I will keep it simple. I started with addiction to stimulant drugs, which exerted powerful euphoric effects, and presumably this has caused some burnout of my dopamine receptors. This addiction was not daily, but occurred in periodic "two week runs" over the course of 2 years. It would have been nice if I'd had the patience to let my brain recover naturally, but nah... soon as that addiction ended, I switched to alcohol so I could "keep it going" without getting the psychotic effects of stimulants anymore. So the alcohol addiction was daily, and that lasted for a couple years.

These addictions as a whole were causing destructive effects on my health, and now my body can't handle alcohol anymore, I get extreme side effects from even 2-3 drinks. I've been sober from all this stuff for a while now, but the anhedonia is killing me. I can't take the feeling of boredom anymore, it's like nothing is interesting, not even the things that interest me. It feels like there's no point in me doing anything, sort of.

Being an addict the first question I want to ask is if there's anything I can take to feel a little buzzed, anymore. I know that's the wrong question, but to not express interest in another "replacement" would be dishonest. Maybe I can trust myself to use a replacement infrequently instead of all of the time, like I did with the last two addictions. Or maybe not.

The second question is more practical, I suppose. Has anyone found a supplement or a pharm drug to effectively boost the "burned out" brain chemicals, caused by former addiction? In other words, has anyone found a way to relieve anhedonia?

In some regard it makes sense to need some sort of drug therapy in the post addiction stages, because the anhedonia was caused by drug abuse in the first place. Am I making sense?

Being an addict the first question I want to ask is if there's anything I can take to feel a little buzzed, anymore.
No. There isn't.
But I understand your desire to keep searching for one. You have a choice, live life on life's terms, or get high and die.

The second question is more practical, I suppose. Has anyone found a supplement or a pharm drug to effectively boost the "burned out" brain chemicals, caused by former addiction? In other words, has anyone found a way to relieve anhedonia?

Look into Deplin. It's supposed to work like lube for your neurotransmitters.

First, ADHD have the anhedonia with life in general, we seek out stimulation... so don't sell yourself as all pleasured out.

Second, your mindset has much to do with enjoyment of anything, being a ex-druggie you will remember this.

Third, I have felt like there was no point in doing anything for the past 10 years of my life, ever since i went off Ritalin. Ritalin as a child destroyed my brain and these drugs suck *** but they are all we have.

When I feel like that I just stop caring about it, because you are letting it bother you, in effect making you interested... instead of tricking yourself into thinking this, trick yourself into being into something else... remember, anger is a great dopamine boost.

If we want to change our lives, take control of our lives, or get any enjoyment out of life, you have to get furious! Take control and **** other people.

No. There isn't.
But I understand your desire to keep searching for one. You have a choice, live life on life's terms, or get high and die.


If you're an ex-addict, you'd have to be lying if you were to say you never asked this question at least 100 times or so.

I'm not deluding myself when I say things like "I can try something new and control myself" am I?

The desire to alter our consciousness is a primal urge. Indulgence is not always bad. The last two times for me, it was. But with more discipline I can indulge the old habits without being destroyed again.

you should check yourself into a program.

- Christine

you should check yourself into a program.

- Christine

The fact that I still crave a buzz would not be considered abnormal behavior for a recovering addict.

I have reasons why I don't think checking myself into a program is right for me, but I have encountered problems on this forum by speaking my mind that way before. People tend to think "this isn't right for me"=excuse.

I have heard that some addicts find brief relief from "anhedonia" by participating in deviated sexual activities - they hyper focus on sex.

My husband replaced alcohol addiction with work addiction -

Addiction replacement doesn't have to be a drug.

I detoxed from opiates, it was hard. still is I think about drugs every day, first couple months I started drinking alot, once I got tired of that I started coming up with a "master plan" to get pain killers from my doctor everything from Benzodiazepines to Zytram but it didn't work they wouldn't even give me an asprin. until one day I was diagnosed with ADD and multiple Anxiety Disorders I never knew I had. now all of a sudden I got Klonopin and Dexedrine coming out of my ears. I think you maybe in denial but I don't really care im not going to enable you and offer you support like everybody else even if i'm still a drug addict I think everybody needs to find there bottom maybe someone took yours away before you could hit it. I also realize there is alot more to the detox process than a "congratulations" and a script for clonidine like support groups and programs I finally understand why they exist it's too bad it's too late.

- Christine

I don't really care im not going to enable you and offer you support like everybody else even if i'm still a drug addict I think everybody needs to find there bottom maybe someone took yours away before you could hit it.

I recognized AA type perspectives when I see it. I am NOT without experience when it comes to addiction - I think AA and other 12 step programs are a wonderful resource however I do not necessarily agree with every thing out there - few do.

I am not to sure what you mean by every one else but personally I do not see any enabling going on - he asked questions he got answers from various points of view.

Many find the group thing and continuously being in the recovering addiction mind set to be counter productive after reaching a certain point in their own recovery. I see addiction as a type of thinking a mind set so to speak - I have noticed most who were addicts have problems with balance - I agree with the AA program in that they will always be addicts - it just my belief as to why people are addicts is different than theirs

Instead of substituting substance addiction for AA, NA or 12 step addictions some chose to substitute their substance addiction with work addiction, sex addiction, church addiction, sports addiction ect . . . . .