Resources of interest

[RegularJackass]

Article on finding rehab https://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fit ... r-near-me/
Article on paying for rehab https://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fit ... t-options/
Article on going to rehab https://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fit ... st-access/

In my own experience with addictions, there have been two mental tricks that helped. One: reading Unfuck Your Brain by Faith G. Harper. Two: replacing the addictions with other addictions that are healthy. No one ever decides "Oh I'm going to be an addict and fuck up my life." There's always going to be some kind of underlying pain or emotional need and a reason for dulling it, or filling that need. Everyone's addicted to something. It's part of being human. A wise person once told me about the "Soup of Six" and how humans are always chasing it. They are: norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin, and phenylethylamine. Research that and you'll learn how hollow those anti-drug arguments really are. Our brains continually make these addictive chemicals in response to the appropriate external stimuli. Here are some ways of increasing that "soup of six" in your own life:
Dopamine - success in something that matters to you, such as artistic achievement or excellence at work, achieving difficult goals
Serotonin - sunlight exposure, vitamin C and tryptophan-containing foods like turkey and cottage cheese
Phenylethylamine - chocolate, falling in love, crushes
Endorphins - exercise, spicy food, laughter, healthy sexual activity
Oxytocin - snuggles, including of pets and stuffed animals, socializing with family and friends, healthy sexual activity, and seeing stuff that's "kawaii"
Norepinephrine - doing something that gets you excited and pumped up, such as skateboarding or mountain hiking
BONUS: there are another two that have been found.
GABA - the l-theanine in green tea and jasmine green tea can help you make this. So can yoga.
Endocannabinoids - these are made by having a runner's high, apparently. I believe you might get some benefit from CBD products too.
General help: stocks and broths tend to contain high amounts of various kinds of amino acids. If you can't afford supplements but have access to bones, simmer them down in water and make some soups. This is especially important if you have anxiety, depression AND physical pain, because there is a possibility that you may have difficulty absorbing B vitamins and the "Deadlock Quartet." This is a groundbreaking discovery: that a combination of l-carnitine fumarate, methylcobalamin, adenosylcobalamin, and l-methylfolate in combination with magnesium and calcium can reduce physical pain and improve mental function in a subset of people, especially those with the MTHFR gene defect. Said supplements are expensive. Soup stock is not. If you can't make the damn soup then eat pho.
Coffee is said to boost both serotonin and dopamine for as long as you drink it... until the withdrawal hits.
Sources: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... -happiness https://www.balancingbrainchemistry.co.uk https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads ... ing.21725/

Meanwhile it's good to reduce production of the "bad guy" chemicals that give you bad moods, such as cortisol. I am still doing research on that one. What I do know is that it appears that taking time off to reduce stress and managing pain properly reduces cortisol.

https://www.balancingbrainchemistry.co.uk
A site ran by a man with severe bipolar disorder, which details the effects of various herbs and supplements on the mind, and how he and his clients use said things to manage mental illness. He also updates his site regularly. It's fucking huge. Here is the specific section of the website for addiction https://www.balancingbrainchemistry.co. ... -Menu.html It might not be complete, but it is on the cutting edge. This stuff is years ahead of the current medical paradigm.
The Vaults of Erowid
www.erowid.com
Read about other people's experiences using drugs, getting clean, having a horrible time, having a great time, and all the stuff you never knew about and never wanted to - learn all of it the easy way and pick up some good information along the way.
https://www.henriettes-herb.com
Some experienced herbalists chatting about this and that. You may find this thread interesting https://www.henriettes-herb.com/archive ... ction.html

There is a substance called Takesumi Supreme, which is activated carbon made of bamboo. I find it more effective than regular activated carbon for my own issues. Emergency rooms use activated carbon to deal with alcohol poisoning. You can use either to deal with detox.
Hot footbaths coupled with cold handbaths at the same time should help with headache related to detox. It sounds insane but it does help.
For nausea, a tea of equal parts fennel, cumin, coriander, and peppermint isn't half bad. Standard dose for any herbal tea is 1 tsp blend per cup of boiling water.

