u/CommendedSpirit

Decided to pop by and drop an update.

238 days ago I quit a 7 month long 300-500mgpd 7oh habit alongside my 10+ year long 25-30gpd leaf habit cold turkey.

238 days, that's nearly 8 months, but it feels like a lifetime ago at this point. Those first 3 hellish days are but a distant memory, almost as if they occurred to someone else. That doesn't mean I've forgotten them or have become complacent, quite the contrary in fact; however, the numbing of the systemic pain the withdrawals caused is honestly immensely soothing.

Rather than just stating how I feel, I think it's more appropriate to say what I've learned over this time period. The major one being the importance of discipline.

The self-control and discipline gained from such an undertaking should not be understated. Quitting 7/leaf and extricating myself from a dependency on them which I thought I needed feel "normal" has led me to make major improvements to myself and my life in general. I cracked down on my diet eating only home cooked meals of non-processed ingredients, drinking only water and milk (in moderation), and keeping an eye on my macros. I have been going to the gym and lifting heavy and pushing my body for months and the improvements are coming quite dramatically. My blood pressure and cholesterol are normalizing after years of them being high. Those are just to name a few.

More generally, I now truly realize life is a marathon, not a sprint. You cannot expect to be high, whether chemically induced or activity induced, every second of every day. You have to put in work and reap the rewards over time. Positive change is slow but the rewards are unparalleled. There is no exogenous chemical in the world that can reproduce how I feel at this moment. They would only amount to crude approximations. To experience the true releases of dopamine through success and improvement, as nature intended, is intoxicating.

You may feel trapped at this moment and whether you have recently quit or (truly) want to quit, I can tell you that once you stick it out and allow your body to re-regulate over the months and give your body what it really needs, you will never want to go back.

If any questions exist, I'll happily answer them here or in a message. You're all going to make it.

Hello again everyone. It has been a couple of months since I posted but that's because I haven't really felt the need to. Suddenly, this sub came to mind and I decided I'd drop an update.

Today marks 184 days since I quit a 7 month long 300-500mgpd 7oh habit alongside a 10+ year long 25-30gpd leaf habit fully cold turkey. That's over half a year.

Life is good, even great much of the time The days of 7 and kratom dependence in general are but a distant memory. I have zero, actually negative, desire to return to it. Actually, a couple of weeks ago I did find a small bag of leaf powder as I was cleaning the less tended to parts my home office. Just chuckled at my past self's foolishness and tossed it.

I've been finding my own dopamine through self-improvement and hobbies. A couple of months ago I completely fixed my diet (95ish% clean calories and proper macros) and started taking fitness seriously for the first time in around 10 years. I've been killing it in the gym that whole time, my body is changing in the best ways. Even when I did take it seriously in my past I never could stick with it as well as I have now. The offhanded compliments at work definitely do boost the dopamine further.

Hobbies are once again wholly addicting and fulfilling. I find myself easily focusing intently on things that I previously thought were only fun while buzzed on 7/leaf because I had unknowingly conditioned my brain to believe it so.

It's more fulfilling having the spark back in my life every day than it ever was while buzzed or nodding off on some chemical. Now it's your turn to get it back.

Today marks 128 days since I quit a 7 month long 300-500mgpd 7oh habit alongside a 10 year long 25-30gpd leaf habit fully cold turkey.

I figured I'd give an update due to a strange occurrence last night. For the first time since quitting, I had a dream about 7. The bulk of the dream is fragmented; however, in it I found a 7oh tablet in my house. I remember holding it in my hand and looking at it while considering taking it when I had a "What the fuck am I doing?" moment before tossing it aside. When I woke up, that stuck in my mind and all I could do is smirk. It seems even my dream self has no interest in it anymore.

Back to the basics of this post. All of my motivation and interest in hobbies is back and amplified. In my previous posts I mentioned feeling that way but now it's even more apparent. I find myself getting more engrossed in things than I have in many years. Falling down the rabbit holes bordering on obsession of things I find interesting is a regular occurrence. Getting enthralled with books and study has been long absent but back on the menu.

I've also been working out regularly, something I haven't done in ages and the results are slowly but surely coming in. The energy I feel isn't manufactured. It's real.

As another aside, I recently had another week-long business trip and not experiencing the despair I used to feel about not having a "source" near me was, once again, a freeing reminder.

This was a quick one but after that dream I figured it appropriate to make a post. Stay true and I'll see you on the other side.