The Addiction Help .com

When America and Canada were first being settled , the people were encouraged to spread out . They did . Now the widely scattered homes , town , cities , businesses, etc becoma a major problem because of the distances- - and the fuel necessary to get to work , or to get produce to market .
The idea that some of our politicians have that if gas goes up high enough , people will stop using their cars , is nuts . Workers have to get to their place of employment no matter the cost . It's either work or loose everything .
Public transportation in great in compact cities . But we have millions of homes far out in the country , miles between them .There is no way that those millions of workers can use public transportation . They would have to walk miles to the pick-up and drop-off places , Just not possible or practical .
In a most cases , oil is not an addiction , it's the difference between life or starvation .

2008-04-10 07:29:30 by ghost

I have been using opiates for over a year now, sometimes with a perscription sometimes with out. Oxycontin has been my main obsticle and being that it nearly costs a dollar a milligram it can cost up to $100 just for one day. I have not been using everyday but every chance I get money thats where almost all of it goes. My mom is aware of this addiction and I have been trying to stress to her that this is a very hard one to break. I have used marijuana, adderall, benzodiazapines, and other perscription medicine. Opiates have this grab on me that is very hard to quit.

Withdrawls are the worst, I dont feel like doing anything, I get these unstopable cravings, and I feel very depressed. Not having insurance that covers rehab I told my mom that going to the Methadone clinic would help all my cravings and withdrawls and that I can slowly get off Methadone. My mom said that "you cant use another drug to get off a drug" Apparently she knows people that have used Methadone for pain problems and it has had very bad side effects and could cause cancer? thats what she told me. She said that I should go to NA meetings but I have been and it hasnt been all that eye opening for me.

Is there another route or will I just have to go on the Methadone program without her knowing? I am of legal age to do so.

Your addiction history is short. Methadone is an option, but in most cases I think it's a last resort for those who simply can't ever feel normal again and may need something, possibly for life, just to feel normal. Methadone is expensive and EXTREMELY restrictive on your lifestyle. Methadone is also bar none the hardest pain-killer to kick by far because it lasts so long. Being that it can be weaned can counteract much of this but it's still very hard. Unfortunately many clinics are typically very cruel in the way they treat people as well.

If you have insurance & really don't want to try the rehab/sober lifestyle I would try out "suboxone" first with your relatively short addiction history. It's basically "methadone-lite" and you can be prescribed a 30-day TAKE HOME supply relatively shortly after starting. Compared to going into a clinic every single day and "earning" take-homes. In fact I believe suboxone works better. It doesn't work well on cravings for everyone though so you'd have to try it out. Usually those with addiction histories such as yours do very well on suboxone. Go to naabt.org and find a doctor. Call around and look for one that has an affordable rate. Getting on subs isn't cheap! (but if you have insurance 85% covers subs so in the end its about the same as methadone).

Gather up a list of what the doctors charge and what their terms are for how they prescribe etc. Unfortunately many of these doctors want nothing more than to suck the money dry from people, but there are good ones. Either way suboxone isn't cheap to start on. The closer to metro you live, the better choices you'll have. Doctors don't accept insurance for this (which is good in its own sense). Suboxone itself is still patented until about a year from now and is super expensive if you're insurance won't cover it, but still can be around the same as 'done if you do your homework and average the cost out over time. Most doctors overprescribe it BIG time and you can often get what is really a 2-3 month supply from "one months worth" which is great if you have insurance.

By the way, if you're really in search of some sort of "buzz" the legal way neither methadone or suboxone will be what you're looking for. Suboxone has an even longer half-life than methadone and is not easy to kick either, but is a good deal easier to kick than methadone.

Methadone does not cause cancer!

The truth is there is NO BEST cookie-cutter plan. You need to find what works for you. At the end of the day it's your life and if NA isn't what works for you, then so be it. Some type of support system is something you should have though.

I highly recommend at least TRYING suboxone first. Methadone definitely has its role, but it really controls your life too. After a while, you wanna go no a trip or something but don't get enough "take-homes" you have to and fill out paperwork and get an approval or go to a clinic in the town you're going to for "guest dosing" driving in day after day, just to feel some normalcy. Want to go hang out at a methadone clinic on your romantic trip with your SO or something? Not trying to be negative, just want you to udnerstand the harsh reality.

Methadone is typically for those in very deep as it is extremely hard to get off of and very controlling of your life.

By the way stop paying $1/mg for oxy you're getting ripped man! Oxy is one of the more expensive pahrms too, if you can find something else financially it'd save you a load. Of course don't mess with H if you're trying to quit.

If you really want to get clean and off everything give it a serious go somewhere for kicking, it only gets harder.

The reason you feel so bad when stopping is because your brain takes a good amount of time to repair itself. Opiate abuse causes your brain to multiply its pain receptors, then when you go without they initially go nuts (withdrawal) and then afterward they slowly start to go to sleep very slowly. The brain also stops producing its own endorphins as the same rate as it did before. So when you stop you have all these extra receptors that need pain relief and your brain not producing hardly any of its own to top it off.

So it'll probably take you a several months off to start feeling completely normal again after using. Many people believe at some point the natural production of endorphins gets to a point that it can't be repaired & this is why people need something like methadone for life, as even years off of opiates they don't ever feel quite normal. A year in you should be fine and do alright.

