Getting off opioids - help this gal find something to do!

[Raita]

@teapot

FIrstly good on you. I’m a big fan of brugs but there are some classes that are so powerful that they make people slaves to finding and using them.

Brugs? Or drugs? Yeah, they can be good and they can be bad, it’s very personal and situational. I’ve seen some really ugly shit, but I’ve also had the most amazing experiences with my lovely hippy friends.

If you want to hear my opinion on drugs and their use, I really recommend reading this older post of mine: David Brooks: I enjoyed pot, but you shouldn't - #75 by Raita

Here’s a part of my rant:

I’m a much happier person, now that I’m a daily opiate user. I went through a couple of years long phase of psychedelics, stimulants, dissociatives and weed, but I’ve now mostly settled down with various opiates (with maybe the occasional stimulant), which simply feel the best. I’m actually able to function. I have energy to do things. I feel motivated to study and improve myself. I don’t have pani attacks. I’m not anxious. I can actually be around people and talk to them. I’ve made friends. It’s great. So what’s the problem?

Is it because it’s “cheating”? Sometimes it feels like some people are jealous that drug users are able to feel good, and would rather have us suffer instead. Because it’s “natural”. Well, if it’s natural to be depressed and anxious every living moment because your past was fucked up and you were bullied and raped, then fuck natural. Some people are lucky enough to be able to feel okay. But for us that are hindered by crappy experiences, isn’t it better to cheat so we can be productive members of the society?

Now, it’s worth noting that not every person uses drugs to be able to function, but all do it in order to feel better or do better, in some way. Sometimes the risks certainly outweight the benefits, but most often it’s the other way around - and that should be for the user to decide, anyway.

@teapot

Forgot who said it - maybe Mindysan - but if you do need something to do with your hands then I highly recommend origami. It’s got a low barrier to learning, is extremely meditative, involves excessive use of your hands and you end up with something cool in the end. The modular designs are the best for consuming time. The one I make frequently requires 30 individually-folded pieces that slot together to create an awesome design. This instructables page tells you how to make it, but the sky’s the limit - people are constantly inventing new and even more mind-blowing designs.http://www.instructables.com/id/Post-It-Origami-Icosahedron/If you’ve got a mathematical mind and ability with photoshop you can actually print custom-made paper that will fold to create fantastic finished pieces. If I can find the paper design I made for this one years ago I’ll upload it for you.

@jlw

Origami is what I used to get me through the anxiety ridden, awful days of my divorce. It’s a wonderful way to tune your mind out and learn something cool.

I think you teapot missed the part where I said I’ve done a little bit of origami (I have written so much in this thread that I’d be amazed if you’d noticed it all). But yes, doing origami is perfect for my hands and my mind. It’s indeed meditative and since I have a very mathematical and do indeed have some GIMP (not hotoshop) skills and a drawing tablet, I could do amazing things. Thanks for the reminded, I’ll try to do something a little more complicated and will show and tell when I do.

@teapot

TV: Adventure Time, The Life and Times of Tim, It’s always sunny in Philidelphia (this is a must watch), curb your enthusiasm (hilarious), The Wire (it’s about the crack trade, but doesn’t glamourise it or show much gratuitous drug use… quite the opposite - but might not be appropriate), Extras (uk), The Mighty Boosh, Little Britain (if you somehow missed it) and Come Fly With Me (their follow-up), An Idiot Abroad (particularly season 1), Peep Show, anything with Derren Brown, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Adventure Time I have to watch because BoingBoing as a collective is always going on about it. Always Sunny In Philadelphia is one of my favorite shows! Curb Your Enthusiasm as well. Extras is hilarious (love anything by Ricky Gervais) and An Idiot Abroad I’ve seen as well. Little Britain I don’t care for, but I’ll put all the other suggestions on my list. The Wire is something I’ve been meaning to watch for a long time,I’m sure I’ll love it. Shows about drug trade don’t bother me - Breaking Bad, for example, is amazing. It might cause a little bit of cravings for meth, but it’s not an actual problem.

@teapot

Movies - I always blank when people ask for movie suggestions, and there’s just so many to suggest, so I’ll just list a couple of Japanese movies that I liked and most people probably haven’t heard of: Big Man Japan, Mind Game (trippy anime movie), The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi, Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (feature-length anime movie comissioned by Daft Punk that plays out to the soundtrack of their album Discovery. It’s almost entirely without dialogue but tells a fantastic story), School Days with a Pig.

Thanks for the suggestions. I love Japanese movies, especially anything by Takashi Miike and Satoshi Kon. I’ll admit that I haven’t heard of your suggestions except for Mind Game (which I haven’t seen). So thank you, I’ll put those on the list and check them out.