Know your drugs? Wanna put it to the test? Read the following detox stories and see if you can pick that drug! Answers are at the bottom of the page, but don't cheat! See if you can guess all three before checking the answers...
drug number 1
Talk about the revolving door syndrome when it comes to getting off... this is the seventh bloody time I’ve tried to go clean. It’s not as if I’m a heavy user, but within a few hours I’m getting anxious, edgy, having trouble concentrating... a black wave of depression settles on me during the evening.
Sleep that night is disturbed by waking up for no reason several times and I struggle to get back to sleep, fighting off cravings, which are that much tougher coz I could just wake up my flat mate who is a user too. To my surprise, I start to fart a lot, although I manage to hold on until there’s nobody around.
A bitch of a headache sets in and aspirin only takes some of the edge away. Surprisingly, I manage to last a week, but the withdrawal symptoms just don’t let up and I finally give in, not willing to face another week of this — I wake my flat mate up at 2am to get a hit. He tells me there is an average relapse rate of 95% on any given attempt to get off this drug, and I can see why....
drug number 2
I took the last of my stash six hours ago and the withdrawals are on the way. Over the next few hours I start to get the shakes, the sweats, anxiety, rapid heart beat, a thumping headache, and to top it off, nausea. This was a pretty impulsive decision to go cold turkey, so I cruise the internet and find out that with my level of heavy use, going cold turkey can actually be life threatening! But I’ve started this now and I’ll see it through.
A sleepless night and things just keep getting worse and it’s so tempting to forget this, anything to get rid of these symptoms. The day wears on and my head really gets messed up — confusion, disorientation and hyperactivity. My skin starts crawling and some kind of hallucinations set in, as if the shadows in the room are turning into some kind of demons ready to pounce on me.
I’ve had enough. I ring an understanding mate to bring me the medicine I need and hate, to get me back to normal, whatever that is.
drug number 3
I didn’t figure I had a problem until a mate challenged me to go cold turkey for a few days. Most of my mates are into it and we all hold down jobs, function as reasonably together human beings so taking a week’s break looked easy, especially with a $50 bet in place!
It was a walk in the park initially. I had a bit of a craving but no withdrawals as such. But 12 hours later, I realised I was sliding into a drowsy kind of fatigue and getting bugger all done at work. When people come to my desk, I fight the urge to tell them to piss off, which is definitely not me!
That night, a nasty headache sets in and the next morning it feels like I’m coming down with the flu; muscle pain, foggy head. Things peak about 48 hours after my last hit and start to taper off. It’s actually really hard to fight the urge even then, but I make it through the week and claim my $50. I go straight out and use it to score, as a celebration of my strong fucking willpower!
Answers
And the answer to the first drug is nicotine, that naturally occurring pesticide,
one of the world’s most popular drugs and probably the most costly
world wide too. Many of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal are similar
to those of other drug withdrawal syndromes: anxiety, awakening during sleep,
depression, difficulty concentrating, impatience, irritability/anger and
restlessness. Slowing of the heart rate and weight gain are distinguishing
features of tobacco withdrawal.
Nicotine withdrawal can last for several weeks and can be severe in some
smokers.
Many people would argue that regular smoking can be far worse for your health than quite a few illicit drugs would be. If you want to do your body a favour, try calling the Quitline on 13 7848 and talk through all the various options. Smoking costs the government millions of dollars in health care every year so they have developed a lot of supports for anyone wanting to kick the weed...
Probably the world’s most ancient drug, our second drug is good old alcohol. Withdrawals from heavy alcohol use can be life threatening and the DTs (delirium tremens) are no fun, with hallucinations and profound confusion setting in. Once DT’s begin, there is no known medical treatment to stop them. Grand mal seizures, heart attacks and stroke can occur during the DT’s, all of which can be fatal.
Not everyone who stops drinking experiences withdrawal symptoms, but most people who have been drinking for a long period of time, or drinking frequently, or drink heavily when they do drink, will experience some form of withdrawal symptoms if they stop drinking suddenly.
It can be a good idea to talk with a medical professional before going cold turkey if you have been drinking pretty heavily. There are detox units available too, where medication can help with potentially dangerous severe withdrawals.
In third place we have the world’s most popular recreational drug,
caffeine, the only one you can engage in at pretty much any workplace or
social situation (unless you are a Mormon).
Reduction in serotonin levels when caffeine use is stopped can cause anxiety,
irritability, inability to concentrate and diminished motivation to initiate
or to complete daily tasks; in extreme cases it may cause mild depression.
Withdrawal symptoms may appear within 12 to 24 hours after discontinuation of caffeine intake, peak at roughly 48 hours, and usually last from one to five days - representing the time required for the number of adenosine receptors in the brain to revert to “normal” levels, uninfluenced by caffeine consumption. Analgesics, such as aspirin, can relieve the pain symptoms, as can a small dose of caffeine.
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