Substance of Choice Poll...

[onemoreyear]

When I told my therapist my history and my family's, she told me that amphetamines/methamphetamines were the drug of choice for people with ADD. (My dad was arrested at the age of 18 for selling meth).
Her reasoning was that people with ADD (and bipolar I've heard, too) like to self-medicate and since most ADD medications are derivatives of amphetamines, it would make sense that amphs are the drugs of choice.

It is very common for people with ADD to have a history of drug use that might include a number of different substances, but usually everyone has a certain one (a "drug of choice") that they preferred

I haven't done anything for almost a year (lots of therapy and motivation needed!) but I found that I preferred mushrooms to anything because the incredible visuals and thoughts were exactly the intense and unbelievable stimulation my brain has been craving since I was a little child. Since I started taking my meds, haven't felt the need for intense stimulation as much.

My best wishes to anyone trying to deal with both ADD and substance abuse...this is the best thing anyone can do--share with others, get their input, and learn as much about it as possible...

[meadd823]

I have also found medicating my ADHD has "corrected" most of my illegal drug "cravings".

I say most because I feel being addicted to drugs is a mind set as well as a possible brain chemical "supplement". There is a different way of thinking when living in the drug world, the rules are different, the enviroment is a "world unto itself.

My drug of choice were "chrystal meth" and marjuana. I currently have Adderall for the ADHD and Xanax for anxiey. I do NOT want to be around crystal meth or it's users. I NO longer wish to live in that world.

Even when I was "abusing" chrysal I did not use it as many of my fellow users did. They would shot, snort, smoke, or swallow the drugs in large amounts until the drug was gone and they were unable to obtain any more.

I did not do that I only did the amount of drug I needed to focus on my classes. I did not want to do more and more and more because too much chrystal meth gave me a head ache, and was a waste of drugs. I was fairly high up on the "food chain" and knew where to get a fairly consistent strengh so I knew how much to do. After the drug wore off I would only do more if I were cramming for a major exam or some thing like that. Ninty fiver precent of the time when the drug wore off for that day I would just let in wear off some times I smoked pot to help with the "come down".

I was different than most of my "speed freak friends" in that even when I was on the crystal I still got hungry ate regular meals, slept at night, and didn't feel the desire to increase the amount of drug I used.

I smoked marjuana some times to help me sleep, it helped "shut my brain up". I was closer to the "average" pot smoker when I was younger. However as I got older I got where I only wanted to smoke pot when I didn't have to study, work, drive or other wise act like I wasn't high!!!!! I got to a point where I felt it was a complete waste to get high only to have to pretend I wasn't high!!!!!


I tried some of the other drugs and wsn't too fond of them. Coke was like a total waste of time money and risk. It didn't do much for me and what little difference I "felt" didn't last long enough. Why do a drug that is going to be gone in less than an hour. Too much time doing not enough time benifitting. I have a fast matoblism : it was even faster twelve fifteen years ago when all this stuff was going on.

I didn't like downer too much. Valium, Ativan even Xanax, ,made me too drousy and less coordanited. I take a small dose of Xanax less than once a week because I have spasms that are realted to anxiety. Not too sure how that happens I just know if I take a small dose of Xanax at night then the spasms don't keep me awake. If I am having severe enough spams to the point of pian I can take a small dose of Xanax and it stops the spams without making me drousy. I don't "feel" the medication.

Opiods like Loratab, Herion wound me up and made me so nervious I couldn't stand it. When my teeth were rotting it was hard to decide to take pain pilss that will keep me awake or live with the pain that will keep me awake. Plus opiods messes with my stomach.

Things like acid and mushrooms I tried on occasions. The visuals were cool but the hallicinations weren't some thing I wanted to experience very often. Kind of like drinking. I will drink to a buzz only when I am at home around people I know I can trust. I do NOT like to get plastered drunk and be out in public because I feel out of control and am afraid some thing may happen and I won't be able to handle it.



Crack "designer drugs" ice ect came out "after my time". There was PCP called angel dust around but that was one drug I never tried. Didn't want too saw what it did to people who used it.

[onemoreyear]

Wow, that is intense...and I know what you mean about it being a mindset--you start to think that reality is just a stepping stone on the way to what you experience on drugs, and what you experience on drugs is the pique... But reality is...reality...and for most people drugs end up being an escape.


