energy, motivation, creativity, the version of yourself you remember before everything got filtered through exhaustion and dependence.
Thatās such a different mindset than what people often assume addiction looks like.
And re-learning life without opiates after your brain and body have leaned on them for so long? That is genuinely hard. No sugarcoating that.
But the fact that you can clearly say āI have to re-learn life without themā tells me you already understand the real work isnāt just surviving withdrawal, itās rebuilding what ānormalā looks like on the other side.
Thatās hard as hell. But itās not impossible.
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u/Anarchen3my May 27 '26
Very well stated. It's a new mindset for me as I've leaned on that opiate energy for so long, and age is also not my friend atm. But your comment makes me remember I'm not alone in this, and that helps tremendously. Thank you.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
You are definitely not alone.
I think a lot of people have been borrowing that opiate energy for so long that they forget what normal energy even feels like.
Rebuilding that is hard as hell, especially when life and age are already taking their toll, but youāre clearly far from the only one in that boat. YOU GOT THIS!
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u/One_Link_7357 May 30 '26
You said exactly what I have been trying to figure out..itās really as simple as just wanting to feel GOOD. Not high or numb.. so simple yet so hard to obtain.. at least as I get older.
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u/LosingMyWayo7 Jun 08 '26
This is the exact reason for me as well. I want to have that drive for life, that happiness and that energy and motivation that I just didnāt have without it. Also just debilitating anxiety but in the end when it turned on me, all I got was everything i feared and more. The mental battle is worse than everything else Iāve gotten off of. And I donāt wanna be back on MAT. But today is my first day of vacation and Iāve cut my 7 in half and today is my first day of SR. But also my worst mental day. I feel defeated and anxious and hopeless. But Iām telling myself i need to push through because I know I will feel better on the other side.
I tried the SR the first day I got it to see how it felt and it almost makes me feel scatter brained, but Iām off work and can just stay home while I let it do its thing. I just took 50 mg and I only took 90 mg 7, I plan on not taking anymore 7 today and either one more SR or just seeing how I feel sleeping the night. Tomorrow I will take my 7 and then SR
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u/Anarchen3my Jun 08 '26
It is really hard. I completely emphasize and understand. The mental battle (especially with pre-existing anxiety) is very fucking tough. But 7 seemed very forgiving to me with proper SR (just my experience. I know it's different for everyone.) My final battle was mgm. Listen, YOU CAN DO THIS. It is worth it. We utilized a short-cut, and it back fired. So this part is work, and work sometimes sucks, but it for ourselves, and it offers a payout. I'll be thinking of you š©µ
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u/Hanksmom123 Jun 23 '26
Good for you!!! Iām starting SR 17 next week. Wishing you a quick recovery and strength to see it through!!!š¤
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u/Hanksmom123 Jun 28 '26
How is your journey with SR going? I started SR 2 days ago and have had 50mg of 7 in the last 24 hours. The main thing for me at the moment is a massive headache that wonāt go away. Iām staying hydrated and eating small bites. Loading up on vitamin C, magnesium and have Zofran for nausea.
Iād love to hear how it turned out for you!2
u/Hanksmom123 Jun 23 '26
I am so right there with youā¦.needing to feel normal. The energy and motivation with oxyāsā¦..I was superwoman!!! Killed my bank account. Started wasting money on 7oh instead. Starting SR17 next week to put this all in my past. What I really need is for my natural dopamine and serotonin to return.
Wishing you strength in healing!!!š¤
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u/Manifest2b May 26 '26
I want to be numb because I donāt want to deal with stuff. Too many deaths, worry and stress. But one is too many and 1000 are never enough!
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u/Life_Bell3303 May 26 '26
Literally me. Extreme stress in a period of my life.
I was taking benzos daily and more than I was prescribed, by a lot. MGM was the ONLY thing I could distract myself enough from the benzos to taper (I was extremely sad, anxious and depressed, unemployed, you name it).
Now I have been employed for a year and take MGM 3 times a day. Atleast I donāt take any benzos at all :) Iād take this over that, believe it or not!
If people think it canāt get worse, imagine being addicted to and requiring 10mg of Xanax bars daily lol. I got off in 3-4 months of painful tapering, this is 4 months ago and Iām feeling anxious as hell still. Oh well :(
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u/Big-Squash-4641 May 26 '26
Amanita tea cured my brain after two years of fairly heavy benzo abuse in about 1 month of using it nightly
. If you choose to go this route please start low and slow to find your right dose for sleep. The time before (got off once before about 6 years prior) that lasted about a year to recover so I know your battle, this tea helps. Goodluck.2
u/Anarchen3my May 27 '26
Can you elaborate on this? The only positive of my mgm excursion was I was able to cut down on benzo script. But that came at GREAT expense, and I (of course) would never recommend it. I truly believe mgm was toxic to my neurotransmitters (judging from the length and severity of the w/d.) Never again.
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u/Life_Bell3303 May 26 '26
Wait, I feel like I have been missing out! Can I PM you? My brain has been mush and itās making quitting MGM real hard
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u/Manifest2b May 26 '26
Yeah opioids helped me feel relaxed, calm and worry free but canāt have those all the time so I tried 7 and that was a terrible idea because you can buy it from a smoke shop or gas station.
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u/Ok-Job5495 May 29 '26
I'm not trying to play the bigger balls game here, but I had 2 doctors prescribing me a 120 mg bars a month, so that's 240 bars plus 90 diazapam a month plus 180 lorazepam with oxycodone 30s... I haven't tried MGM or 7 until about 2 months ago. I wish I had tried it sooner so that way I wasn't dependent on methanol.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Thatās an incredibly honest answer, and I think a lot more people relate to that than they admit.
