"Physiologically speaking healing your 'neural pathways' would happen through some form of neuro-genesis in the brain. My psychiatrist says there isn't a drug out that helps w/ that as our brain/body does it naturally like CNS production."

Well I think it has basically been demonstrated that some psychedelics can increase neuroplasticity..which is probly why we are able to see things in new ways when we take them. I dunno how aware your psychiatrist is of the current research being done in relation to psychedelics..

the metta-programming that can be catalyzed by psychedelics is profound and shouldn't be under-emphasized, but of course a well rounded approach that takes many lifestyle factors into consideration along with that is the way to go

Noopept is deffinitely helping me feel more clear headed and to be more productive and motivated. I like the fact that the oral biovailability is higher and that I can take smaller doses for the same effect. I am even more productive at work since I started. I just started a week ago on 20mg two times daily. I have yet to see any negative side effects.

OP, to specifically adress your problem I think you should look into CILTEP.

http://www.whatarenootro...uced-ltp-ciltep-regimen/

Please correct me if I'm wrong but you guys are talking about 'smart drugs' right?

'cognitive enhancers'

A lot of good advice given to you. I sympathise with your plight having gone off the rails with Thai white about a decade ago. My two cents (sorry to repeat things; but some things are worth repeating):

- Change your environment. Move to a new country or city. No excuses. Make it happen as soon as possible. This will have a profound effect on your emotional state. Just make sure to end up in a place where you still have some form of support. CT is a bad place to be when it comes to tik dude...

- Investigate Iboga or Ayahuasca treatments. Be aware that there are charlatans out there! Other than that, stay off the substances for as long as it takes (I like what a lot of people around here say: the spice will still be around when you're better).

- Stay strong. Look deep. Use this as an opportunity to improve yourself. To make a good sword you need to pass it through the flame. You can do it. Don't let other people label you and put you in a box. Be determined and fight as hard as you can for yourself!

- Keep reaching out to people. Contrary to what our cynical sides believe, people generally care. Reach out to family and friends and let them help you. I still benefit every time I humble myself enough to let others in.

As for your brain, I believe you will be fine in time. Focus on healing holistically. There's a lot more to real recovery than pure materialism can offer you.

All the best to you brother! Stay strong! Believe in yourself! Even though I don't know you I know you have the potential to heal in you. You just need to dig deep and fight hard...

1st of all, I am grateful for all the amazing advice that I have received here.. If I have to reply to it all I will end up writing a book.. The more I'm going through all of this the more I'm also realizing how well I actually know myself and how far I've come.. Yet, like the great Nietschze said: "Being is an Illusion, there is only Becoming."

Anyway, Khronos.. Let me tell you something bro.. My Thai experience all started with a very special girl that I still have a deep connection with.. Even though I haven't seen her in years and she now lives happily on the other side of the world in Italy.. We still write to each other on occasion.. She was in a very bad accident and had to undergo 22 operations over 5 years to reconstruct her face and she went through immense pain and trauma and actually became a bit of masochist, long story short.. She eventually found Thai and well.. Yeah.. I knew her for years already and then we eventually hooked up and I didn't approve of her habit and we ended up fighting until the point where I had to choose.. So, I really didn't want to loose her and I started using with her.. We only smoked it and to be honest.. I hate the way it makes you feel, I can't actually understand why people get hooked on that shit.. The only thing that it was really, and I mean really good for was the sex.. Anyway, after a few months into Morpheus's abyss I wanted out and made some very extremely painful changes to get it out of my life.. What made it the worst was that there was a little girl in the picture(not mine, but still)..

Anyway, it all turned out good and she's doing just fine today.. She's lived and traveled all over the world and her daughter can speak like 5 languages.. She's definitely a different breed and I'm happy for her.. When she was out of the picture I kicked Thai in like 2-3 weeks just by myself.. I just had to share my experience with you on that(very briefly) and how it all happened, people don't always really understand what's really going on behind the scenes and what something is really about in a certain given with it's own unique variables.. I never was a junkie you know..

