For the better part of the 20th century and all of the 21st century there has been a major problem with drug abuse in America. Whether it be Heroin, Cocaine or newer so called designer drugs its hard to deny that Drugs have become a significant problem in today’s society. 

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 21.5 million Americans aged 12 years or older battled a substance abuse disorder in 2014. 

Heroin addiction in young adults aged 18-25 years old has doubled in the last 10 years and i just so happen to be one of those people. I tried quitting many times but It wasn't until I experienced Ibogaine that I was able to turn my life around.
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<center><H2>What is ibogaine?</H2></center>


<center>http://ibogainetreatment.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ibogaine-root.jpg</center>

ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance that is extracted from the root bark of the Tabernanthe iboga tree that is native to Africa. This chemical has psychedelic properties and is used by Bwiti tribesmen as a rite of passage similar to the Apache Vision Quest. 

In the early 60’s A Heroin addict named Howard Lotsof discovered the anti-addictive effects of ibogaine when he was using the drug recreationally.He discovered that after he consumed ibogaine and the psychedellic effects wore off the withdrawal effects from his heroin addiction never came.

He would later go on to patent its use for drug addiction however new drug laws in the 70s made Ibogaine illegal which is why i had to go to a country outside the U.S. for treatment.

<center><H2>Pre Treatment</H2></center>

Before getting Ibogaine Treatment people usually have to have their heart and liver checked just to see if the drug could potentially kill them. So before I was accepted for treatment i had to get an EKG and liver test.

My tests came back mostly normal but the doctor said something about my heart beating slightly quicker than it was supposed to. I think this was because they said not to do any stimulants for 2 days prior the test but I'm a drug addict so that didn't happen. I was still permitted for treatment but they said they would give me a lower dose than normal.
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<center><H2>First Day in Canada</H2></center>

<center>![Flag_of_Canada_(Pantone).svg.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdfDEEcvz1Dr7ThAFs2j4AFA9BN3HrXwL8W2pmbQZYWNS/Flag_of_Canada_(Pantone).svg.png)</center>

I had the choice of going to Mexico or Canada but decided on Canada since it was cheaper. I paid 4000 USD for the treatment so it wasn’t cheap but it was still a lot less than going to an inpatient rehab in the states which i’ve already been to twice. 

When I landed in Canada i had already began going through opiate withdrawal. Bette (The lady treating me) could already tell i was sick and said that when we get back to her place she would give me two capsules to take the pain away but my full treatment wouldn't  be until the next day. 

When we got back to her place she gave me the pills and I sat back and tried to relax. 45 min later I was feeling a whole lot better. The pain was gone and so was the anxiety and I could actually relax and watch a game of hockey without my mind going back to thoughts of getting heroin. 
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<center><H2>Visuals</H2></center>

<center>![2fMcd-2.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNqattYXreS4EznVfzmeqD8uaVP23xMkMWcHFzCPA1UZa/2fMcd-2.jpg)</center>

That night and for the 3 nights after I had treatment whenever i would walk into the living room i would get some trippy Visuals. It only happened in that one room which I thought was weird. I think its because it was the only room with a softer light spectrum than the others but I'm not sure. 

It was pretty fun and made me giggle a bit and i realized that I was a bit happier than i usually was. I Sat there for a while moving my arms through the air like an idiot and rolling them in a ball like i was creating some kind of force field or ball of energy like a Dragon Ball Z character. 

The picture above shows basically what i was seeing. 
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<center><H2>Flood Dose</H2></center>

<H1><center>![ayahuasca-what-is-the-drug-read-north-america-9ccd11d2-85ab-47f5-b905-751542f339aa.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQxMMX11Em1E3Bti2cdzumCd3aeUEPNkZRK4WVxG814iB/ayahuasca-what-is-the-drug-read-north-america-9ccd11d2-85ab-47f5-b905-751542f339aa.jpg)</center></H1>

 It was around 8pm when bette came into the room to give me the pills for the flood dose. Before leaving She said if i needed to go to the bathroom that i should ask her for help. Ibogaine really messes up your motor skills which makes it damn near impossible to walk.