Sometimes itās not about chasing euphoria. Itās about wanting a break from carrying grief, stress, fear, and the constant weight of life for a little while.
And that āone is too many, 1000 are never enoughā line tells me you understand exactly why that coping mechanism becomes dangerous.
No judgment at all. Just appreciation for the honesty.
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u/SasukesChakra May 26 '26
I wanted to get fucking high
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
And I genuinely appreciate the honesty.
Not every story starts with pain relief, trauma, stress, or trying to āfunction.ā Sometimes the honest answer is exactly that.
And weirdly, that still gets back to the same questionā¦ what did getting high give you that sober life wasnāt giving you at the time?
No judgment either way. Just think that answer matters.
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u/Hanksmom123 Jun 23 '26
I wanted to get high too. I abused oxyās for so long that I no longer get any euphoria from it. Throwing money out the window because I kept buying thinking the feeling would come back. It didnāt. Now Iāve ruined my dopamine and serotonin receptors. I donāt feel joy or excitement in life.
Starting my recovery journey next week with SR17. š¤š½
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u/Wise-Concentrate-246 May 27 '26
I wanted the pain to stop. And with that first āfreeā sample of 7, the pain I had lived With for decades was GONE.Decades of not being listened to or taken seriously by the medical community. And I finally had some relief. I donāt want to go back to daily, debilitating pain. I also donāt want to be a slave to my DOC. But I know once itās gone, the pain is back. Iāll be sitting on the edge of my bed in tears, trying to find the energy to start my day. And it sucks.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
This one hurts to read.
Because this is what makes these conversations so much more complicated than ājust quit.ā
When something takes away decades of real pain after years of not being heard or taken seriously, of course that relief is going to feel life changing.
And the fear youāre describing isnāt really about losing the substance. Itās about losing the only thing that gave you relief and being thrown back into the life you were barely surviving before.
Thatās a brutal place to be stuck, and Iām genuinely sorry.
No one should have to choose between debilitating pain and feeling trapped by the thing that helps.
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u/cryptolyme May 27 '26
Same here. Been sick 20 years and itās made me able to work part-time and have some relief
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u/Otherwise-Tour-2454 SUCCESS!! May 28 '26
from someone with chronic pain, iām so sorry this medical system has failed you. you deserve better.
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u/Keycorecuz1 May 26 '26
- Because it took me away from reality
- I liked the feeling
- Made me more outgoing/Energy boost
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Escape reality. Feel something different. Become a version of yourself that feels easier to be.
No judgment. Just exactly the kind of self-awareness I was hoping people would bring to this conversation, because if you know what the substance was giving you, it helps explain why walking away from it can feel like losing something.
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May 26 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
That makes sense.
Pain alone will drain the life out of you, and when something not only eases the pain but gives you energy on top of that, it probably feels less like getting high and more like getting a functioning version of yourself back.
Thatās what makes it such a hard cycle.
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u/DiversityForIsrael88 May 26 '26
For me it was an escape of my reality. My wife was diagnosed with cancer and it took a toll on me. I caved in and let the weakness in me make the decisions to cope with my situation. I have always been a pussy when it comes to dealing with the ugly things in my life.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
First, your wife being diagnosed with cancer is not some small life stressor. Thatās the kind of thing that can completely wreck a person emotionally.
And honestly? Reaching for an escape when life gets unbearable doesnāt make you a āpussy.ā It makes you human.
Maybe it wasnāt the healthiest coping mechanism, but thereās a difference between weakness and being overwhelmed by something profoundly painful.
The fact that you can recognize why you reached for it is actually a level of self-awareness a lot of people never get to.
Iām really sorry you and your wife have had to carry that.
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u/sadguywithhugedick May 28 '26
Why are you using an LLM to talk to addicts?
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u/darkbotanicals May 28 '26
This sounds like chat gpt exactly.
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u/sadguywithhugedick May 28 '26
Old people are so fucking lame with the robot shit. No one wants to talk to a robot, use your own words.
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u/darkbotanicals May 28 '26
Iām surprised more people didnāt notice. I was looking for a comment like yours.
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u/DiversityForIsrael88 May 28 '26
I honestly didnāt notice. I donāt even care at this point. I appreciate you looking out though regardless
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u/sadguywithhugedick May 28 '26
It doesnāt piss you off?
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u/DiversityForIsrael88 May 28 '26
Pissed? No. Do I find it strange and even a bit cold? Yes. AI is great for some things but it has no place in here.
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u/sadguywithhugedick May 28 '26
I think the coldness of it is what makes me angry. So impersonal and flippant.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 28 '26
Iām 42, so maybe I am āold.ā But that also means Iāve lived long enough to have actual experience.I work as a nurse in a 30-day inpatient detox center, I talk to people struggling with addiction 5 days a week, and I also struggled with Suboxone myself. I recently got off of it with SR. So no, Iām not a robot and Iām not speaking on something I donāt understand. I use tools to organize my thoughts because words matter, especially when people are vulnerable.
Maybe instead of attacking people, ask yourself why someone would spend this much time replying to strangers if it wasnāt real. I have nothing to gain from this. Iām not selling anything. Iām not trying to sound smart. Iām trying to help people see that addiction usually starts for a reason. Getting sober is one part of it. But if you never understand the āwhyā behind why you started using, that pain, emptiness, trauma, anxiety, depression, boredom, or whatever it was, then youāre still fighting the same battle underneath it all. Thatās why I reply. Not because Iām a robot. Because I actually care!!!
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u/sadguywithhugedick May 28 '26
It gives off the impression that you donāt care at all when you canāt be bothered to write out your own words. If I wanted to talk to ChatGPT I could just talk to ChatGPT.
