anyone have boredom after quitting?

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Wendy88

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hi
so i consider myself a high energy person... always have lots to do and think about... (not including when im in a big percocet haze)... anyhow since i dont have them these days i find that i have all this time (it doesnt help that i recently moved states and i have just a few local frienRAB) and i just feel so bored... and that's when i feel these intense cravings. like tonight, ugh these craving are killing me.
but i am still in withdrawls i know...im still really tired etc...... so even though i have lots to do... unpack etc... i just am too tired and need to rest so i can be effective at work.
how long does this feeling go on?
i watched an addiction special a few months ago and everyone was talking about that "boredom" feeling... and how it can just derail everything.
anyhow - just wanted to hear any thoughts...
thanks
 
Hi Wendy

I am so very happy for all the progess you have made. Good job!

When I came off the drugs, I would find myself standing stock still wondering what the heck to do with myself. I don't know that I was bored as much as at a loss on how to now fill the time that has been occupied before in a drug haze and not caring that I was doing nothing.

I found that I had to put a lot of effort into deciding what to do. I remeraber one evening thinking specifically that I could pick up the broom and sweep the floor. What a relief to have something to do! My husband had been doing almost all the housework... laundry, cooking, cleaning for a few years by that point. I slowly realized that I could do these things again as my energy allowed. Sometimes I would fold the laundry and then need to take a break. Perhaps take a walk and then take a break. The energy returned slowly, but truthfully, the more I did, the more energy I began to have.

Before we got lost in the haze, we did fill our days. We have to put effort into remerabering the things we used to do. Even making a few social calls can help us get 'back in the groove of things'. Every time we push ourselves do do some task, no matter how mundane, we regain a bit more of the feeling of "normal."

It will come. Force yourslf to unpack a box, maybe line a shelf with paper, bake a cake for a new friend. All these little tasks will get the brain back on automatic. All these little things are just new baby steps in getting our lives restored again.

Stay well and stay in touch
reach
 
thanks so much reachout. your worRAB, whether for me or someone else, are always very comforting. i really appreciate them. :)
i'm trying to fill my days... weekdays are better. I work very hard at my job and am good at what i do. Thankfully I feel better and more energetic these days... Went out with a few frienRAB tonight which was very nice.
My hard times are weekenRAB...when i don't work. I have so much time on my hanRAB since my fiance isn't living with me yet... that my mind goes places it shouldn't. and those are the times where i need to unpack... cook... do any of the things you suggested to get my energy and myself back. it's hard. but i know if i was still on percocets i'd be having an even harder time. and i need to remeraber that....
The next challenge will be how to handle my new Dr (which I dont have yet) for my migraines/ back... since percocets really DO help me...but i have to really take them as directed. how do people work medications like these back into their lives if they actually need them? it is weighing quality of life? my headaches just dont respond to anything else but fioracet and percocet... so i feel stuck.
i guess i have to see which is worse... the headaches or the struggle...
again thanks so much for your worRAB!
all the best!
Wendy
 
Wendy:
I think your issue is actually one of the most underestimated issues of any kind of addiction. It's why I overeat. And I remeraber when I quit smoking oh those many years ago that I felt like I'd grown another hand since I didn't have one occupied by a cigarette. I've decided to have weight loss surgery in the fall and the "boredom" is my single biggest fear. I have to have it in the late fall which will put me in a house in winter and if it's like last winter, it's going to be a long boring time without my choice of outlet. So I know what you mean. And it may sound sort of cliche but I'm going to try and find some craft/hobby type things to mess around with before the time comes.

It's a brief sort of emptiness. But just try to remeraber it's brief. And it will become fewer and more time between. And then remeraber that everyone has these moments of boredom. It's not just a problem only for people with addiction issues. So maybe it's okay to just feel it a bit. We don't have to spoil ourselves by immediately rushing to gratify, right?

And I'll have to remeraber these worRAB in October!

Good luck.
 
When I gave up norcos I was left with that boredom/empty feeling that you guys are talking about. Like Reach said, I don't know if I was bored or if it was just that I had so much extra time on my hanRAB now that I wasn't high and not caring about not doing anything. For me, after trying a lot of different things suggested by a lot of different people, that there are a few things that help me. If I'm bored and not working, I'll usually start out by calling a friend or one of my sisters to catch up on things. Maybe make some plans to hang out. If I'm not feeling social, I'll go for a drive up the coast a little (I'm in Southern CA) and just turn up the music and drive. Of course, cleaning is a good distraction too as it seems like no matter much I clean it's a never-ending job! I've also started photography... I'll drive around San Diego to various areas and take some pics and then use those pics somehow, either to frame and put up in my house, or in some other way.

My suggestion would be to try some of the different things people suggest and some of those will end up really helping. But I totally agree - that boredom period of time can really derail someone's recovery!
Lizzy
 
thanks guys. i really appreciate it. right now im watching my favorite shows and am actually listening to my body and going to bed early (im naturally a night owl)... so im not up late and then up thinking and pondering things that will just get me all riled up.

i have lots of hobbies to indulge in. i love to draw, write etc... and nwo would be a perfect time to do it. plus i need to unpack, clean... and my few frienRAB in my new State love to go out or have dinners, so going to those is a nice, positive way to stop isolating myself and getting too lost in thought. i also love video games and have many systems, so i can just set them up and play... i just need to get my act together to do it.

Resolution - good luck with your surgery! a good friend had that done and was so happy with it. she looks great... healthy and is just very happy with her results. maybe line up some great books you have been meaning to read for then... some movies etc... or if you've been meaning to learn how to knit, stuff like that.
also - if i remeraber right... my friend was pretty busy having to keep to her food schedule and making the food she could eat... so that took up a lot of time for her. you'll do great!
thanks again everyone for the support. it's lonely at times in my new apartment away from my fiance and everyone i know... so i appreciate the notes. :)
 
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