I have been a drug addict and alcoholic for 20 years. 10 years ago I took my first opiate pill. Since then I have been to rehab many many times, detox's, fighting against opiate addiction. In 10 years I have had - 1 year 6 months straight clean time off everything - multiple 4 month and 6 month. I'm basically used to just cold turkey withdrawl or a inpatient detox. I continue to relapse all the time and try and get clean. My life is completely a disaster now. Like I have nothing. It's not all just opiates. I'm a complete iv drug user and alcoholic. We all know how brutal opiate addiction is. Having said that I'd consider myself a mild user of opiate in comparison to other ppl. however, objectively at this moment I have nothing. going back to treatment tomorrow or next day.
I do not have judge people on methadone, however, I never personally used it as a way out of my addiction. Where I live it's only becoming more easily available. I always believed I could get clean methadone free. I plan on going in long term treatment. I just went through two weeks of hell just getting of my mild opiate use, I just used a pill today. Even my mild use seems to drag out. I'm worried like crazy of getting on methadone to only want to get off. I''ve only heard horror stories. But I can't seem to function or have any balance in life. Please advise . thanks.
I would say that unless your life depends on it ,don't fool with methadone. At least this is the advice I wish someone had given to me 10 years ago... good luck.
I totally understand where you are coming from. I withdrew countless times and remained clean for several months. Or go to a sober living house. like i said the longest time i had complete sober off all drugs and booze. 1 year and 6 months. I was could never stop the thought of using. I do not know if this is different. I mean withdrew from pills. So what I am saying. I can be a sitting duck in rehab and plot my relapse no matter how many months clean before.
I know that's what addiction is, but with opiate addiction, one relapse always leads back to dope sick and f***ing your entire life up. I"m just looking at this from a logical perspective. 10 years of fighting opiate addiction. I even had periods where i only used once or twice a week. get away with that then end up hooked and sick again. I'm so sick of being sick and relpasing. My life today is a total mess. I lost countless jobs this year. I have nothing. family doesnt want anything to do with me. im basically homeless and have no money or food waiting to get into a detox centre and try this absinitence thing all over again. Like wtf? I'm not saying the methadone route is the ticket but i do know of some people who do hold jobs and have some consistentcy whether or not they are completetly sober off other drugs. I'd love to just go to detox and rehab, and a sober living house and build up this determination and be a AA star and tell my story and remain clean and sober. Just a really tough decsion. Doctors are telling me to get on suboxone. I decline time after time. I'm a real fighter and i feel like im giving in by taking methadone. but man i beat and broke and at this moment just a little pill sick not bad but just enough to make me depressed and no energy and just want to do nothing except be depressed. so i go to detox tomorrow with willing arms to put me on something. tell me not to and tell me im going to make it without.
I know that's what addiction is, but with opiate addiction, one relapse always leads back to dope sick and f***ing your entire life up. I"m just looking at this from a logical perspective. 10 years of fighting opiate addiction. I even had periods where i only used once or twice a week. get away with that then end up hooked and sick again. I'm so sick of being sick and relpasing. My life today is a total mess. I lost countless jobs this year. I have nothing. family doesnt want anything to do with me. im basically homeless and have no money or food waiting to get into a detox centre and try this absinitence thing all over again. Like wtf? I'm not saying the methadone route is the ticket but i do know of some people who do hold jobs and have some consistentcy whether or not they are completetly sober off other drugs. I'd love to just go to detox and rehab, and a sober living house and build up this determination and be a AA star and tell my story and remain clean and sober. Just a really tough decsion. Doctors are telling me to get on suboxone. I decline time after time. I'm a real fighter and i feel like im giving in by taking methadone. but man i beat and broke and at this moment just a little pill sick not bad but just enough to make me depressed and no energy and just want to do nothing except be depressed. so i go to detox tomorrow with willing arms to put me on something. tell me not to and tell me im going to make it without.
Hey Joey, Methadone is a whole other beast. Was on it for years and still taking 20 diludads a day. If you have exhausted all other options I would look into going the sub route. Look up Robert325 sub taper plan. If followed to the letter it Works. Good luck on your journey..
Thanks, the horror stories of methadone really deter me. I just watch people come into the detox centre all the time , just young people, maybe only used for 6 months because pills were availble and they put them on methadone on the spot. They think I'm the idiot going through withdrawls because i want off dope. i mean people like 20 years old on banging maybe 2 or 3 eights a day to methadone. they are finally supporting subxone more now. Just reading these horror stories really makes me think twice but i'm sick now and if i had money id use. maybe ill consider suboxone. though it's really costly and i can't afford it.