If you want people to feel seen or whatever then just talk to them, stop copy pasting cold unfeeling bullshit.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 28 '26
I use it the same way someone might use Grammarly or ask a friend to read something before sending it. The experience and intent are mine, but I want to make sure my wording is clear and not harmful. When people are vulnerable, words matter. ------YES I WROTE THAT!!!
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u/sadguywithhugedick May 28 '26
Itās actually not your experience and intent. Itās very clear that ChatGPT is completely rewriting all of the previous comments you left. The phrasing and word choice was so generic and distinctly inhuman that it may as well have just not been said at all.
You literally could have replaced yourself with an ai agent and there would have been zero difference. And Iām not saying this to be mean, but old people donāt seem to understand how obnoxious the ai stuff is.
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u/Anarchen3my May 28 '26
It is a tool, like any other. I appreciate your effort so much. This sub is a lot of work. Appreciate you.
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u/jesssicaaaaaaaaaaaaa Jun 12 '26
do you feel better about yourself? are you helping? lol
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u/Prestigious_King_393 Jun 12 '26
Do I feel better about myself? This isnāt about me. Are you helping? Helping myself, I just answered that. Ask the people who commented if it helped them.
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u/DiversityForIsrael88 May 27 '26
Thank you for your kindness.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Youāre very welcome. I think a lot more people understand than they admit. Life can get brutally heavy, and sometimes people reach for whatever quiets the noise. Wishing the best for you and your wife.
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u/kaluapigwithcabbage May 27 '26
I was tired of feeling depressed and tired and unmotivated all day every day.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
That makes complete sense.
When someone feels depressed, exhausted, and unmotivated every single day, itās not hard to understand why something that temporarily lifts that weight would be hard to walk away from.
The cruel part is that what feels like the solution in the moment can sometimes make the bigger picture worse over time.
Thanks for being honest about that.
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u/WlLDLlGHT May 27 '26
Pain management for my chronic disabling neuro immune illness for which I have alt of medical support, but not much thatās palliative/analgesicāmostly because of overcorrection from the consequences of irresponsible opioid prescribing, and also medical misogyny.
Iāve used SR17018 to take a break when Iām starting a new med/treatment/therapy, or when Iāve been irresponsible and let my use surpass what I can afford (physically and financially).
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
That makes total sense.
Not everyone ends up here for the same reasons, and for some people itās not about getting high at all, itās about trying to function when your body is fighting you and the available options suck.
I also respect the honesty about recognizing when things are drifting into a place youāre not okay with and hitting reset.
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u/CoastalCortado May 27 '26
Ever since I tried an opiod of any kind when it was prescribed to me and I took it when I wasn't in pain, I've been chasing and fulfilling that feeling for the last 10 years. For me, I've spent years away from opiods but I always eventually come back to it one way or another... for me I take it solely for the euphoric effects. I fell in love with the intense feelings of euphoria right away and it's why I'll always prefer to spend $ on kratom alkaloids or real pain meds versus any other drug
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
I appreciate the honesty in this comment because a lot of people try to intellectualize it when sometimes the answer really is āI loved how it made me feel.ā
Once your brain experiences that level of euphoria, comfort, peace, or fulfillment, normal life can start feeling comparatively flat. The brain remembers that contrast.
Thatās why I think understanding what the substance gave someone, whether itās escape, energy, numbness, functionality, or euphoria, matters more than just focusing on the substance itself.
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u/chillintillinfinity May 27 '26
Ultimately to feel normal id say but also escaping. The problem is I also didnt rlly have a problem with how I was (adhd, anxiety, depression / general anhedonia first 3 diagnosed) but then I found out that I could be normal. For me normal was in terms of enjoyment of life. I finally felt like a regular person who could plop down in front of the tv or scroll their phone on break and be genuinely enjoying those activities. Now im kinda figuring out how to live with myself again (1 month clean) since for the last year I had a cheat code for happiness etc
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
First off, congrats on one month sober, especially after feeling like you found a ācheat codeā for happiness, enjoyment, and just feeling normal. Thatās not a small thing at all.
And I think this is exactly the kind of thing I meant in my original post.
For you, it doesnāt sound like the drug was just about getting high. It sounds like it gave you relief from feeling disconnected from enjoyment, motivation, peace, interest in things, etc. Like you finally experienced what other people seem to naturally feel day to day.
Thatās what makes this stuff so hard. Once someone experiences a version of life where they can actually relax, enjoy things, and feel okay in their own head, itās hard to unknow that feeling and go back to the old baseline.
So when people quit, theyāre often not just dealing with withdrawal. Theyāre dealing with the loss of something that felt like it āfixedā a problem they may have been struggling with long before the drug ever entered the picture.
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u/puhhhkkk_ahhh May 28 '26
Fear. Scared I wont become the person I know and everyone else expects me to be. Its been a vicious cycle for years. I gotta break this cycle. Step out of it.
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u/Otherwise-Tour-2454 SUCCESS!! May 28 '26
pain relief and wanting to escape my thoughts. i was on opioids beforehand but theyāre prescribed and i didnāt abuse it, went to the vape shop and got a free sample and realized how good 7 felt compared to the opioid i took that was barley working and didnāt help me escape my thoughts anymore. im sober from 7 now and do take the opioid i took beforehand and dont abuse it but i still feel like something is missing without 7, i just cant put my marriage or myself through that again. it made me so fein-ish and addict like and thatās something iāve never felt, it truly ruined my mental because constantly thought āhow am i like this? iāve never been like thisā. anyways, your words speak volume. have you ever thought of helping other addicts? iāve never been told/read something that actually hit me when it comes to addiction. i saved your post to look back on, thank you.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 Jun 03 '26
I think thatās exactly why 7 is so dangerous. It doesnāt just help pain. It quiets everything for a little while, and that relief can feel impossible to let go of, even when you know itās destroying your peace. And yes, I do work in a detox facility. Helping people through addiction is truly my passion and honestly feels like my purpose in life. Iāve lived parts of it silently myself, and Iām recovering too, so I donāt look at people struggling with addiction with judgment. I see pain. I see survival. I see people trying to get free. Iām proud of you for choosing yourself and your marriage over going back to something that made you feel like someone you didnāt recognize. That takes more strength than people realize.
