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Need to quit crack

Can someone please give me some advice on how to quit smoking crack. I have a 10 year ols son and I tried going to detox but he is so attached to me he could not stop crying and didnt sleep for 48 hours. This alone should be enough to make me quit and I want to so bad but just cant do it. Im all alone with this one. I have no one to talk to about this problem and just need to hear how other people did it. Im not looking to be cut down because of my problem so please only encouraging meassages. Thanks
21 Responses
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Avatar universal
I too have experience with this. I quit crack 6 years ago. I've bumped me head with a couple relapses on other substances since than but I have managed  to continue on in recovery and get back on the horse. I haven't touched that crack since I first tried getting clean six years ago. I would try to get in somewhere....some place that will take you and your child. Or do whatever you gotta do to get in an inpatient program. The cravings, the disease of addiction is so intense you may be better off in a safe environment. Meetings have worked for me. 12 step meetings have changed my life. Gone from smoking in abandoned houses in the freezing cold winter to to getting my family back and have a career In the medical field. If you don't go in somewhere outpatient treatment may be helpful. I would go to a meeting every day...bit hey that's what works for me. When that craving comes you need an action plan not to give In and not stab your soul with the pipe.i would def consider meetings. Feel free to message me... Your in my prayers
Helpful - 0
8976007 tn?1413330650
please dump ALL your using friends, delete ALL drug contacts, get yourself to 90 NA meetings in 90 days.
if possible give someone control of your money.  let them pay the bills, etc.  don't allow yourself to have any cash at all.  whether that be a parent, non using friend, whoever you trust most.
you have to remove yourself from the environment.  it really is mostly mental.  
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Avatar universal
In 1996 I stopped crack. It is very mental. NA saved my life. This site can help save your life. It has it's own bottom. It's so expensive & so mentally toxic. I lost everything, my daughter, son, house, friends. Al that mattered was that pipe. To this day the weirdest stuff makes me think about it. I ad to go to NA & do every single thing they told me.
In 2007 I herniated a disc & 2 back surgeries later I'm 21 days clean, mainly methadone. This is very physical. I'm sure it'll get mental too but I've never been through anything like this.
The fact is the disease of addiction is so powerful. I can't even watch cops. If they pull a pipe out my mind races. Don't torture yourself. Crack wants everything you have & will get you to do anything to get it.
Try to get in somewhere they will take you & your son for a minimum of 31 days so all the dopamine in your body is back to normal. 1 hit of crack destroys all dopamine in your brain. It takes 28 days to normalize. During that time as your body starts to produce it the cravings are intense. Stay connected to us, local NA & if possible a treatment center. You can do it. NA is full if those that have.
So glad your here.
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Avatar universal
I quit. I use again. I seek help, i quit again. i relapse. i quit quitting.

Seems i have 2 personalities.

1. give up the pipe.
2. you can afford 1 last hit (we know how that ends)

I have a good job.. friends that use always hang around..drain the sh1t outta my funds. steal my ****.. got huge debts.. miserable. Am still using.

I hate myself.
i just wanna be happy.. *Sigh*
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1 Comments
I'm in the same boat. I can't end this cycle.
Avatar universal
I can read your post over and over!! It makes so Much sense to Me!!! Thanks So Much!!!!
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Avatar universal
Your comment you made about resisting and staying clean from Crack was AWESOME!!! You have enlightened Me Unknowingly because Im in My Early Days of Staying Clean and Im in much need of good advice. So Thanks Again!!!
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Avatar universal
I hope you are doing well. Acupuncture is supposed to be effective.
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Avatar universal
Thank you very much for the information. This site is amazing. There are so many kind and supportive people on here. I thought for sure I was going to get lots of nasty messages but I was totally wrong. All of this information, kind words, and support from people that I dont even know helps me believe in myself that this actually can and will be done. I just wanted to ask you a bit more about the medication Amantadine, i have never heard of it. If you wouldnt mind, Could you please let me know a bit more about it. Thank you for taking the time to help me with this horrible battle. I will be coming out the winner of this one!!!
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2218783 tn?1357571081
Great post IMDONENomore
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2218783 tn?1357571081
I am glad someone was able to give you the help you needed, You can get thru this , I am not experienced with this subject but I knew someone would come along. God bless you and keep posting the support on here is great!
Actingbrandnew gave you great advice I was glad to see it!
Keep posting and good luck!  :)))
Helpful - 0
4622011 tn?1357274877
You've got all the sickening things we do to get and use drugs down well and that is good to some point to remember.  No MATTER what you use to escape reality, substance or behavior, and now have awoken the addiction trait in you with a substance there is no going back, if you are an addict.  

