I know that sometimes just having someone tell you that they understand what you’re going through is a huge comfort, and being able to provide support to people suffering from addiction helps keep sober people sober. This page is for us to talk about our experiences with addiction and/or recovery and to offer support to those who are struggling.
Please know that this page, and this whole site, is not staffed by addiction specialists and is not affiliated with Intervention in any way. It’s just a place to talk. I will do my best to make sure this thread is a safe space by moderating the comments closely. I won’t publish comments from people trolling or being turds.
-Dizzy
I’m an addict and very alone. I’ve pushed anyone left in my life away since I’ve had so many unexpected betrayals by different people my entire 32 years of life. I use much, MUCH less than in my early twenties but I’m still an addict. If anyone could lend an ear I could really use a friend or two.
I was an anorexic from the time I was 13-19. Luckily my best guy friend (now husband) help me quit, lots of therapy and being called on the lack of eating. I’m 32 now and some days I just want to not eat to drop a few pounds but I keep telling myself no! I still go to therapy and it has majority helped. My parents helped encourage me to be anorexic so for my own mental health cut them out two years ago. I hope one day I will stop over obsessing in my head.
Who out there has gone to AlAnon, and does it help? My sister died after years of alcohol abuse, and I go to individual therapy but I need something more. Are there other groups that do the same thing as AlAnon?
Hi Sudie, I had a 21 year old friend that overdosed on prescription pills and alcohol (a month or 2 later the CDC pulled the med that she took the most of, Darvocet, for causing deaths!) I went to a handful of NA meetings to try to understand and they all sat down with me and explained how her mind worked and things like “she feels good, but she wants to feel better.” and other things like “you forget how much you have taken or you forget if you have taken something etc.”
I’ve heard good things about Al-onon but you might also go to a couple of AA meetings to understand a little bit more about the disease itself and their mindset
Just an aside, as a family member or friend who is attending an AA or NA meeting, make sure it is an open meeting. Closed meetings are only for addicts and alcoholics
My experience only: YES, Al-Anon helps SO MUCH. I’d definitely go to a couple of meetings to see how you feel about it. I learn a lot of helpful tools around co-dependence and working on myself. And it helps to share space with so many others who know exactly what you’re going through, because the same or very similar things happened to them and, just like you, they are taking action to care for themselves and find the best ways to cope. Some people don’t respond to AA or Al-Anon type meetings and that’s totally okay. But a support group in general is a great idea!
Why have they never had an episode of people addicted to adderall if you know? Personally, I think it’s a bigger problem than people think., whether it’s given by prescription or not.
Agreed!
Totally agree, such a good call. I see it everywhere and have extensive personal experience. It’s the devil.
I work in a recovery center in Switzerland and I’m a recovering addict myself. I always wonder if opioid-addicts get Methandone or Subuxone. I once saw an addict playing basketball at day three of his detox. I mean, that’s not reality if you go throught opiat withdrawls… I sometimes believe Intervention doesn’t show what is really going on. However it’s a good show, but sometimes too romantic. It’s like go to rehab once and you are cured for life. What I see at my workplace is completely different from what I see on Intervention. The longterm sucess rate is not very high unfortunately… People use meds to numb their feelings instead of drugs. And many are in rehab but don’t work on their problems at all. It’s more like having a place to stay and that’t it…