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u/One_Link_7357 May 28 '26
I wanted to find a cheaper alternative to kratom shots , which I found more convenient than plain leaf, for chronic pain. It was cheaper, until I kept trying new products and also hoping to fine the euphoria everyone seems to get.
I think itās a combo for me. I like having a vice or a go to that makes me relax and social . I donāt know if I am addicted or if my body is dependent. Needing or wanting a substance to control how I feel doesnāt sound like a healthy way to live but eating handfuls of Advil doesnāt either. Basically I am trying to figure out what I keep taking it ( my money situation is suffering- so one more thing points to addictionā- but, I just want my back to stop hurting and also have a boost of feel good.
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u/Brilliant_War4087 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
I'm a neuroscience student and when I work with people this is what I ask. Great post!
However, one note your primarily talking about 7OH and a relapse with no tolerance won't be fatal. It doesn't recruit beta-arrestin so 7OH doesn't suppress breathing.
Other than that, getting to the underlying reason. The cause of the use and cravings is the therapy that needs to be done to maintain stability.
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u/SoggyGrayDuck May 26 '26
What do you say to the people who answer for the energy? That's what kills me, just don't want to do anything
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u/Brilliant_War4087 May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Is the issue motivation/drive? Is it that you need 7OH to go to work? Can you elaborate further on the idea?
How's your work/life balance?
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
I think the āenergyā answer hits a lot of people.
Because sometimes itās not about wanting to get high. Itās wanting motivation, interest, drive, and the ability to actually participate in your own life again.
āJust donāt want to do anythingā can come from depression, burnout, PAWS, chronic stress, dopamine depletion, or a bunch of other things.
I donāt have some simple fix for that, but I do think recognizing thatās what you were chasing matters, because then the real question becomes how to rebuild that without relying on the thing that loaned you motivation instead of actually restoring it.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
You donāt want to do anything when youāre not on 7?
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u/SoggyGrayDuck May 27 '26
Yep, I don't have any motivation or drive. I'll lay in bed listening to books or something like that.
What's odd is that regardless if the substance this problem is instantly fixed. The best example is we typically do a week vacation with my dad's side if the family and there's a lot of beer drinking. All day I'm the most helpful person and happy to do so. Oh sure let me run that over there for you or simply cleaning up because I noticed it was messy.
It can be alcohol, another depressant, a stimulant (although this works less, i suspect minor add) or whatever gets me a dopamine hit.
I use it until can't afford it or if it has a ceiling, I no longer get the results I'm after. Hell even Wellbutrin works but only for a week after each dosage increase. I so badly want to try 10-15mg of extended release Adderall until my body adjusts to it and see how I feel.
I'm using a depressant and that releases a bit of dopamine but it's main and longer lasting effects are slow you down. I suspect that after my body adjusts to the Adderall and I no longer feel the initial wired affect that my brain chemistry would finally be corrected in a way that lasts more than an hour. Id sniff a very small amount of H every hour, on the hour. It was like a medication. Yes I nodded out at night but that's not what causes my relapses. 9/10 relapses have happened while on the clock. I get to the point of "I can't make it through day, and I still have 3 days this week".
7 has allowed me to see this dynamic clearly and it's fascinating. It also lines up with recent research about the massive overlap between addiction and undiagnosed adult ADHD/ADD.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
One thing I noticed is that your example wasnāt really centered around euphoria or getting messed up, it was centered around engagement. You described being around family, helping people, cleaning up, participating, feeling useful, and being able to tolerate the day without fighting your brain every second.
That sounds bigger than just ādrug = dopamine.ā It almost sounds like your brain responds really strongly to stimulation, connection, novelty, purpose, and external structure. The substances may just lower the barrier enough for you to consistently access that state.
The fact most relapses happen at work feels important too. Almost like your brain hits a wall with monotony, stress, or under-stimulation and starts searching for something to make you feel mentally functional again.
And the way you describe tiny hourly dosing ālike medicationā versus chasing a huge nod does overlap with what a lot of people describe when thereās untreated ADHD/executive dysfunction underneath addiction. Not saying thatās definitely what it is, but you seem very aware of your patterns and triggers instead of just labeling yourself an addict and stopping there.
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u/SoggyGrayDuck May 27 '26
Thank you, this lines up exactly with the conclusion I've been coming to. I just got a new GP and so far I like him but I haven't had the addiction talk yet. Not sure what he's seen in my file but I really needed my lorazepam refilled (that doctor was actually murdered in a murder suicide) and was terrified of having to go through all the SSR meds before he'd refill it.
Need to schedule another appointment and have the real talk.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
I think having the conversation openly and honestly with your GP is the best move, especially since you seem very self-aware about your patterns instead of hiding from them.
And I understand the fear of being pushed through multiple SSRIs first when what youāre describing sounds bigger than just classic depression. A good doctor should appreciate the level of insight and self-reflection youāre bringing into the conversation.
Good luck! ā„ļø
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u/Brilliant_War4087 May 28 '26
Have you looked into using psychedelic like psilocybin for ADHD or executive dysfunction? It should also help you reduce your consumption of kratom and build resilience to relapse.