Regardless, moving back more to the present now.. I can see how changing your environment can have very beneficial traits in shifting your mind, I can honestly say that it won't work for my particular situation.. Not at all, I have done this before, and yeah it works.. Yet, the truth is that no matter where you go and how far you travel.. Drugs will always be available, so I figure that it's far more about an internal process of transgression than just jumping on a plane and running away to a new place with new greenest grass and all..

The big thing about my situation regarding this is that I'm actually living a dream here, I don't want a new blank page, my experience in Cape Town has been the best experience of my life by far and I'm going nowhere fast.. Regardless of all the fun and beauty in Cape Town, it's really about my career, I am busy completing my degree in film and I have worked my way into some extraordinary opportunities.. I'm not even joking here but some people will kill to have a shot at what I've got in front of me..

Only the Devil knows why I had to go and complicate things for myself in this way and shift an already very difficult path into something like God mode on GodofWar.. ok, maybe not that hard but you get the picture..

So, coming down to my conclusion here is that I don't have the option to take off and go all '7 years in Tibet' to fix my life.. This is where Ayahusca comes in and why I'm so interested in it's treatment.. The ratings are pretty outstanding.. it's also not just about me dipping into meth on occasion over the last 3 months but really to go way deep, deep and deeper still all the way to the root of all this sickness if you may.. See, I'm all fucked up and messed up inside and there is a great deal of things that I have not made peace with.. Trust me, my life has been a ride.. I have a tremendous amount of life experience..

For one vital part of it all.. I use to be intimate from the age of like 16 up until 26 and I haven't been able to get back into that for over 3 years now.. Can you imagine that? The reason being is that I have learned that none of my relationships will ever work out until I'm really whole and getting into something like that without being truly ready for it will just push me further into where I'm at..

Thing is just that my life is going by and I cant go on like this forever so I really need to do something about this.. I need some real Soul therapy.. I do.. I promise you this.. The only thing that keeps me going is my passion for my career and I love it to bits.. It is the most important thing in my life and I cannot and will not fail in it.. I would rather die.. It has been a very meaningful experience and I believe in it more than anything..

So, yeah man.. I know all the answers lie within me and I just need to find a way to unlock them.. I find it amazing that I actually just wrote all of the above here in the DMT Nexus and I am grateful for being able to do so..

Words are really good things..

Best Regards,

Skywalker

Skywalker, brother, I hope I didn't come across as trying to give trite advice. I just wanted to let you know you're not alone and try to encourage you to overcome your demons.

I've found SA a hectic place to grow up. It's brutalised me to the core and after 30 years I have only begun to heal (check out my intro, for some reason I too felt the need to bare it all).

Anycase my man, I really just want to repeat myself and wish you the very best. Maybe a small trip to the Americas on an Ayahuasca pilgrimage can begin to give you the healing you need. Then you can get back to your career life in CT with a new perspective. I would certainly not recommend smoking DMT at this point in your journey.

Keep strong brother.

Hey man

I don't usually post here so I was Just doing my usual browsing around for whatever catches my attention when I came across your recent post regarding meth and I also noticed we have many similarities, I'm 28 and pretty much gone through most of what we consider traumatic experiences a young typical renegade should go through, all my life have been a challenge, from a young age i use to have dreams that i was being held by malicious human beings disguised as my family and neighbours, and for every challenges overcome I learn to mould better weapons and I have fought many, becoming more prideful of my triumphs one of them was an irregular and sometimes regular user/abuser of meth for many years and so i understand what your going through, and being a warrior type with relentless mentality I've battled this thing head on without flinching with all my strength, with sheer might there was no thought of backing down for me, "no way" i thought to my self, i have too much more to prove, it was such a raging battle that Years and years slipped by faster than the previous one, having lost most of what I was fighting for, my family, friends, wealth......my castle..... Finally I began to accepted that I have met my match... Soon after I had one of the most lucid dreams of finally meeting my greatest enemy, I knew where to find him, inside a church I went from a distance in the hall I felt his presence, I was ready, I felt no fear this time, and so there he was as the chair moved sideways to my visual radius to my surprise my eyes saw no one in the chair but I felt it there sitting staring at me.... In my waking moments I knew what it meant and it made perfect sense who my greatest enemy I've been battling forever was, myself. Sorry I have to write in such a way I hope you get something out of it, feel free to ask me anything.