If you do decide to get on a maintenance program do yourself a big favor and at least try suboxone first. Methadone as a last resort. If you really want to stop at only a year in go to a detox center at least once or twice before going on methadone in my opinion.

If you relapse, just get back on, its part of recovery.

http://www.stopdrugprohibition.com/Community is a good place to discuss this stuff. It's not a forum about getting clean so much, but there are particular forum areas dedicated to doing so. However, in some cases it may be best to avoid anything that reminds you of using. Not many people understand addiction so it can be helpful to discuss it with those who do. If nothing else you can find out some information no getting started on your road to sobriety/maintenance in your area.

Good Luck

ALSO as someone has already pointed out, the person who said opiate withdrawal is all mental obviously has no clue about this subject.

Furthermore, someone mentioned you could have seizures from withdrawal. You can NOT have seizures from OPIATE W/D. They must be thinknig of Benzo W/D.
Opiate WD is NOT directly life-threatening although it sure feels like it. In the cases where someone dies from opiate WD is from INDIRECT causes, almost always dehydration. Being in a medical setting for detox is definitely ideal, but the vast majority of the time you'll survive outside. If it's a methadone detox (and possibly subs) you definitely should have someone attending to you. Since the WD lasts SO long things like dehydration become very serious. This is becoming a big problem in places like prison when people are forced to cold turkey and provided with zero medical attention. Many are dying in prison as a result.

2008-09-23 11:51:15 by Bob Job

I was recently addicted to opiates and have quit completely. I was using them for about a year and six months into my addiction I stopped having my menstral cycle. I have now been clean for over a month and have not had my menstral cycle start again. Has anyone had this addiciton or heard about it and have had it come back? Or is this a permanent thing that I have done to my body because of my drug addiction?

Congratulations on stopping. Did you go cold turkey?
It was almost 9 months before I had another period and I actually ended up having to go to the oncologist and get infused with iv iron. About 3 weeks later I had a period. Opiates are so hard on your body especially when you take them over a long period of time. When I went off of opiates I went on Suboxone. It has helped, I have relapsed once or twice but now I am back on the right track. Don't trust yourself around them, I can't. Good luck in your recovery. God Bless

2009-04-13 14:32:29 by claraunhui

Ok so my Dad started taking opiates for pain but about a year later he is still addicted to pain pills. I can't convince him to stop, does anyone have any advice or know of any treatment or medication that can help him kick this habit? When he can't get his pills things get very ugly and he feels he needs them just to goto work. HELP!

Find him a Narcotics Anonymous, or even AA both I believe have a separate group just for spouses an children of addicts.There really is not much you can do, until he decides he gets help. Attending one of those meetings would probably be the best thing you can do, since they will be able to tell you the best way to handle this for your Dad and for you.

2008-07-01 13:52:18 by ultra_violent_alex

I'm physically and psycologically addicted to pain killers. I can't stop taking them, I don't want to stop taking them and that is a problem. I don't want to be dependent on them to get me through the day. I suffer from anxiety and also OCD and when I take these pain killers I feel normal. I feel happy and I'm not anxious or pulling my hair out (I have trichotillomania). I know that I'm addicted and that they are not good for me. The problem is I don't want to stop taking them. They make me feel good. What can I do to break this habit, besides going to rehab? Any suggestions? Please don't be mean, I feel bad enough already.
Btw I am on medication for the anxiety and the OCD. I take Xanax and Celexa

Hi, I am a recovering heroin addict. I have been clean for a little over a year. I started out on weed and eventuelly pain killers. I finally got hooked on to heroin for 4 years. Heroin and most pain killers are the same. all are opiates. A good friend of mine tried everything to get clean. Hundreds of differnt things. There are only a few ways that I have seen work. I kicked and screemed about thr thought of going to a rehab. How humiliating HuH? But when all of my family including my wife had lost trust in me and I was facing 30 felonies, I went to treatment. It was the best thing I did. I could name a million reasons why I didn't want to go. But if you end up dead or behind bars, all of those reasons don,t matter. I went to a 28 day treatment and ended up staying for 90 days. Mostly out of fear of using again. Now A good friend of mine went to a suboxin clinic and got clean and attends NA and AA meetings. The problem isn't the drug use. The problem is our heads. The depression, anxiety, coping with everyday life. Drugs are how I self Medicated. Then drugs caused me more problems. I once felt hopless. Crying on my way to the dealers house. Crying because I wanted to quit and couldn't. Please don't give up. I feel better today than I can ever recall. Here are the crucial steps to recovery. Meetings, OPEN MIND, And get a sponsor to help you work the twelve steps. The twelve steps are what is going to clean out all of the bullshit in your head. Anxiety etc. Go to Na high and say Hi I am a addict. I am still using And want to stop. Cry, let it all out. People there understand. They will help you. Don't be shy or stubborn Like I was. Or too proud. Not everyone has to go through the stuff that I went through to get clean. Ans it will get worse. I have friends dead. I have friends in prison. You are welcome to e-mail me anytime. marty_1194@yahoo.com My heart goes out to you. I know the hopless despair. I know what hell is.

2007-09-26 13:54:10 by ღFreakin Fantasticღ