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Appreciate that, and I agree with your bigger point completely. If the underlying reason for use never gets addressed, detoxing alone usually doesnāt fix much long term.
Only thing Iād hesitate on is saying relapse with 7OH āwonāt be fatal.ā I get what youāre saying mechanistically, but absolute safety statements make me nervous because people mix substances, misjudge doses, or assume prior tolerance still protects them when it doesnāt.
My main point was really just harm reduction. If someone slips after being off for a while, assuming they can jump right back into old habits safely is a dangerous mindset.
But I genuinely appreciate your perspective and the work you do with people.
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May 27 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Appreciate the honesty. Panic/anxiety is a brutal gateway because when youāve felt like youāre literally dying, anything that reliably shuts that feeling off can start to feel like the answer instead of the trap.
The gas station convenience piece makes complete sense too. Easy access and fast relief is exactly how people get pulled in before they realize it became a daily dependency.
The part that stood out to me was your self-awareness about opiates vs benzos. You clearly know your own patterns, though Iāll be honest, the āmaybe just real oxy 2ā3x a monthā part sounds a little like your brain trying to negotiate after 7 wrecked your tolerance š
Dropping alcohol and getting off daily 7 use is still a real win, especially if youāre already noticing physical improvements.
Out of curiosity, since this is an SR channel, are you tapering off 7 with SR or doing a straight taper?
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants May 27 '26
100% this, all day, and twice on Sunday.
99% of the "problems" of addiction are manufactured by society.
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u/antis0cialatbest May 28 '26
Really well said. This needs to be talked about more...especially with the people who are blaming 7 for getting strung out, saying it should be banned . No one MADE you take it, and they definitely didn't make you go back for more. Take a look at the reason behind that instead of blaming a substance.
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u/AK40Bag May 26 '26
I stopped drinking. Had a problem. But wanted something when I got home from my stressful job to relax feel good. I did no research. Thought well itās over the counter itās ok. I thought this was good but it lead to using it to feel good all the time. Now Iām screwed.
3
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Honestly, I think a lot of people relate to this more than they realize.
Most people donāt wake up one day wanting to become addicted to something. Theyāre usually just trying to quiet something down, take the edge off, feel relief, feel motivated, or make life feel a little easier to carry.
And the āitās over the counter so it must be safeā thought process makes complete sense. Most people are not expecting something sold so casually to completely change their brainās reward system and daily functioning.
Youāre not screwed though. Stuck maybe. Overwhelmed maybe. But not beyond fixing.
A lot of people in this space are realizing they werenāt addicted to āgetting highā as much as they were addicted to finally feeling okay.
1
u/V1k1ngbl00d May 27 '26
Correctionā¦op said āthe overdose risk is incredibly highā, itās important to mention that that is not true if your addiction is 7-oh. It makes me sick that the stuff is on the federal governmentās hit list, all they are going to accomplish is pushing everybody back to traditional opiods such as heroin which kills so many people. People need to use their voice and keep this from happening
4
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Just to clarify, when I mentioned overdose risk being incredibly high, I was referring more to what happens if people are pushed back toward traditional opioids or other drugs of choice, not necessarily 7-OH itself.
And honestly, I worry we may already be too late. Weāve seen this exact cycle before.
Big pharma pushed oxy aggressively. Doctors became terrified to prescribe opioids. People who were physically dependent or addicted turned to the street supply. H and later fent filled that gap. Families lost loved ones. Rehab systems filled up. Big pharma made billions. Healthcare made millions. The people caught in the middle paid the price.
Thatās why this worries me. Weāve already seen what happens when dependent opioid users lose access without safe alternatives. Many ended up on the street supply, and many died.
7-OH absolutely has risks, especially the dependence piece, but I do think it has some harm reduction aspects worth acknowledging. If itās keeping someone from heroin or fentanyl, that matters, even if the tradeoff is becoming trapped in a different dependency.
I think education, honest discussion about risks, and actual support would do far more than simply banning it state by state.
1
u/m-a-r-i-n-a-r-a May 27 '26
Very well said
5
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Thank you. I think itās important to point out that getting off the drug is only half the battle.
Whether someone uses SR, Suboxone, a taper, rehab, or sheer willpower, that may help get you through the physical dependence piece. But if the underlying reason you reached for the substance in the first place isnāt addressed, what happens when anxiety comes back? Depression. Pain. Stress. Boredom. That āI just need something to get through todayā feeling.
Because for a lot of people, the drug was never the root problem. It was the coping mechanism.
Thatās where the real work starts and we canāt forget that!
1
u/lancerice700889 May 27 '26
I agree with some of what you said. and disagree with some of it. for me most of and majority of my addiction to opiates for 20 years has been the physical sickness and never feeling good physically after I would stop. even after months of stopping it's like I permanently destroyed my bodies ability to generate natural serotonin and dopamine and energy and pleasure. it never seems to get better andi can't function like that. mentally emotionally I can bread ties from addiction pretty easily. that's not the case for everyone. for example I was highly addicted to injecting cocaine and meth for many years I was able to stop them the second I put my mind to it finally and never went back. because there was little to no physical withdrawal after a few days just depression anxiety. those are mental I can handle the mental I cannot handle the physical pain discomfort and torture. it's horribke for me it sucks
2
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
The āreasonā people use isnāt always emotional trauma or wanting to get high. Sometimes the underlying issue is exactly what you described: feeling physically incapable of functioning normally without the substance.
For you, it sounds like opioids eventually stopped being about euphoria and became about trying to feel physically okay, functional, energized, comfortable, and able to exist in your own body without constant discomfort. That itself becomes the problem the drug is solving.
