Hi, ive been a heroin user for nearly 8yrs, i lost my daughter,4 yrs ago, she nw lives with my mother, who sumtimes makes it hard, depending wat moods shes in, im on 27mls of meth, and have been reducing for the last yr and half, ive been clean for nearly 2 yrs, and want to go court to get my daughter hme, i keep being told i dnt stand a chance because im still on meth, has anyone gt any advice, its tearin me apart, im so scared about reducin more on my meth, i cant sleep, my legs are achin since i come down from 30mls, i just want to be normal, mind u , what the hell is NORMAL?????? any suggestions,please!!!!!!!
Hi, 2 years is terrific...too bad your mom doesn't seem to credit you for it, but she's afraid for your child no doubt. I am the mother of a recovering heroin addict who used suboxone to help herself get clean and I try never to hold her past over her head now that she's been clean a couple of years.
Do not drop your dose without medical supervision and if you crave, jump back up...recovery is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Talk to your clinical worker or addiction specialist, those folks usually have some insight about these things.
Where are you? It would help to know in order to offer you advice on how to move forward.
Keep fighting the good fight ~ MomNMore
Do not drop your dose without medical supervision and if you crave, jump back up...recovery is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Talk to your clinical worker or addiction specialist, those folks usually have some insight about these things.
Where are you? It would help to know in order to offer you advice on how to move forward.
Keep fighting the good fight ~ MomNMore
hi momnmore, thanx for ur reply, i dnt normally do these kind of things, askin for advice etc, but im at my wits end, i live in uk, london, and to be truthfull, the help for addicts is very bad, half of them dnt know what they r on about. i get my meth off my doctor, whos ok, but dnt think he knows much about it himself, i get tested all the time, and dnt know if id be able to et my daughter bak and stay on low dose of meth.
Hi there broken83,
It is really hard for those of us who have used methadone as a way to break our heroin/opiate addiction, mostly because of the horrible tales and misconceptions that follow us everywhere. It IS NOT replacing one drug for another...Dang!!! I am sooo tired of people who dont know Sh*t from shinola about methadone in the first place running their stupid mouths.
Like MoM said before me, dont detox too fast and if you cant deal with the withdrawals,STOP where you are with your detox and get to a dose that holds you,meaning you dont feel sick and you dont want to use. If you have been testing clean for 2 years that is really good!!! Congratulations!!!
I admire you for fighting to get your daughter back, but dont try it while you are detoxing. You need to be in a good,stable frame of mind to begin your "battle".Like MoM said,there is NO time limit...it is a very personal and individual journey.There is no right or wrong time to detox.
I have been clean for many years and recently applied for legal guardianship of my 14 yr old granddaughter. Our final courtdate is Dec 5th, like a week away and I am a bit nervous,even though I have both parents permission.(neither of them use,it is a divorce thing)
My addict brain keeps thinking the judge could or will say no because of 3 arrests.... in my whole life.(but all in a 5 year period when I was using and all drug related)
Then I get real and look at how well I've done since I got clean........
PLEASE...first and foremost,please dont call methadone METH. Do you not realize Meth is a completely different drug than Methadone???? My father heard on the news about Meth, meaning methamphetamines and told everyone I was a meth addict!!!!They are 2 totally different drugs! For those who dont know that ,they will likely think of speed. And that is another demon in itself.
Being that you are in the UK I am not sure how the laws work.Is there such a thing as a group you could call to answer legal questions??? Or Legal Aid Society? L.A.S. did everything for me, paperwork everything, And I did all the footwork .Here in the states the courts would take into consideration what you have done with yourself in the years since you've been clean. Such as......The #'s are for the court, things they may have interest in......the other ?'s are for YOU to think about......
Are you working & can you support her?? #1
What has changed to think you could be the kind of mother you need to be if they were to give you your child back?
Do you still hang out with the same people you did when you were using??
Do you have your own home or apartment for the 2 of you to live in??? #2
What kind of homelife could you offer her?? #3
Could your mom offer her more??
Does she want to come back to be with you or is she happy with your mom???#4
Do you have a sponsor or a counselor??
Do you go to NA or AA meetings on a regular basis???
Are you secure enough in your sobriety that you can be a good mother??
If you answered yes to 8 or 9 of those questions then you have a load of good references.Do you have a counselor at the clinic you go to???Those are the people you want in your corner if you try to get your daughter back,to tell the judge how you have been doing.
I cant believe the courts would stop someone from having their child just because they are on methadone, especially if they have been clean and changed their life for the better. If you are listening to people who dont really know,then quit listening to them and find out for yourself from someone who really knows.
I would start with your mother. Have someone from the clinic have a talk with her to help dispel the bad things being said about methadone. If they can tell her or show her some truths it will make it easier for you in the long run,dont you think???
Is there somewhere else you can go..another doctor that may be a bit better than the one you go to now??? Any advocates for methadone around there??? Ask around. they will be 100% on your side.
More of the "big guns informers" will arrive shortly to add their knowledge on this subject. Maybe someone from your neck of the woods as well. Keep your chin up and think about what we say..
Be patient.....ans stay clean.....