Hey Joey, I quit cold turkey off Massive amounts of methadone and diluads. It was Awful, the worst of the wds for me lasted 21days, from the bed to the toilet,ughh awful like the flu times 10 but I made it out the other side now over 7 months clean... You can do this just really have to want this for yourself. I wouldn't change a thing if that devil whispers in my ear the horrific traumatic wds deter me.
basically i left may1st and hoped a plane to another city. i did this to get off pills. to me my withdrawal was horrendous. i did not vomit, just awful though. so after two weeks of barley getting my energy back. i stayed with a friend who is on 150mg of methadone. that was may15th to june6th. Even though most withdrawals were over i took 10mls a day for two weeks. just set me back. in the last week i had two diluadids 8s. I still feel a bit s***ty. And im going into treatment tomorrow. i was seriously considering methadone because i just want to feel better. feel good. feel like i have energy. Im scared to go through another 5 -7months of treatment, sober living house then relapse. although i know i can do this without. i know my withdrawals are peanuts compared to other users and people trying to drop methadone. It''s a move I make can affect the rest of my life -- this is like a real life changer -- i can't even imagine how horrible those withdrawals would be when i could barley come off mild pill use. Though my life is in ruins and im so f***ed. i started feeling i can get the motivation to live drug free. maybe those withdrawals were your like rock bottom or whatever and maybe my life at the moment is. i have no where to live, no job, no money, no food, my family hates me, im alwawys drunk and banging coke, and im sitting here with a few days sober waiting to get into detox. id use if i had money but im too tired and depressed to find a way to make that work. im just done trying to get a fix. so if i can sit here sober with lethergic feeling in my body and probably mild restless tonight im on my way i hope. just dont want the devil on my shoulder in two months plotting my relaspe after i build myself up again. thats the only reason i want to condsider methadone.. but i can't imagine the chain cuffs and horrible withdrawal of wanting off methadone. i like how look healthy when im clean. i think it's possible.
Hey Joey,have you been to NA? I'll keep checking in on you tnght definitely don't use as you know a downhill slide.
Joey, everyone's rock bottom is different. I have gotten some clean time and things are starting to come together for me. Relationship with family and friends, I was all Alone for many many years,with my best friend Opiates...ughh Awful. What a fn mess I created in my wake. But I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. An addict alone is bad company. For me death was inevitable...
Thanks Lvg, I have been to many NA meetings. I'm known by lots of members and have lots of contacts.
I will not use tonight. I have no desire to manipulate, lie, or steal my way to a fix. I always had this thing I have to go to detox completely out of my mind but really you end up bringing half the things you need and try and get the rest delivered haha.
Not really sure what to say. But this methadone thing has been on my mind. Basically because I want to feel better now. I never been down the road. Im not that sick I can't wake up in the morning. I been through the worst already. I'm worried about the future. that's a fail i know.
But it's a touch choice. but it's also been a while i been to long term treatment i mean like 6 to 8 months so hopefully during that time. I can get recovery and put my temptations to rest.
methadone will stop me from using pills iv but then i could do every other drug and iv you coke and drink my face off and still get my methadone. just won't get my carries. and wont get dope sick. i so sick of being dope sick.
i been contemplating this for years. so is it a fix methadone i do not know. i do know that it's a hard choice "for me" at this moment. ill keep yas updated.
I will not use tonight. I have no desire to manipulate, lie, or steal my way to a fix. I always had this thing I have to go to detox completely out of my mind but really you end up bringing half the things you need and try and get the rest delivered haha.
Not really sure what to say. But this methadone thing has been on my mind. Basically because I want to feel better now. I never been down the road. Im not that sick I can't wake up in the morning. I been through the worst already. I'm worried about the future. that's a fail i know.
But it's a touch choice. but it's also been a while i been to long term treatment i mean like 6 to 8 months so hopefully during that time. I can get recovery and put my temptations to rest.
methadone will stop me from using pills iv but then i could do every other drug and iv you coke and drink my face off and still get my methadone. just won't get my carries. and wont get dope sick. i so sick of being dope sick.
i been contemplating this for years. so is it a fix methadone i do not know. i do know that it's a hard choice "for me" at this moment. ill keep yas updated.
Joey, You have to want this for yourself. Clean off all Drugs... Methadone replacing one drug for another. I know you know the drill.. So with that said jails, institutions or Death. Your choice. Nothing changes If nothing changes....
I know the drill I sure do. Though I attended meetings right up till my relapse after 1 year and a 6 months. I guess I could attribute it to what ? not my time? I do not think I will use methadone because I don't want that burden of being owned by the clinic then worrying about getting off it.
I also don't want to continue to destroy my life. So it's not working either way. I contacted my sponsor I told him I was going to relapse. I did all the things a recovering addict should do. I can't tell if this is my time or not. But if i don't get a time I'm going downhill everytime. I dont know what to say.
I also don't want to continue to destroy my life. So it's not working either way. I contacted my sponsor I told him I was going to relapse. I did all the things a recovering addict should do. I can't tell if this is my time or not. But if i don't get a time I'm going downhill everytime. I dont know what to say.