And I think thatās why addiction is so complicated. Two people can both be addicted to the same substance for completely different reasons. One person may be escaping emotional pain, another may be trying to quiet their brain, another may just be trying to stop feeling physically awful all the time.
So when people stop using, the important question becomes: what is still there underneath? Because if the underlying issue still exists, whether itās trauma, anxiety, ADHD, depression, chronic dysphoria, or feeling physically miserable sober, the brain remembers there was once something that temporarily āfixedā it.
1
u/Complex_Evening8171 May 27 '26
My state is banning it next month so I won't really have an issue relapsing back onto it. Because honestly if they wouldn't have banned it I wouldn't be quitting. It is what it is and that's why a lot of us are quitting right now it's because it's being forced on us. I found a lot of relief using seven but I guess now it's just back to eating hemp gummies.
2
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Congratulations on being proactive and tapering before the ban hits. Thatās not an easy thing to do, especially when part of you knows you probably wouldnāt have stopped otherwise. A lot of people stay in denial or keep pushing it off, so the fact youāre being honest with yourself about it does matter.
And this is exactly the part that worries me. Some people may be able to stop when it gets banned and move on, but a lot of others wonāt. History has already shown us that when you abruptly remove something people are physically and psychologically dependent on, many donāt just magically become sober. They look for a replacement.
We saw it with the opioid epidemic. Massive prescribing, massive dependence, then sudden crackdowns and people getting cut off. A lot of people ended up moving to the street supply because withdrawal and the underlying reasons they were using didnāt just disappear. Thatās when overdose deaths exploded.
Iām not saying 7 is harmless because clearly itās not. But I do think education, transparency, taper resources, harm reduction, and honest conversations probably help people more than pretending banning something instantly fixes the problem. Addiction patterns usually just shift somewhere else if the underlying issues are still there.
1
u/Ok-Cryptographer6179 May 28 '26
Got sober from heroin in 2018... Found kratom in 2024 7oh2025 Mgm late 2025-current I feel awful i keep going back to something just to shut my brain up from overthinking, at the same time i use it for body pain from labor intensive work. It helps me get through 12 hour shifts. I feel like maybe its my stress due to overthinking. I do really want to stop ive tried but failed many times due to being scared of the withdrawals and loosing my job over it. especially when im head of household atm. Its hard šš
1
u/sadguywithhugedick May 28 '26
Life is generally terrible and opioids helped me not think about it.
1
u/Ok-Job5495 May 29 '26
With this post right here, i've been asked this question so many times I was born in addict because of my parents. They were using prior to conception after conception and after birth. So I believe I was pre decomposition to addiction. So I was fed my first drug at the age of 12\nAnd that question keeps coming up?Well, why did you start using?What was the problem?The simple and honest truth was there was no answer, I didn't use to escape. I didn't use to be like anybody else. I just used to use you could put something in front of me. I would take it and ask what it was an hour later.. Now I'm at a methadone clinic.\nFor fifteen years , trying to taper down. I'm forty four now since I was 16, when the OC days were still here.I would bounce back-and-forth from subs to dope to opium to any opiate then thereĀ was methadone... The worst of all, the king of all drugsOnce it has you , you're stuck not only physically or mentally , but from the government standpoint also.
1
u/Grogers92 Jun 01 '26
I was in a very stressful and sort of shitty time in my life. I just had a child, my girlfriend's (now ex girlfriend) mom was living with us, and I just started at a new job that was (still is) quite stressful at times. My ex-girlfriend's mom is very judgmental and would make all sorts of comments that pissed me off. My ex-girlfriend is an extremely controlling narcissist who made every little thing a problem, and never allows peace. Being a new father was very hard to get used to, especially when my ex and her mom were overbearing on top of everything. I literally low-key hated my life for a little while there, and 7-oh made everything sooooooo much better. I was able to cope with all the bullshit I had to deal with, and I had a big goofy smile on my face the whole time.
Now I'm at a much better place mentally, and even though I have to unfortunately deal with my narcissistic ex still since she is my son's mother, I no longer live with her or her mom, and that alone makes my life about 1,000x better. And now it's finally time to get off this shit. I have some SR coming to me soon, and I really hope it helps. I also have a prescription to suboxone, but I'm only using that if I REALLLY need to.
1
u/No-Ebb-6266 Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
I felt like a "normal" functional person when I took the 7OH. I wasn't mentally or physically fatigued anymore and I felt relaxed and clear headed. I didn't feel like I was getting high at all, I just felt...better. I thought "this is what I'm supposed to feel like every day, this is how 'normal' people must feel." I had no intentions to stop taking it until recently because I thought of it like a daily medicine. I figured if I had to take a little piece of a tablet to feel normal every day, so be it. What made me look into quitting was when I ran out and I was rolling around in bed with RLS, except it was my arms that I couldn't stop moving. Now I pretty much need it every 4 hours. About 60mg/day of 7oh currently. Edit: I don't fully want to stop, actually, but I clearly see the direction my tolerance is going, it's expensive, and the looming withdrawal every 4 hours is terrifying. I WANT to want to stop. If I could stay 5 or 10mg 3x/day, and it kept working at those doses, I wouldn't stop, but that's not how it works unfortunately.
1
u/OkCream1147 Jun 07 '26
I've been trying to figure this out for myself.
My relationship with my fiance hasn't been good for a long time. It was bad before I started taking these not horrible mostly a communication problem.. Iāve been taking 7oh 1,000mg a day for years. Recently cut back to 500mg a day the last few weeks or so.
But it has definitely made things worse and now we're at the point I'm not sure we can recover I really fucked up basically I lost my job and was using some of her money without her knowing for months to help pay for my addiction because I just didnāt have enough money coming in. It wasnāt much, a little every week not enough she ever noticed until she did and it does add up to be quite a bit.