45-1hr later i had to go to the bathroom and thought that i could do it myself since it didn't fully kick in yet. I got to my feet but my equilibrium was way off. It was hard to walk and visually things weren't in their exact spot. 

The best way i could describe it is if you remember in drivers ed where they had those drunk goggles to simulate how it would be like to be drunk but its not actually like being drunk. It was basically like that. whenever i tried to touch something it wasn't where i thought it was. 

After I went to the bathroom i laid back in bed and thats when I began to get the visuals. With my eyes closed i started seeing lots of colors and geometric shapes. Some people have flashbacks to traumatic moments in their life, usually where most of their emotional pain stems from but I didn't get that far. The psychedelic part lasted 5-8hrs i think but I'm not sure since i was in bed the whole time.
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<center><H2>Introspection Phase</H2></center>

<div class="pull-left"><img src="https://steemitimages.com/DQmXqJ3zmRy5BsUU1Q7sxzXmJ8Der7jbsk6Y1AAJXdCPWFU/1L03paFfPTD7JODN_uCW9zl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9.jpeg" /></div>After the Visual/Dream Phase comes the introspection phase. At this point most of the Psychedelic effects are gone. I still had some residual psychedelic effects for a while so in this phase i pretty much laid in bed the whole time thinking. I spent a lot of time evaluating my life and the things i’ve done. I took a good look at myself and realized that I've basically become the type of person i hate. Ibogaine gave me a good view of what I needed to change and I decided that I would actually do something about it this time.

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<center><H2>The Next day</H2></center>


After sleeping for a long time i woke up in the afternoon. I was feeling a bit groggy but I was more hungry than anything. Bette brought me some food and all i could think of was how delicious it was. I couldn't believe how good food began to taste again. I felt happy and had no physical pain. 

After I Ate I spent some more time thinking about the horrible things i put my parents through. My dad is in his 80s and he was always good to me. I felt like such a piece of shit for putting him through all the shit that i did. That isn't how i wanted his final years to be like. I sat there  and cried for about 5 mins. When i finally stopped I started feeling a lot better. I realized i still had time to make it up to him and thats what i was gonna do. I told myself I would not let him pass away still thinking that I'm a piece of shit. 

It was weird after i stopped crying i felt a bit high. It wasn't like smoking a gram but i felt that warmth in your chest you get when you do heroin. I think it might have been a natural opiate release from crying. 
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<center><H2>Since Then</H2></center>

<center>![10338291_680527828669065_4188313337205659762_n.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSxQf1qKboazeqHYyyGC6zFd5r6QLPqWEMahmw4AzRXW2/10338291_680527828669065_4188313337205659762_n.jpg)</center><center>*Me And My Father Visiting My Grandpa On Memorial Day*</center>
Its been 4 yrs since i had my ibogaine treatment and so far i haven't touched heroin once.  With the help of my parents i was able to put my life back together and start being productive again.

I believe in the healing powers of Ibogaine and other psychedelic drugs but they aren't for everybody. Ibogaine is not a cure for addiction but more of an Addiction Interrupter. It's more of a way to stop the pain and cravings so you can clearly focus on the things that you need to change.

Addiction can be a hard thing to overcome but i believe ibogaine can help a lot of people turn their life around and stay off the junk.

I have grown a soft spot in my heart for drug addicts. I know they are very hard to love but a lot of them can still be good people. Most are just stuck in a cycle of hopelessness.  

If any of you are an addict going through a hard time you can DM me on Steemit.chat or discord and ill be glad to talk with you. My username is also cookiekush for both. 
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Thanks For Reading and if you enjoy topics on Science, Ecotec, Cryptocurrencies and Nature follow me @cookiekush