How to Stop My Opiate Addiction?
Question by Bob Job: How to stop my Opiate addiction?
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.
Best answer:
Answer by thorn105
Um, go to the methadone clinic. I know how your mom feels, but I better understand how an opiate addiction feels. You could have seizures from the withdrawals and DIE. Go to the clinic. Here is a website that has a section called “the dark side” where people talk about opiate addictions and what they are going thru as they come off it. It isn’t like the dumb@ss NA meetings, which in my opinion reinforce the negative. Go to Bluelight.com and put Opiate addictions in the search and you will find lots of people in the same spot you are. Good luck, my friend. Mother Opium is a bitch and then some.
Ok, I’m just going to add here, that the withdrawals from this drug are PHYSICAL and very painful, as well as mental. There is nausea, diarreha, headaches, insomnia,extreme anxiety, and the danger of seizure. Maybe I am not understanding what this other girl was saying, but I’ve been down this road, TWICE, and I know what it is like. Anyone who tells you your withdrawal is only mental has NEVER experienced it, and should not be commenting on it. The very REASON they have methadone clinics is so p[eople will not die from withdrawals when trying to kick this addiction. There is NOTHING “good” about this addiction. Email me if you feel like it [email protected]
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11 Responses to How to Stop My Opiate Addiction?
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This drug grabs people VERY VERY fast and there are good and bad parts of this addction.The bad part is that the addection is all mental not like other drugs that cause pain after stopping use.I am going to be honest with you the best thing I can say is you have to have the desire to stop and then and only then will you be free from the drug.You can’t stop for money reasons,family or even health you have to really be sick and tired of being sick and tired.Although people rarely talk about it this is the fastest growing drug of choice on the market(RX).If you would like to talk in more depth about this please email me at [email protected]..Best of luck to you.My heart breaks for you.
*sends hug* I spent 2 years on and off of opiates. Comming down sucks.
There are several route you can take. The first is a safe, medical detox with methadone. There are doctors that can moniter you, and help you deal with all the fun pain and nausea of getting off of it. Methadone is usually not a life long thing, my friends have used it for about 6mos. The pain problems are not the methadone. Long term users of opiates have lost their ability to make natural endorphins – those are the chemicals you make to deal with pain within your own body. Without them, you hurt ALOT. You can get into programs without her knowing, your doctor can’t tell her if you say not to.
NA was not helpful to me either. And I tried for 4 months…..I am not religious, (spare me the “spritual not religious comments” out there – The Our Father is a Catholic prayer!) and I really felt that the program was full of excuses, and ways to rationalize “slipping up.” I wanted to be off of drugs and booze forever, not one day. Lol. I ended up going back to drinking to deal with the people whining, attacking me, and hitting on me at meetings. But it is an option. I’m sure there is someone out there it works for…. probably someone who was a christian / calvinist to begin with :p Personally, I’ll take my chances with dying alone in the gutter (their promise for people that leave) rather than be told I’m worthless and to pray on my knees for forgivness.
Or you can just stop. This is what I did. I don’t reccomend it – I didn’t know at the time I could die from withdrawl. But I just quit cold turkey. So did a pregnant friend of mine. I told myself I wasn’t doing this anymore. The end. I stopped accepting any excuses to use pills. I felt like hell…. sick, tired, depresed. I just kept repeating to myself “it’s the drugs leaving my system.” The cravings DO stop in about 2 weeks – after a few weeks, the physical need for a drug has passed. Cravings are just YOU wanting to feel good again.. since the drug is associated with feeling good, you WANT it bad…. but it’s not like, physical. YOU have control of your mind and body. Not the drug.
Since you’re on so much, please, please, talk to your doctor. I dont’ want you to hurt yourself withdrawling. There is also the chance your doctor can give you something other than methadone to taper you off.
While I don’t reccomend support groups – find some one you can talk to. Just anyone that you can vent to that will keep telling you they love you.
Also, do you have like, a hobby or something you enjoy. I paint, and knit and rollerblade. Find things you really like and DO them when you think about drugs. Keep focusing on doing something other than taking pills.
Get outside – sunlight ups your vitamin D (naturally) and makes you feel less depressed. Exercise….. any way you want, you don’t need a gym membership. But it’ll kickstart the endorphins, and again, help the depression.
Good luck! I hope you find the help you need.