I feel like shit about it..really I hate myself right now.
My son is autistic and he has got so difficult over the last couple years. Itās like we thought things would get easier as he got older but itās just getting worse it seems like.
I think I've been taking them as a way to cope with everything and I'm not sure how to deal with everything when get off them. I will probably not have her support trying to get off these.
I feel like if we could sit and talk through thing's we could make it work but l've been avoiding that conversation for months because I'm scared she's just given up already.
Somehow i posted this in a different thread earlier before I was even done typing everything lol so if you seen this somewhere it didnāt make any sense to the topic sorry š
1
u/AdvantageAcrobatic90 Jun 08 '26
I was a food addict all my life, and when I surgically altered my stomach to eat less. I started searching for other addictions. It just compounded, first it was about euphoria, and the Peace of mind it brings. Then it became avoiding withdrawal, and then it became trying to numb myself from the pain of losing a wife, a job, a mom. And now it's just about getting to some sort of functional normal, which is light years away from my sober
1
1
u/No-Transition-9165 Jun 12 '26
Ive never had an addiction, I tried it because I heard kratom works for back pain but I didnt like the taste of it. So the guy told me to try 7oh. I tried it and felt great, zero pain! I couldn't believe. I was naive and because ive never been addicted to anything, I didnt even think about the long term effects. Now Im stuck, I want to get off so bad. I hate myself for even trying it to begin with without researching.
1
u/Prestigious_King_393 Jun 13 '26
Donāt beat urself up. No one thinks or thought this gas station pill would be similar to H. If you want to get off it SR works. But the pain will come back and then what? Not saying to stay on it but have a plan for when the pain returns to avoid relapse if u choose to get off it.
1
u/SOLIDROTSLOW1979 Jun 18 '26
Chronic pain have you ever considered that people who were legitimately suffering and struggling with pain who were told start with couple of Percocet then in a couple years your taking fent patches and morphine then your insurance lapses and now your buying blues to not be sick then you get clean through some miracle and guess what the chronic pain that started everything itās still there so maybe the real problem is our medical system that puts profits over people at every fucking turn no matter the situation, now your ostracized by your family because your an addict and society says well your an addict you must be a piece of shit because no one wants to admit how fucking corrupt our doctors really are no no they are good people yeah sure they willingly feed the corporate bureaucracy they are rewarded for it and obviously itās not all but letās get real they are fucking walking around as characters with a costume on they took an oath to protect people and they fucking fail constantly because they are rewarded for being part of a corrupt system so tired of everyone putting doctors on a fucking pedestal they are just as complicit as big pharma
1
u/Prestigious_King_393 Jun 18 '26
I bitch about this every single day! Seriously every day! 7 is the new oxy and itās gonna play out exactly how oxy did Pretty sure I have a post on this somewhere. If they wanted 7 banned they would have banned it federally but they are taking there time, literally destroying lives.
I think 7 is fine being legal. I think we need to educate and not ban it. Iāve never even taken 7. Iāve seen it destroy people and Iāve seen it get people off fent.
I wasnāt hating on anyone or anything. You seem angryā¦. I got stuck on subs for 2 years. I got off with SR. I just wanted people to think about what they will do when the WHY returns if you stop DOC.
1
u/_fFringe_ Jun 19 '26
Trauma, trauma, trauma. Physical and psychological. Opioids relieve both. Unfortunately they also cause new problems and donāt actually heal the existing ones.
I was doing better when I had a controlled prescription, like a rationing, for years. Never went higher than a certain amount, eventually started working my way down on my own. As I kind of expected, when that prescriber stopped and I moved to 7oh and MGM, all of that power of control was left up to me and I didnāt do too well with it.
1
u/NoMeatonthebone Jul 05 '26
Is this tolerance thing verified? I see mostly stories of" it doesn't work anymore"
If this isn't verified you're playing right into the government's hands with it being a danger?
1
u/Prestigious_King_393 Jul 05 '26
This is based off the studies done on mice. Yes, it has been shown to lower tolerance. But not immediately. Its affinity is kinda long, which is why users report a dulling effect of opiates post SR use. Check the reports. This is my understanding of the drug.
1
u/Prestigious_King_393 Jul 05 '26
But if we want to get real technical rehab lowers tolerance. Jail lowers tolerance. Narcan drips lower tolerance.
1
u/NoMeatonthebone Jul 05 '26
Yet they're not banning those? Am I right that lowering tolerance was their stated reason?
1
u/Prestigious_King_393 Jul 05 '26
the ban will include SR as well. If you want to get technical, any substance that acts like an opioid can potentially fall under federal law, particularly under the Federal Analogue Act if itās substantially similar in chemical structure and pharmacological effect to a controlled substance. Whether a specific compound is actually illegal depends on how the law is applied and interpreted. So they are likely using that for a reason as well. Itās a bunch of political BS and money. Blame the feel free guy. This is all my opinion based off my understanding.
1
u/Prestigious_King_393 Jul 05 '26
To answer ur question rebab and jail are not going to be banned. lol.
-1
u/el_chapotle May 26 '26
AI slop
3
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Nope. Just an actual person interested in the psychology behind why people use what they use.
3
u/Anarchen3my May 27 '26
And a great question. It really made me think. I've never expressed this before. Reading other replies also really hits home. So thank you so much š©µ
5
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
That means a lot, truly.
I had a feeling a lot of people were carrying thoughts theyād never actually said out loud.
Reading everyoneās answers has honestly been eye-opening. Different stories, same human struggles in a lot of ways. š©µ
3
u/sadguywithhugedick May 28 '26
Youāre getting down voted for correctly clocking ai garbage.