Granny23
It is really hard for those of us who have used methadone as a way to break our heroin/opiate addiction, mostly because of the horrible tales and misconceptions that follow us everywhere. It IS NOT replacing one drug for another...Dang!!! I am sooo tired of people who dont know Sh*t from shinola about methadone in the first place running their stupid mouths.
Like MoM said before me, dont detox too fast and if you cant deal with the withdrawals,STOP where you are with your detox and get to a dose that holds you,meaning you dont feel sick and you dont want to use. If you have been testing clean for 2 years that is really good!!! Congratulations!!!
I admire you for fighting to get your daughter back, but dont try it while you are detoxing. You need to be in a good,stable frame of mind to begin your "battle".Like MoM said,there is NO time limit...it is a very personal and individual journey.There is no right or wrong time to detox.
I have been clean for many years and recently applied for legal guardianship of my 14 yr old granddaughter. Our final courtdate is Dec 5th, like a week away and I am a bit nervous,even though I have both parents permission.(neither of them use,it is a divorce thing)
My addict brain keeps thinking the judge could or will say no because of 3 arrests.... in my whole life.(but all in a 5 year period when I was using and all drug related)
Then I get real and look at how well I've done since I got clean........
PLEASE...first and foremost,please dont call methadone METH. Do you not realize Meth is a completely different drug than Methadone???? My father heard on the news about Meth, meaning methamphetamines and told everyone I was a meth addict!!!!They are 2 totally different drugs! For those who dont know that ,they will likely think of speed. And that is another demon in itself.
Being that you are in the UK I am not sure how the laws work.Is there such a thing as a group you could call to answer legal questions??? Or Legal Aid Society? L.A.S. did everything for me, paperwork everything, And I did all the footwork .Here in the states the courts would take into consideration what you have done with yourself in the years since you've been clean. Such as......The #'s are for the court, things they may have interest in......the other ?'s are for YOU to think about......
Are you working & can you support her?? #1
What has changed to think you could be the kind of mother you need to be if they were to give you your child back?
Do you still hang out with the same people you did when you were using??
Do you have your own home or apartment for the 2 of you to live in??? #2
What kind of homelife could you offer her?? #3
Could your mom offer her more??
Does she want to come back to be with you or is she happy with your mom???#4
Do you have a sponsor or a counselor??
Do you go to NA or AA meetings on a regular basis???
Are you secure enough in your sobriety that you can be a good mother??
If you answered yes to 8 or 9 of those questions then you have a load of good references.Do you have a counselor at the clinic you go to???Those are the people you want in your corner if you try to get your daughter back,to tell the judge how you have been doing.
I cant believe the courts would stop someone from having their child just because they are on methadone, especially if they have been clean and changed their life for the better. If you are listening to people who dont really know,then quit listening to them and find out for yourself from someone who really knows.
I would start with your mother. Have someone from the clinic have a talk with her to help dispel the bad things being said about methadone. If they can tell her or show her some truths it will make it easier for you in the long run,dont you think???
Is there somewhere else you can go..another doctor that may be a bit better than the one you go to now??? Any advocates for methadone around there??? Ask around. they will be 100% on your side.
More of the "big guns informers" will arrive shortly to add their knowledge on this subject. Maybe someone from your neck of the woods as well. Keep your chin up and think about what we say..
Be patient.....ans stay clean.....
Granny23
Hi broken, good morning and welcome...
ya, its probably the methadone drop...i tapered too down to about .4ml a few months ago and thought i would lose my mind....no sleep, sweats...the whole damn rattle...and i went as slow as i was able...i had to stop and raise it back up a few ml's and stabilize...like granni said...its totally crap how people think about the methadone...i don't know how it will affect your chances out here in UK...im in Bavaria and i know they're not too open minded about it here...but i think using again would most definitely not be a good thing either...and i was ready to use directly when i got down to such a low dose...i wasn't ready... don't know if i ever will be...ive been clean almost 4 years now...with a relapse during the time i got down to the .4...but i was rushed in the end of that...clinic screwed up and dropped me a ml every week...which for me was way too fast...anyways...if its really beginning to hurt and your not doing good...my humble opinion from experience...Ive done this twice now...would be to go back up to a dose you feel better on... stabilize and then try again when your ready...its no picnic...but we are all different...it was rough for me... couldn't work and rattle....what does your clinic say ??
Constantine
ya, its probably the methadone drop...i tapered too down to about .4ml a few months ago and thought i would lose my mind....no sleep, sweats...the whole damn rattle...and i went as slow as i was able...i had to stop and raise it back up a few ml's and stabilize...like granni said...its totally crap how people think about the methadone...i don't know how it will affect your chances out here in UK...im in Bavaria and i know they're not too open minded about it here...but i think using again would most definitely not be a good thing either...and i was ready to use directly when i got down to such a low dose...i wasn't ready... don't know if i ever will be...ive been clean almost 4 years now...with a relapse during the time i got down to the .4...but i was rushed in the end of that...clinic screwed up and dropped me a ml every week...which for me was way too fast...anyways...if its really beginning to hurt and your not doing good...my humble opinion from experience...Ive done this twice now...would be to go back up to a dose you feel better on... stabilize and then try again when your ready...its no picnic...but we are all different...it was rough for me... couldn't work and rattle....what does your clinic say ??
Constantine
