KCI The Anti_Meth Site

Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off?

lfshadow	Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? I have heard that it is easier and much better for a person to wean off of Meth, (or any drug), because quitting all at once ("Cold turkey"), is such a shock to the system. To me this seems to make sense because if your body and mind are used to something that they have had everyday for years, and you suddenly deprive them of that substance it can cause physical and emotional stress and panic. Whereas if you slowly give it less each day it is easier on your system. Has anybody tried or done this?
Replies...
sabino2	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? Can only speak from personal experience........ Cold Turkey with a good recovery program...... Knew a bunch of people who are going to wean off. Last I heard they were still using. Just my 2 cents
SOS 1988	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? I don't think you can wean yourself off something like meth, it's not like opiates. If you use it's going to make you a fiend and do it again. My personal experience is I'm helpless when I have dope in my system. There's going to be major trauma after coming off meth can't do much about it, your brain is all F'd up. I recommend just tough out the major withdrawal, what helped me is i slept heavily through the first weeks. I would just smoke some pot and go back to sleep....I don't know; everyone is different but pot really helped me through the first month (getting through the unbearable feelings and anxiety attacks), and ex tweakers that I've met that also indulge in weed seemed to concur. But I'm also a pothead and weed doesn't work for everyone. Good luck and I wish the best for you and overcoming you're addiction, just keep in mind the human spirit is stronger than any poison made my man.
lax2	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? COLD TURKEY IS what worked for me. Any speed is TOO MUCH 4 me.
Tender heartsKS	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? It was cold turkey for me once I stepped into rehab. I was so close to dead it wasn't funny.
vctry7	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? Me - Cold Turkey Husband - Cold Turkey SIL - Cold Turkey Mom - Cold Turkey Dad - same 3 close friends - same Weaning off would never had worked for me. Every time I got a little bit of dope in my system all plans and sense disappeared. Any amount just made me want more.
Sfj	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? "Weaning" is recommended by quite a few people including Suzette who is highly respected and admired at this forum. In San Francisco, it is law for all rehabs that get city or county funding of any sort to embrace the Harm Reduction concepts of treatment. My personal opinion is in agreement with that notion in theory. But I've observed reality to be something different. The greatest amount of success follows those who decide that all mind altering drugs must be avoided and that they must be avoided "NOW." Those who try to moderate, regulate or attempt to decrease their use are either fooling themselves or they know something I don't.
SOS 1988	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? I knew two people who tried to quit about the same time, they thought they could wean themselves off (and didn't want to waste money by throwing dope away). One lives with his mother still using. The other works at Wal-Mart, covered in crank sores, good thing they drug test right?
eyes open83	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? *Quote:* Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? in my opinion if you want to get clean you get clean...you don't use a drug to get off a drug....weaning is an attempt at controlling ones use and as addicts we have proven time and time again that we cannot control our se of any drug.... cold turkey is the only way to go in my opinion...
Sfj	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? If someone told you this: *Quote:* I had a meth addict stop by my house and tell me that the VA hospital here had an outpatient program where they were going to administer a drug of some kind orally and intravenously to help get the meth out of his system. Would you believe him? Are you in the habit of believing meth addicts? I am a regular patient at the VA. That is where I get my primary care as well as Substance Abuse aftercare. If there is such a program going on, (secret addiction treatment) it is well hidden from the rest of us. I seriously doubt it.
luve piphany	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? Thank you Sfj, I was waiting for your reply. I can spell DELUSIONAL correctly now-I think.... I did wonder though.... No, I am not usually believing of meth addicts, but I'm still quite sick and not terribly good at waving off everything that comes out of their mouths. I need fairly frequent validation of reality still. I figure here is the best place to find it when dealing with meth addicts. the only place
Penel0pe	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? One morning I got my bag of dope out, filled up my pipe... and then I poured the dope back into the bag, gave my dope away, and never used again. Once I used even a miniscule amount, the only thing left to do was MORE. Weaning off didn't work for me. I just quit, and today I stay clean one day at a time.
scorpio	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? Ok, I read this post earlier, and didn't respond immediately because all I could think of were sarcastic remarks like, HELLO,, never mind Anyways, in my experience with detoxing people, sponsoring people, working in both inpatient and outpatient treatment, never ever ever have I seen anything prescribed to 'aid' in the detox of a meth addict,, except............................................SLEEP. Nothing, absolutely nothing is going to make up for the sleep you have deprived yourself except sleep. Your going to walk around feeling like crap for a while, after all you've been depriving your body and brain of things they need, such as food and adequate supplies of oxygen (smokers) and then you can get all involved in the medical side of it. But I think there is no need for that here and now. Can an addict, alone, wean themselves, well Hell NO.. it isn't going to happen,,, maybe cut back for a day or two, usually because of lack of money or supply, but back at it you'll be.
Sfj	Re: Quitting Meth - Cold turkey or slowly weaned off? To my dear friend Scorpio, you said, *Quote:* Can an addict, alone, wean themselves, well Hell NO.. But I disagree with you. It can be done. Just like somebody will win the power ball lottery. Yes, it can and does happen. The odds are about the same.