Withdrawal
{What to expect when you stop taking certain drugs}
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Harm reduction
With this extra time, you might find yourself using recreational drugs more than you usually would It’s a good idea to ration your supply and divide it out equally so you don’t end up increasing your use. It’s best to avoid binges at this time as these can increase tolerance really quickly which will make you more likely to experience withdrawal, and these symptoms can be more severe. This could also be an opportunity to take a tolerance break or at least lower your tolerance by using increasingly smaller amounts, less often, or delaying use until later in the day.
The way you use drugs is just as important in managing withdrawal as the dose and frequency of use. If you’re currently using in a way that gets the drug into your bloodstream quickly, such as injecting or smoking, consider exploring alternative methods. This will allow your body more time to adjust to the drug leaving your system making withdrawal a little easier, and as an added benefit may reduce harms overall.
Remember, the cause of withdrawal is a lack of the drug in your body, so the quickest way to make it stop is to redose. If you’re on holiday and decide to just continue drinking the morning after it’s not a major issue (although we still can’t recommend you do it), but if you’re in the middle of a recovery attempt, then redosing will send you back to the start.
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