What is the Hardest Drug to Quit?

My Personal Experiences in Quitting and the Toughest Drugs to Leave Behind

Drug and alcohol addiction is a crippling situation no matter who the user is. No matter what the drug, when you suffer from an active addiction, you are at the mercy of the drug. Nothing else matters.

So what are the hardest drug to quit? It depends on who you ask, but in my personal experience, nothing was harder to quit than heroin.

When I arrived at Icarus Behavioral Health in New Mexico, I had been a heroin addict for almost eight years. I had suffered in every way that heroin can make you suffer. Severe withdrawal symptoms, intense cravings, psychological dependence, you name it.

How Drug Addiction Takes Control

Usually, when you begin dabbling with drugs, it’s all fun and games. When I was in high school getting drunk and high with my friends, we had not a care in the world. It was a big party. We weren’t imagining ourselves as thirty-something-year-old drug addicts with zero control over our addictions.

In my case, I graduated from alcohol and marijuana to prescription drugs before I was eighteen years old. This quickly led to a an addiction to heroin that spiraled out of control before I knew it. Before I hit my bottom, the hope of overcoming addiction was non-existent.

Look, quitting drugs is not an easy thing to do. For some people, it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done. I know in my case, that is the truth. No matter what drug you’re addicted to, there is always a chance you can get clean. How did I do it? Read more to find out.

The Many Factors Influencing Addiction

There are a boatload of reasons why people fall into substance abuse and get hooked on addictive drugs. Upbringing, family history, and mental health issues are a few of the primary reasons. In my case, I had no family history of drug abuse. I grew up in a relatively stable household. I had most of what I wanted growing up. I was somewhat spoiled.

Growing up in a privileged situation can also lead to substance abuse issues. I didn’t face many consequences for my negative behavior growing up, so I didn’t worry about where drug use might lead me. In fact being a kid with money can be just as dangerous when it comes to substance abuse.

A Deadly Dance With Prescription Drugs

I grew up in an era where prescription drugs were readily available and became a giant problem in society. At one time, I can remember prescription drugs like Percocet and Oxycodone being easier to attain than marijuana. It was everywhere. My friends and I developed a liking for Percocet, and we would use it any chance we got.

The scariest part of prescription drugs is what happens when you develop a physical addiction. Sure, there are psychological withdrawal symptoms, but the physical symptoms are brutal. I couldn’t manage withdrawal symptoms too well, and it was costing me an arm and a leg just to get the amount I needed.

Making The Jump To Heroin

This is why many prescription drug addicts make the switch to heroin. As you build a tolerance, you need more of the drug to feel anything. The price of prescription drugs is a large barrier to that. Eventually, I was spending over a hundred dollars just for one fix.

I started using heroin because it was cheaper and I needed less of it to get high. Of all the substance use disorders there are, there is nothing quite like a heroin addiction. Drug overdose deaths are much more common with a drug like heroin, and the withdrawal symptoms are agonizing.

The Nightmare Of Withdrawal Symptoms

When you suffer from drug addiction, you are fighting a daily battle. That battle is to try and avoid the withdrawal symptoms that come along with whatever the drug is that you are addicted to. This is why heroin is one of the hardest drugs to quit. You will do anything to avoid withdrawal, and that means making sure you continue using as often as you can.

When I was suffering from heroin addiction, I was on the clock at all times. I was always counting the hours. I knew that I needed to do a certain amount of heroin to keep the withdrawals away. I was in a constant cycle of either doing heroin or trying to find heroin. There wasn’t much else I focused on.

When the Withdrawals Hit, They Hit Hard

Withdrawal symptoms are as much a part of drug addiction as the actual drug. If you ask one hundred drug addicts what they fear the most about their addiction, most of them will tell you the withdrawal symptoms. When it comes to opiates like heroin, the withdrawal symptoms are all-consuming.

Heroin withdrawal symptoms include intense cravings, changes in weight, nausea, constipation, and sleep disruptions. Some of the more severe withdrawal symptoms include depression, suicidal thoughts, vomiting, and intense body aches. There are even more withdrawal symptoms than this, but these are some of the most common.

A Rise In Drug Overdose Deaths

One of the factors that scared me into getting clean was seeing so many people die around me. I always knew there was a risk of overdose associated with my addiction, but it was a foreign concept. It was never going to happen to me. The deeper I got into my addiction, people around me started to die.