Kratom is known for being something that has opiate-like effects and painkilling effects. Supposedly some people have used it to get clean from opiate addiction. It is poisonous for a good chunk of the population; try only a tiny amount first and if it gives you adverse side effects, stop immediately.

See Herbal Pain Control http://www.witchesandsandwiches.com/for ... ?f=48&t=33

If you have issues with psychoactive drugs or constantly seek them, stop your searching. By intense cultivation of spiritual techniques you can "trip out" all you want without drugs. Resources to do this safely include Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot, daily meditation especially in nature, bastardized Falun Gong https://imdoingwitchcraftoverhere921091 ... alun-gong/ and visualization meditation, such as the one briefly explained here https://magic-spells-and-potions.com/wh ... ctuary.htm. To make this meditation work for you, first imagine such a place. Write down its features, paint how it looks, and intently focus on it for a good amount of time each day. Daydream about it. Try to dream about it. After two weeks, meditate and once you are calm, intensely imagine this place and imagine that you are there. Imagine interacting with it. When you're troubled or upset, imagine you are there. This is the first step to journeying. For more, you must find a teacher and spirit guides to keep you safe in the Astral, and probably more books and resources, but this will get you started.

If the visualization exercise just makes you confused, try this exercise first to dip your toe in the weirdness. https://observer.com/2016/06/how-to-con ... 5-minutes/

MAGIC FOR ADDICTIONS

Yes, I know I've gone off the deep end here but I pretty much just broke my brain creating this please don't judge me aaaa

All herbs and substances of Mercury are used to break bad habits and addictions. Imbolc and the Birch Moon are probably the most auspicious times to perform rituals, also the last few days of the waning moon and when the moon is dark. Use a black candle to banish with a white one for balance.

What drugs do in an energetic sense:
-note that this list refers to items that can be used in spellwork, charms, and reinforcing the effect of spells. They are NOT a replacement for medical treatment and rehab. Also, I haven't had to use these, so use at your own risk.-
Tobacco - creates boundaries around a person and reinforces self-esteem and self-confidence. First chakra. Element of Spirit. Mercury and Mars. Often used by people who have lots of ambition and drive but who feel the need for extra support in their ambitions. Good replacements, energetically speaking: black clothing, black pepper, black coffee, fire agate, garnet, jasper, iron, the rune Nauthiz/Nyd.
Alcohol - dissolves boundaries around a person so they can feel less inhibited and potentially make friends/find lovers, also dulls feelings and alters perception. Second chakra. Element of Water and Fire. Moon and Pluto. Also dissolves a person's natural defenses to the spirit world and makes it possible to see ghosts, energy, and entities. May also help with feeling the presence of ancestors and spirits of the dead. Often used by shamans for this purpose. That's probably why it's called spirits. Also used for social rituals of bonding and for dulling of spiritual pain. Good replacements energetically speaking: most incense (if it's bound together with gum arabic or gum acacia), cola drinks, lemonade, cloves and clove essential oil, anise seed, visiting the graves of your ancestors and loved ones to pay respects, patchouli perfume, rose perfume and foods, amber crystals, the rune Perthro. All of these would be more effective if placed in a moonlit window for a couple of hours first.
Methamphetamine - artificially stimulates life force energy (jing) to disperse quicker, energizing the body and mind in the process and providing a feeling of euphoria plus a burst of creativity and motivation. People gravitate to this if they have a need to dig deep for answers and inspiration and bring it to the light; artists in particular. They also tend to have a history of extreme trauma, necessitating greater spirituality in the search for answers and salvation. Second chakra, third eye chakra, and the chakra on the back of the head. Water. Neptune and Uranus. Good replacements energetically speaking: ginseng, yerba mate, cherries, kiwi, lime, benzoin incense, astral journeying, Tonglen meditation, communing with the plant spirits of marigold and ash, the rune Laguz
Crack/cocaine - Lifts someone above the daily cares of the world, gives someone "happiness," and dulls the brain of what's left. Sticks a person in a kind of spiritual limbo. Increases personal magnetism and narcissism. Third eye chakra, sacral chakra. Fire. Mars, Venus. Good replacements energetically speaking: Pineapple, coconut, camphor, peppermint, cinnamon, wisteria, the runes Isa and Thurisaz OR the rune Jera
Heroin - Relaxes, makes you feel loved, comforted, and safe. Often used by travelers, artists, the brokenhearted, people completely devoid of self-love, and people who are just plain unlucky enough to have gotten hooked on it for one reason or another. Probably the worst drug of the bunch. Heart chakra, root chakra. Venus. Fire, Earth. Good replacements energetically speaking: dong quai, lavender incense, ylang-ylang massage oil, honey, pine, birch, the rune Berkana