Lots of advice about do's and don't from everyone, some correct most just that, ADVICE.  I see a lot of good well intentioned people out there and that is wonderful, what I don't hear are the basics, don't use, get to a meeting if that is your thing, stop hanging around losers-Yes losers, find someone to talk with that knows something about this disease, and please some of you must have knowledge beyond just feel good moments.  This person and all of us are risking DEATH every time we use.  It does not matter how much we love or families, friends, children, job... at the core we do not believe we deserve these people and things in our lives, so we begin our self destructive mission by using.

Using is spinning the "wheel of death" I never win it is just a matter of how much pain and misery I cause my so called loved ones, my actions say everything but love, and myself before I die.  

Believe it or not this is me caring.  I respect anyone who is attempting to change their current life situation and not to impart my personal experience ,education, and beliefs would be a disservice to you as well as myself.  "We can only keep what we have by giving it away"  I'm not going back I deserve a life, using offers only a miserable existence before a disgusting death.

I wish all of you the best on "The Journey Home",
Vince
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your comment. I have actually gone through the whole opiate deal. The funny thing is, is that i stoppes herion with no problem at all. You would think of I could beat that then crack would be a piece of cake to quit but thats not the case for me. I dont even know why I continue to smoke it, It makes me feel like absolute crap when I do smoke it. Does anyone know if there is some sort of medication that I can take to help me with the urge to smoke this awful stuff?  I cant even think right now, im to tired so I will have to check in tmrw when Im more awake. Thank you all for your kind and caring words. I appreciate it so much. If there is anyone out there that could share there experience quitting crack could you please let me know how you did it. Thank you everyone and goodnight :)
Helpful - 0
1416133 tn?1351123217
Please, it is not a good idea to "wean" yourself off of crack.  Find a good Dr. who can help you with the lingering symptoms that come with quitting this drug.  I wish you much good luck as I've seen the damage this drug can do to someone, and it's devastating.  Not sure if you know this, but you ARE worth it.  And you don't need to live your life dependent upon or chasing a high that really doesn't exist.  I wish you the best.  :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Than you for your message. I have actually been theough the whole opiate problem. The funny thing is, is that I quit herion with pretty much no problem, but crack on the other hand is a different story, i cant seem to stop. Im so glad I stumbled upon this site. It definatley motivates me with all the info and kind words  people are sending me.  Its great to hear other peoples stories and how they beat this awful drug. So thanks to everyone I appreciate it from the bottom my heart.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my problem. I appreciate it and there is some usefull info for me. Im just on my way out the door but I will write more later this evening. Thanks again :)
Helpful - 0
4583567 tn?1360256847
I too unfortunately went through a crack phase. I stopped as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I slept a lot but it wasn't any physical pain. If you want to stop, you can. I think that I was just so fed up with being on it that it was easy. If crack is your only addiction, your lucky, promise me you will never try opiates because on top of being a mental addiction, it's VERY physical and a long process to stop. I'm happy you've decided to stop. If you can't do it cold turkey, try weaning yourself to lower doses. You may not get high but if you want to quit, it's not about the high anymore. If I remember correctly, after the second day of not touching it, I was feeling a million times better. You can do it. Just stay focused on other things!
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Avatar universal
In my experience crack addiction is pretty much entirely mental. You have to be ready and want to quit for it to be successful. When I was in rehab for my heroin crack and meth addictions, once the heroin withdrawals wore off I definately noticed it wasnt so much the heroin I was craving, it was more the crack, even though I was only smoking crack and shooting meth 4 or 5 days a week compared to 5-10 shots of heroin every day.