I've certainly been there, and although I haven't tried the variety that you have, I am infinitely curious...I would love to try them all if I knew I would end up safe. But choosing to live in another world (drugs) means you often have to leave the other world (reality) behind...Leaving this world behind means that your body begins to degrade (as you mentioned in your descriptions of opiates) and before you know it, you've left this reality completely...It's scary.

[fasttalkingmom]

it's food and sugar for me......

[paulbf]

Originally Posted by meadd823

However as I got older...I felt it was a complete waste to get high only to have to pretend I wasn't high!!!!!

Ha ha that is funny.

[netsavy006]

I take medication for my ADHD but it is not illegal drugs. It is taken by 'script.

[Gregster]

I have to admit to being a bit of a pothead from time to time. It's the only substance - other than food - that I have had a hard time cutting back on. Alcohol - no problem - stimulants - I like them, but don't miss them if I skip a day - But grass is much harder for me to go without. I certainly can stop, and have in the past, but I seem to fall back into the habit quite easily. I have no idea why this is.

[SnappyCloud]

Gregster,

Is that your real picture? It would be interesting if some of your future students are ADD, join our forum and recognize your posts. Are Canadian schools "kool" with the marijuana issue?

Just being paranoid...

[bcaddkid]

Originally Posted by SnappyCloud

Gregster,

Is that your real picture? It would be interesting if some of your future students are ADD, join our forum and recognize your posts. Are Canadian schools "kool" with the marijuana issue?

Just being paranoid...

I've smoked a total of less than 10 times in my life, but weed is everywhere where I am, so I feel OK giving out some info on it.

Depends on the school, but generally, work related drug testing is illegal and severely frowned upon up here. Many schools are actually pretty cool with weed use, and you'll find that it extends to most of the population, especially the further west you go, especially in BC. I've paid for services like ski tuning and binding mounting with weed in Whistler.

I've also stood around outside at a school event, waiting for my friends and a couple of our profs to finish their joint off before heading back inside. Don't worry, I had a beer with me to pass the time.

Alcohol was my drug of choice. I make MUCH BETTER choices now that I'm on Strattera.

[Uminchu]

I used to smoke marijuana in high school, mostly because it was easier to get than alcohol. Nowadays I feel no real desire to smoke it. Still drink moderately.

I've tried cocain twice. Once was chewing coca leaves in Bolivia -- very low dose and didn't notice anything more than a "cafe latte" feeling. The other time I was going to a club with some friends; they asked me if I wanted a line and I said yes. I thought we must have been ripped off because I didn't feel anything, but they were all acting like they were high...

I also tried "diet pills" before. They were some kind of stimulant, I don't know which. I was going to drive through the night on a trip, and a relative with a prescription gave them to me to stay awake. I took them exactly how she told me, but they didn't seem to work. In fact, I got really sleepy around 3am, even though I had made the trip many times on coffee and never got sleepy. I figured the dose was too small.

I have also done mushrooms and LSD a few times -- mushrooms were legal in Japan up until a couple years ago -- but they're too much trouble. When you do mushrooms, you pretty much have to block out a whole day for it. I just don't have that kind of time, and if I did I'd be sure to fill it.

So I'd have to say that alcohol is my drug of choice.

[SnappyCloud]

I have some catching up to do! The good news is that Canada is closer than Amsterdam.

Weed was good to sleep, it made me more ADD during the day - I don't do it.

The only time I did mushrooms, I didn't take enough - the only thing I noticed is that I focused (before stimulants) for a long time on a movie I was wathching. The colors were more alive and the images sharper. I was never sure I was tripping, but when I told a friend he started laghing and said I had a mild trip!

I do not like alcohol.

[Gregster]

w.r.t. students recognizing me - I'm actually more worried that they will see my picture on an internet dating site - THAT I would have a hard time living down! I will change my Avatar, however - & since I'm in a school presently (teaching placement), I should probably do it now. I may also change a few other details in my personal profile to increase my anonimity.
W.r.t. grass and working in the local school system - Canadians don't get the knickers in a twist about pot, for the most part. I certainly know teachers that smoke - quite a few, actually. What you do behind closed doors is pretty much your own business, as long as you aren't hurting others and it doesn't affect your job. I certainly don't go to work stoned, nor do I drive while intoxicated. Should I get arrested, charged and convicted of possession, or DWI, or ??? - that would be a different story - depending on the circumstances - teachers are supposed to be role models, after all.
Drug & alcohol tests are illegal in Canada, except for people in safety sensitive positions - and then only Alcohol and generally only when a problem is suspected. The problem with drug tests is that they don't prove impairment - they only indicate drug use in the past. Plus they are highly inaccurate.
I never understood why a person should be subjected to a medical test - pee in a bottle - in order to bag groceries at Walmart!
Employee discrimination based on drug or alcohol use would be illegal as well, as long as it did not affect job performance.