[RegularJackass]

A spell for breaking a drug habit

Since so many drug addicts are of a different religion than the Craft, I have specifically worded this spell to be compatible with any religion, and to actually not be a spell at all. It doesn’t involve any raising of energy that isn’t what you do already in your day to day life. Is it still magic? Well, read it. If you are a Witch already it’s pretty evident where you can add some extra empowerment here and there, if you so choose.
Gather friends and family members you trust with your life and who are willing to help you get clean to join you for this ritual. Pick those you truly want to help you – you should get at least one person to help, and probably a maximum of three. This is really best done when you are not alone. They won’t be doing the ritual with you, but they will join you as moral support, watch you do it if you want or be waiting nearby for you when you're done, and will help you follow through on walking the walk when you are done.
Go to sacred space (with those guys), whatever that is for you. Take a piece of paper, a lighter, and a pen. A fireproof container is a good idea too. If it’s a church, or a synagogue, or a mosque, anything – go there. If you don’t believe in such a thing, go wherever you feel comfortable, safe, and where you love it; wherever you get away to relax. As a kid I always liked the rooftop; you might try that.
Now if you can get away with it, say out loud what has been bothering you, but if there are people around, just think it. Roll through all the reasons in your head about why you started doing drugs, and where your life is now. Focus intently on all of these reasons why you need that drug and can’t get off of it.
Ask, out loud, for the Angels to give you all the help they can, and for the Universe or whatever Sacred you believe in to save your butt.
Get out that paper and pen and list all the reasons that keep you on the sauce. Get specific, and delve deep. Draw a picture of your drug/s of choice, and pictures of the lifestyle associated with the drug. Look at that. Feen for it if you can make yourself do that. Now get out another piece of paper and write on it the steps you take to get clean and stay clean forever. On a third piece of paper, write down your reasons for staying alive. What do you stay alive for? During rehab or self-induced rehab, make that third piece of paper into your lifeline. Not the paper itself, but the master plan you connive and strategize.
Now hold the first piece of paper in your hand. Imagine that this piece of paper isn’t just a piece of paper, but a lifestyle. This is your life now, and in the future if you choose. Put it down.
Hold the second piece of paper in your hand. Imagine that this piece of paper isn’t just a piece of paper, but a lifestyle. This could be your life. Put it down.
Ask, out loud, for the Universe or for Whoever you believe in to empower these two pieces of paper so that each piece of paper doesn’t just represent your life path but IS your life path. Ask that whatever paper you set a flame to, the whole life path is made into nothing and no longer exists. (this step guards against the inevitable fickleness of burning stuff with a lighter) Now pick each piece of paper up in turn. Feel a difference? Yes or no, it doesn’t matter. Bring those pieces of paper outside or to a place where you can burn paper. Choose one which you want your life to be. Burn the other one. Ask for the Universe’s (or Whoever you believe in) and the Angels’ help in making that third piece of paper a reality. Right after completing the spell, get cracking on making it a reality. And let those guys help you.