PS. everything causes cancer, even french fries if you read the right study :p
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.
well……old ass post but figured i would say this much. Personally i use as much as 300 mgs of opiates a day. i have a 150 200 dollar a day habit and when it comes time to quit cold turkey my world stops spinning. when i hear your one complaint from withdrawals be “i dont feel like doin anything” i kinda laugh inside. because i would have a list very very long whick would end in something like id rather die than wd right now. on another note it was said opiate addiction is all mentaland not phsysical and i read it was a pysical addiction. its both…….when i was only taking a few tabs everyday..somedays six tens somedays 2 and somedays none (because i couldnt afford them) hell that shit was as mental as a weed addiction or a crack addiction….i wasnt worried about being ill after 12 hours of not using. i just loved the feeling, now im not saying its no big deal if your not strung out like i am but the thing with opiates is how much u use and how often that will determine how close to death you will feel when u try to stop. i use pain killers for years and never really had a bad experiance other than the normal side affects when i took more than i could handle, but then i made 300 a week or was unemployed. now i can bring in up to 500 a day on average in my new illegal line of work…so when that happened needless to say my using increased dramaticlly. again i used cocciane and other drugs for years but had a good amount of time sober from the hard stuff and i figured a few perk 10s for the energy and the feel good wasnt a big deal. I AM FREAKIN SCREWED NOW. IVE MOVED TO THREE STATES TRYING TO BEAT THIS THING. the farthest i went was 11 days from a cold turkey. hell i made it through the worst and my girlfriend who use as much as i did and detoxed with me in that hotel room was fine aside from total lack of energy…which was the least of it lmao…thats why i said that at first.. but see what got me was the insomnia. 10 days on 6 hours sleep sealed the deal. i had no idea what i was in for and had no access to doctor support or even a few xanax bars. anyways i dont know what im even saying or why now but if your not using huge doses all the freakin time dont come crying about how your scared of wds they wont be that bad and consider yourself lucky u have the balls to stop now. i dont have any advice cause everytime i try to stop i give in because of the wds. im afraid its gonna take something bad to happen to shake this thing. at least when i smoked crack i could have just relocated and hide out and stay away from people for a bit..thats how i eventually got clean but now if someone was like come to cali and stay in my mansion and relax for a while and get off pills i would not go because of well you got it. think i might try subs if i can make that happen. ive read and talked and seen enough shit about methadone to know that i will never go there!!!!!Q stay the hell away from that stuff please unless there is no other way…which i will never give up because there is always a way. we were not meant to live like this and peace of mind and a life that is acceptable is right around the bend and tomoorow is always another day people. yes u might use again if your rrading this while detoxing but the secret is to never give up your life. sorry for the negetive vibes so i tried to make up for it? later peps
34 years old with 18 years of using drugs.5 of those 18-heroin.Last 2 years
on Sub,had one relapse after first year,used only one time and I’m not sure
why I did it,didn’t feel nothing from heroin.Daily dose 14 mg,but 8 is also
fine,tried, my doctor wants me on 14-first time we tried tapering I
relapsed on 8mg,so 14mg is safe bet.Got my life back!I can fall in love now
and I can love somebody and feel it!!!Love is the greatest feeling and I
don’t wanna life without it anymore. My problem is me,my personality, my
other self and thanks to sub I’m now in position to build my real self.I
don’t know for how long and that doesn’t matter at all.Why?Simply because
of 18 years of hell,pure hell with not touching the ground,but slamming on
the ground over and over.My option and the only option to stop was to die.I
couldn’t imagine my life without drugs and yes,you can tell that sub is
drug also- but with Sub I have chances to stay alive and do something to
improve my life.And only with Sub.If it takes 18 years of Sub now-so let it
be and thank you God for this chance!!!!?
All i can say is wow hes right on?
Suboxone supplies the normal amount of opiates that a normal person has.so
its untrue that there under the influence its jus comin from somewere
else.same endorphins everythings the same as a person off
suboxone…goddamn ppl n there misinformation.?
As I seen allot parents tellin there kid to get off suboxone after they
been doin so good then it comes back eventually.its like bieng in a very
very intense relationship fer years then it just ends.try to forget how to
ride a bike…exactly?
So this girl comes in with no hope n track marks n goes on sub.a week later
she comes back lookin feelin better.next month shes got a job.cple more
months n has a car.then 6 months later has her ged n is goin to collage.now
if tht girl has to take a piece of sub the rest of her life that is def not
a problem.?
N thts wats sub does is breaks the romance?
Def does turn off that romance to use no doubt about it doesnt even cross
my mind.shit Id rather take a piece of sub a day then risk relapse, death,
jails, stealing n bein broke?