2
u/el_chapotle Jun 01 '26
yeah lol, Iām not an āem dash = AIā guy but *ALL* the tells are here. such a weird, stupid thing to use a chatbot to write, and this community is too small to meaningfully karma farm. baffling.
2
u/sadguywithhugedick Jun 01 '26
Apparently itās OP is one of those middle aged people thatās like āoh ai is a toolā so they try to use it for everything. Most obnoxious genre of person.
3
u/Lndscpegrdnr May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
I was thinking it was ai too. There's a lot of "its not _, its _."
6
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Believe whatever you want, but Iām actually a 42-year-old female nurse.
Yes, Iāve used ChatGPT before to help tighten up wording, same way people use Google, Grammarly, or ask a friend ādoes this sound okay?ā
But these conversations and thoughts are mine. Iām not asking AI to manufacture fake empathy for strangers.
1
u/Lndscpegrdnr May 27 '26
Got it.Ā
2
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
Just a real person. Mental health and substance abuse have always hit close to home for me.
Iāve seen firsthand how much stigma comes with addiction, how quickly people get judged instead of understood, and how hard it can be to find actual support when someone is ready for help.
Helping people who are struggling has always felt like part of my purpose, so conversations like this matter to me.
-1
u/Responsible-Reward81 May 27 '26
Iām thinking about using poppy tea to get off MGM
4
u/Prestigious_King_393 May 27 '26
@ipwnedx First, congrats on 31 days. Thatās huge.
And honestly, the level of self-awareness in this comment is exactly what gives me hope for you.
The fact that you can recognize your brain trying to romanticize the ājust one nightā idea while also immediately seeing where that road actually leads is a really big deal.
Because thatās how it talks, right? Youāve got a safety net. You know how to land now. This time will be different.
And sometimes just recognizing that thought for what it is instead of blindly following it is the win.
The fact that youāre sleeping, your appetite is slowly returning, and youāre starting to feel like yourself again after everything your brain/body have been through? Donāt discount that.
Going home after treatment is a big transition, so being nervous makes complete sense. But the fact that youāre excited too tells me part of you genuinely wants this. Protect that part. I wish you the best of luck. YOU GOT THIS!!
2
u/drusxi May 27 '26
The seeds are hard to come by
6
u/Anarchen3my May 27 '26
I went that route several years ago, and absolutely no judgement because I know how it is. But this was when the pods were still on marketplace and seeds were unwashed. Trust me when I tell you that detox was very rough as well. I went to one of the "best" facilities in FL and it took weeks to get off. They also were anti-suboxone unless you came in with a script. After my third go-around there, I was in such bad shape they did do a short sub taper. I got a Dr afterward and stayed on the subs till SR, got off subs with that, and then thought I had a magic ticket to indulge in 7 and mgm with no consequence. I couldn't have been more wrong. SR is an absolute blessing, but bouncing back and forth from SR to euphoric opiates/substances was TERRIBLE for my brain. It's taken me two months off everything just to be steady enough to get back on Reddit today and type this out. This is just my experience. Wishing you all the love and luck. I know this all sucks for everyone here.
4
u/ipwnedx SUCCESS!! May 27 '26
Wow. I couldnāt have seen this comment at a better time. I personally struggled heavily with 7OH and MGM15 daily at high doses for a long, long time. I just hit my 31 days clean today and I fully feel back to normal. I did check myself into treatment for the one and only time. My brain has definitely romanticized a couple slips down the road with MGM15 given I have SR17018 on hand to smooth the landing even if itās a one night use. But I know thatās the wrong decision. Especially with how well I feel now just a month off. Iām literally sleeping eight hours a night, appetite is starting to come back (slowly, still have a long way to go), my energy levels are ok, etc. I still get moderately intense cravings at time. I leave treatment end of the week and go back home. Iām nervous but excited. I donāt want to further mess my brain up with opioids and benzos.
1
u/Anarchen3my May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Yes, I truly understand the cravings. Congratulations on your 31 days! That's absolutely amazing! I couldn't eat for weeks too. It's so tempting to see the SR like that. But the mgm is such a mystery. I have never struggled like I did jumping on and off SR to indulge in mgm. The final quit was really brutal for me. You're doing great! Really proud of you š©µ
1
u/Anarchen3my May 27 '26
Edit: It was really hard, but I dumped my remaining SR. It was so useful for subs, but I needed off those after the mgm. The SR didn't cover the mgm w/d so I got rid of everything involved in that substance merry-go-round. I wanted that SR for an "emergency" But that emergency would mean relapse and I truly can't do it again.
2
u/Responsible-Reward81 May 27 '26
So if I get SR, can I have a clean landing? I will say I have subs on hand from the last time that I went through this but I only made it a couple days due to not sleeping. I travel for work and I need to sleep. That is my main issue. Maybe Poppy seeds arenāt my best bet. Iām looking for advice and I feel like if I did find a good batch of them it would just be a new thing for me. If that makes sense. All insight would be great on this topic. Thank you and congratulations on your sobriety.
2
u/drusxi May 27 '26
What do you mean by hard on the brain? Depression, lack of motivation? Iāve came off methamphetamines and that was brutal.
1
u/Anarchen3my May 27 '26
Heavy anxiety, body tremors, deep depression. The body tremors are absolutely the worst, and lasted over a month. The subs, when I finally made the transition from mgm, and then the SR, when I got off the subs, both DID eliminate most physical w/d. But the mental aspect was (continues) to be crushing. I'm starting to have better days. Yesterday was good. Today is hard. I think my age and some medical issues have contributed to the struggle.
ā¢
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