The Canadian Human Rights Commission takes this policy:

"Because they cannot be established as bona fide occupational requirements, the following types of testing are not acceptable:

* Pre-employment drug testing
* Pre-employment alcohol testing
* Random drug testing
* Random alcohol testing of employees in non-safety-sensitive positions.

The following types of testing may be included in a workplace drug- and alcohol-testing program, but only if an employer can demonstrate that they are bona fide occupational requirements:

* Random alcohol testing of employees in safety sensitive positions. Alcohol testing has been found to be a reasonable requirement because alcohol testing can indicate actual impairment of ability to perform or fulfill the essential duties or requirements of the job. Random drug testing is prohibited because, given its technical limitations, drug testing can only detect the presence of drugs and not if or when an employee may have been impaired by drug use.
* Drug or alcohol testing for "reasonable cause" or "post-accident," e.g. where there are reasonable grounds to believe there is an underlying problem of substance abuse or where an accident has occurred due to impairment from drugs or alcohol, provided that testing is a part of a broader program of medical assessment, monitoring and support.
* Periodic or random testing following disclosure of a current drug or alcohol dependency or abuse problem may be acceptable if tailored to individual circumstances and as part of a broader program of monitoring and support. Usually, a designated rehabilitation provider will determine whether follow-up testing is necessary for a particular individual.
* Mandatory disclosure of present or past drug or alcohol dependency or abuse may be permissible for employees holding safety-sensitive positions, within certain limits, and in concert with accommodation measures. Generally, employees not in safety-sensitive positions should not be required to disclose past alcohol or drug problems.

In the limited circumstances where testing is justified, employees who test positive must be accommodated to the point of undue hardship. The Canadian Human Rights Act requires individualized or personalized accommodation measures. Policies that result in the employee’s automatic loss of employment, reassignment, or that impose inflexible reinstatement conditions without regard for personal circumstances are unlikely to meet this requirement. Accommodation should include the necessary support to permit the employee to undergo treatment or a rehabilitation program, and consideration of sanctions less severe than dismissal.

The employer will be relieved of the duty to accommodate the individual needs of the alcohol- or drug-dependent employee only if the employer can show that:

1. the cost of accommodation would alter the nature or affect the viability of the enterprise, OR
2. notwithstanding the accommodation efforts, health or safety risks to workers or members of the public are so serious that they outweigh the benefits of providing individualized accommodation or consideration to a worker with an addiction or dependency problem.

The Commission supports the use of methods other than drug and alcohol testing for dealing with employee impairment. Awareness, education, rehabilitation, and effective interventions such as enhanced supervision and peer monitoring are the most effective ways of ensuring that performance issues associated with alcohol and drug use are detected and resolved."

We may pay a lot of taxes here in Canada, but we actually live in a free country!
Now to change that avatar.....

[SnappyCloud]

Canada seems to be very "civilised" (Canadians show their open-mindedness even by changing avatars in response to the concerns of the "Other").

Hey, that is a fanatstic new avatar!

[sloppitty-sue]

I used illicit drugs in the past - different drugs at different times. In high school and just after I smoked marijuana (almost daily near the end) and experimented with various hallucinogens. I have no interest in either of those drugs now. In my early 20's I drank alcoholically and got quickly damaged by my new obsession with cocaine. I got "clean and sober" at 25 when I got pregnant and pretty much stayed that way until 5 years ago when I began taking illicit stimulants and narcotic painkillers. I am currently in a long-term (if desired) program to treat my opiate addiction, and I recently was allowed to use the stimulant meds for my ADHD. I DID try Concerta, but I have just begun AdderallXR (20mg 1 x per day) 2 months ago and I prefer that.

I do feel like the Adderall IS helping my brain function more "normally" and it seems to relieve much of the difficulty I was having just trying to get through life. However, I am glad the I had my addiction stint first because in a way I feel like I needed to experience it. When the illicit stimulants and narcotics were "working for me" - I finally felt "good" and like one of those "shiny happy people" that I see and want to punch! :-)

[Frangible]

Ephedrine + caffeine. Took away the mental fog. Sort of like a weak, ghetto, legal amphetamine. Certainly worked better than the atomoxetine I'm on now (and was about 100x cheaper)