My advice would be to cut yourself off from everything associated with crack. First and foremost delete your dealers numbers out of your phone. That can definately be hard (and in some cases, such as with myself, impossible, because I had the phone numbers memorized by heart) but the idea is to try to cut yourself off from any sources of crack.

Also you need to stop hanging out with any friends who smoke crack. Dont put yourself in any situations where you would be tempted to smoke, because (especially with crack) it is almost impossible for an addict to resist indulging when it is put in front of your face, believe me ive been in that situation too many times to count.

What I do when I get cravings is try to look at it from a logical perspective. Every time I smoked crack, id get a good high for 2 or 3 minutes, then I would be in complete fiend mode for an hour. If I had 100$ on me and decided to buy a 20$ rock, the entire 100$ would be gone within a few hours. And I wouldnt even get as good of a high as that first hit, I was simply chasing it.

Then comes the comedown. The most depressing/fiend-like state of mind ive ever been in, picking through the carpet that 5-6 other people have been walking over all night, thinking every white spec I would find could be a piece of crack. And even on those rare occasions that I would find a small piece, when I would smoke it, it wouldnt get me high it would just make me fiend that much more and make me comedown that much harder.

Thinking back, I find it completely disgusting that I would pick through carpet for a good hour or 2 after every crack session in a futile attempt to find something that would just make me fiend more and prolong the comedown.

I dont know, you probably were already aware of the suggestions I gave you so sorry if I wasnt of much help. Ever since ive quit I try to continually view crack as a waste of money. Spend 20 or 30$ (or however much money you have on hand, because in my experience you will end up spending it all) to get high for half an hour, then fiend and feel terrible for an hour after that, and wake up the next day broke and worrying about not only your money you spent, but what your fiance/husband/parents etc are gonna say when they find out you stole their money and spent it on crack as well.

Just my 2 cents.
Helpful - 0
4113881 tn?1415850276
Stay connected and use this site for support. Your doing the right thing for you and your son. Showing him how much you love him with more than words...good job!
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Avatar universal
Thank you anyway. Im looking forward to this. I cant wait to be the mom my son desperatly wants back. It actually made my cry to see that someone actually took the time to respond to my question. I have a really good feeling about this and I am looking forward to see my son with a huge happy smile on his face. I love my son more than anything. Every night before he goes to bed he always tells me he loves me more than anything. I always say the same to him. Mommy is doing this for you my beautiful son.  I love you so much and can not wait till Im all better. Xoxo
Helpful - 0
4113881 tn?1415850276
If you are unable to go into detox, I would make an appointment with your primary care physician. Explain that you are going to detox from cocaine and ask for medications that can be used to help relieve the symptoms experienced during the withdrawal process. Among the medications used are anti-depressants such as desipramine, which helps relieve feelings of anxiety and depression. Bezodiazepines such as Diazepam are also used to treat anxiety, while the Parkinson's medication, amantadine, is used to help reduce the craving for cocaine.
___________________________________________________________

Cocaine Detoxification

"Unlike other substances, the detoxification process for cocaine is more psychological than physical. This is because cocaine is water soluble, meaning that the body processes it quickly once it is ingested according to MedFaq. This does not mean that withdrawal symptoms won't occur though."

http://www.livestrong.com/article/83003-cocaine-addiction-cures/
____________________________________________________________

There are sober living homes that accept mother/child combinations. If you cant go to detox because of your ten year old son...take him with you to a sober living. There are other mothers with children in the same situation as you. If that option isn't appealing...try the good ole fashion one day at a time. Go to a C.A. or N.A. meeting...reach out. Somebody there will help you...I promise! You can do it..for yourself.

Good Luck



Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Man idk anything about crack but everyone here will help as they can! Ur doing the right thing!
Helpful - 0
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