That’s when it started to become real, and I began to see that seeking out recovery from heroin was not just a trivial choice to make, it was literally becoming life or death for me. I also begin to fear overdose more due to the rise in fentanyl related overdoses. In recent years, fentanyl has become a popular substance for dealers to cut their product with. Fentanyl is one of the most powerful opioids, and just a tiny amount can lead to overdose.

It’s Getting Easier To Overdose

When you’re doing a drug like heroin, you don’t know exactly what you’re doing when you get it. You aren’t testing it out. You’re putting it in your body as soon as you have the chance. I believe that one of the only reasons why I am still alive today is because I was extra cautious.

When I would get a new batch, or a batch that I knew was somewhat different than what I would usually get, I would always do a small amount first to see if it was cut with anything that might harm me. A lot of times, addicts overdose following a relapse. You go back to your regular amount when you haven’t built your tolerance back up. It’s one of the saddest things associated with overcoming addiction.

The Hardest Drugs To Quit Depend On The Person

Everyone is unique, therefore everyone’s addictions are unique as well. It’s impossible to say what the hardest drugs to quit are, but anything that causes intense withdrawal symptoms is on that list. Opiates of any kind are going to come with the risk of withdrawal/physical addiction.

Methamphetamine, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine are a few of the other highly addictive substances that are the hardest drugs to quit. Then there is alcohol. Alcohol addiction is especially tough, because alcohol is a socially acceptable drug, and is available anywhere. I can go to the grocery store and get alcohol.

Will I Ever Be Able To Quit Drugs?

It’s a question all addicts ask ourselves. I’ve spoken to some addicts who will bluntly say that they want to use drugs until they are dead. They don’t want to get clean. That is a level of addiction that is sad and also scary. Some people make up their minds that they simply don’t want to be clean. That is one of the psychological symptoms of addiction. You don’t think life is worth living without the drugs.

You can’t really convince someone to get help if they don’t want it. A lot of people try to attend rehab for external reasons. They try to get off drugs or alcohol to save their marriage, family, or careers. The only way to make it work is to do it for yourself. If you really want to stop using drugs, then you have a chance. No matter what the hardest drugs to quit are, it starts from the inside.

Give Addiction Treatment A Chance

If you want to get off drugs and don’t know where to start, attend an AA or NA meeting. That could be the first step. In my case, I went to several Narcotics Anonymous or NA meetings before I ended up going to Icarus Behavioral Health for treatment. I listened to other addicts tell their story and I told mine.

What that did for me was it made it all very real. I knew that I was in a bad place, but actually saying it in front of a group of people made it feel more urgent. Hearing other people talk about their struggles helped give me some perspective as well.

Ask Yourself The Question: Why Not Me?

If other people could get off of opiates like heroin, why couldn’t I? This is the question all addicts should ask themselves. Why not me? Why can’t behavioral therapies work for me? It’s never truly hopeless. I’ve met people who had decades-long addictions who are clean today and doing well in recovery. I wanted that for myself very badly, so I worked towards it.

Put one foot in front of the other and try to do something every day that is healthy and positive. Changing your attitude has a lot to do with how well you will do in recovery. If you still point fingers and blame everything but yourself, you probably won’t have the most success in addiction recovery.

Start Your Recovery Journey Today

Trying to get clean is incredibly challenging. Anyone with any amount of drug knowledge is aware of this. Being drug-free isn’t the easiest thing to attain, but it is the most rewarding. Once you enter the recovery process, the little things you do go a long way. It’s an amazing thing to experience, especially following years of drug-fueled chaos and despair.

It doesn’t always work the first time, either. I’ve met many addicts who required multiple attempts at getting clean. I would say that is more the norm than getting clean on your first attempt. Most addicts have tried to get clean at least once, and just because you suffer a relapse doesn’t mean you can’t try again.

The Lessons You Learn From Addiction

You learn a lot about perseverance and the power of the human spirit as you fight drug or alcohol addiction. The stories I’ve heard in recovery groups have brought me to tears. I’ve met so many people who have gone on to do amazing things with their lives following addiction.

When I arrived at Icarus Behavioral Health, I was in shambles. I was broken and beaten down, but not without hope. That’s all you need. Even the smallest sliver of hope can go a long way. You can use it to your advantage, and it can easily result in the progress you are looking for.

Because of my time at Icarus, I have my life back and I intend to live it to the fullest every day. If you or someone you care about are looking to get clean and sober, and struggling, give Icarus a call today. That one call can be a life-changer, so seize the momentum and reach out to them now!