My friend kicked his PCP addiction with a very low does of aya. So I would say this is possible.

(Oops, just noticed this is an 'old' thread, nonetheless I leave my post as is)

Howzit Luke

Lots of solid advice posted in response to your questions.

While the neural healing potential of changa is yet to be established, relatedly, here is a quote from a New Scientist article:

"Franz Vollenweider, who works in a similar field at the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, says that the immediate effects of psilocybin are not as important for clinical benefit as the longer-term effects. That's because psilocybin increases the expression of genes and signalling proteins associated with nerve growth and connectivity, he says: "We think that the antidepressant effects of psilocybin may be due to a possible increase of factors that activate long-term neuroplasticity."

Alternatively, I believe there is a decent Iboga based treatment center based in CT, should you be interested, as well as a .co.za based supplier for raw materials.

Also should you have the time and inclination, the western cape is extensively invaded by many variaties of Australian Acacias.

Being in CT, you have easy access to an abundance of pleasant walks and views. When I used to live there, I had a routine of taking a weekly hike up thru newlands forest up to the contour path, stopping by the streams to drink some fresh water and stretch. Usually I'd hike to a fave spot away from the noise of the city and sit and meditate with the trees. I always noticed how excellent I felt upon returning home, reinforcing how worthwhile making the effort was. Take your shoes off and ground your body, it makes such a huge difference to the electrical state of the body.

If you've got a Kauai near you, grab a regular dose of fresh wheatgrass juice.

I have to agree about the value of exercise. Exercise also improves neuroplasticity among it's other benefits. There's a fair amount of research that links increased formation of neurons with anti-depressant effects; although nothing conclusive as of yet.

If you'd like I can teach you the method of meditation that I use. It's quite simple and I promise that it will bring all your demons to the surface so you can fight them, no chemicals needed.

N-acetyl cysteine will smooth out the peaks and valleys of brain dopamine levels that crystal meth causes. Add some will power, a change of scenery and you will succeed.

This thread provides some great information;

NAC

Be free

I really can't completely relate to your predicament because I have only had psychological addictions such as video games and habitual cannabis. But I do know that continuous, moderately dosed (2 grams worked well for me) sessions of mushrooms have helped me immensely to destroy my addictive behaviors.

I'm not sure if it's already been said, but if you're not on a healthy sleep schedule, that is absolutely important. If you can, sleep 8-10 hours a night and exercise doing what you love to do. For me, it's martial arts. So I really get into it.

Have you tried deep breathing meditation? Do you make a cup of green tea for yourself every day? The deep breathing floods your CNS with oxygen and allows for vivid imagination. Green tea acts as a sort of natural antihistamine. Put a cup beside you at all times with water in it. Habitually take a sip throughout the day. You'll pee a lot, but you'll also make sure that oxygen gets where it needs to go.

As for the neuron damage. Not a lot of research has been conducted, but it seems to be in the striatum. Based on what I read, the neurotoxicity causes excess microglial activation in the striatum and substantia nigra. However, it also alludes to the notion that the damage might not be permanent. I really wouldn't try my luck, if I were you. I've never done meth, but I imagine that damage to these parts of the CNS would result in fewer communications to the cortex. But all of this is pure supposition. Excess dopamine activation (leading to addiction) is difficult to deal with. But that's why heroin and meth need to be substituted for hallucinogens where necessary.

Hello everyone, I am aware this is an old thread but I thought a positive thing I could do to help our friend is to ask about his progress and how he has been doing since the great advice I have seen posted to him. I myself have had similar issues in my life and have never seen such a positive string of posts trying to help a person. Through just reading this it has helped myself, so I can only imagine what your advice has helped do to change his life for the better. I became a part of this forum purely because of this post and its replies. It is inspirational.