Your clean for today, your taking all positive steps towards recovery. It's what you do your actions some of us fail,but it's only a Failure if you don't try and learn from your mistakes.. You can't possibly want to repeat the cycle over and over again. You got this...
It Works if you Work it!!
I do know what you are saying. I guess it may. No gurantee ever on sobriety though. I've seen the hardest AA NA members relpase with 6 years etc etc etc etc. Though I'm not here to pick apart recovery or what works or what might work. How to run a recovery program. How to work it if you work it. Or if you want it enough?
I'm here looking at my life objectively with minimal results with NA and trying to do that way with complete abstinecnce. I do believe in it.
I'm taking a logical approach here.
I definitely do not want to be on methadone/ or really suboxone.
Though I'm 37 I'm not getting any younger and I'm basically homeless because of my addiction.
I do know people who maintain jobs on methadone.
I understand it's your experience on methadone. I really do not want to do it.
So the best you can tell me is work it if you work it? no negitive gesture intended. but i been doing that for 10 years and I don't know what im missing. Not working the steps properly etc etc etc. I'm not talking my way into methadone.
I want a realistic answer to a really bad situation. Not a hope of insight of intention. I mean we don't know the future. But we take what we have learned right??? 10 years and no where.. and figure a way that will work. if the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over by taking that drink or drug.. which you hear all the time at AA or NA. Well doesnt that apply to this. going to meetings over and over and expecting a different result "insanity" since it's been 10 years and im basically homeless. I got no food today. I feel like s***.
So this is just an objective view of this situation. Take it for what it is worth.
I'm here looking at my life objectively with minimal results with NA and trying to do that way with complete abstinecnce. I do believe in it.
I'm taking a logical approach here.
I definitely do not want to be on methadone/ or really suboxone.
Though I'm 37 I'm not getting any younger and I'm basically homeless because of my addiction.
I do know people who maintain jobs on methadone.
I understand it's your experience on methadone. I really do not want to do it.
So the best you can tell me is work it if you work it? no negitive gesture intended. but i been doing that for 10 years and I don't know what im missing. Not working the steps properly etc etc etc. I'm not talking my way into methadone.
I want a realistic answer to a really bad situation. Not a hope of insight of intention. I mean we don't know the future. But we take what we have learned right??? 10 years and no where.. and figure a way that will work. if the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over by taking that drink or drug.. which you hear all the time at AA or NA. Well doesnt that apply to this. going to meetings over and over and expecting a different result "insanity" since it's been 10 years and im basically homeless. I got no food today. I feel like s***.
So this is just an objective view of this situation. Take it for what it is worth.
Forget yesterday,don't worry about tomorrow, what are you going to do for yourself Today...
Thanks
I too struggled with an opiate addiction for 10 years. I've tried to get clean on my own and battled through the nasty feeling of withdrawals oh so many times. and I couldn't kick my habit for the life of me..now I know a lot of people are hesitant when it comes to methadone clinics, I use to be one of them actually. but after trying EVERYTHING else, I gave it a try. and to my surprise, its kept me sober..I've been able to keep a steady job, no more sick days, and my over all head space is so much better. it worked for me and I count my blessings every day. I wanted out so badly and I didn't know what I wasn't doing right, why I couldn't stay sober for more than 6 months at a time. so I am incredibly happy that I chose this way and life is just getting better and better by the day. now, don't get me wrong..I do not think that the clinic is the best choice for everyone. no offense to anyone, but I think that heroin is such a popular thing these days and a lot of 18 year old are just starting experimenting with drugs and unfortunately this is the first thing they try..so they do it for a year or two and then want to quit. which is great, BUT a lot of them think they need to go to a clinic and that's they're only way out. but in reality, I personally think that they'd have a fair chance at just detoxing and going to NA meetings. so on the flip side, I think that people that have battled an opiate addiction for several years and have not been able to kick it on their own and have tried every other option out there..a clinic might be the next thing to try. it worked for me and I can honestly say that with the medication and more so the counseling, I feel deep down inside that I do not ever want to go back. and that's nothing I've felt all the times I've quit before. its not for everyone and I know that we all have our own opinions and that's great, but if I can share how successful my recovery has been on methadone and that it maybe will help someone with that uncertain feeling about what to do, then that is just great! we do recover if we choose it and there is a much better way of life. sometimes its a trial and error process to find it..
@Joey. I am so sorry to hear you are struggling! Addiction is a b**** and it absolutely sucks the life force right out of you!
I am not going to tell you what to do regarding methadone, but I do have a few things to say about it. First of all, when used correctly, meaning not using on top of your dose, getting into counseling, finding social support etc., methadone is the most effective treatment we have for opiate addiction. Every major medical association as well as WHO (world health organization) consider methadone an essential medication for the treatment of opioid addiction.
I hear lots of folks saying it is "trading one addiction for another" or "one drug for another", but being on a stable dose of methadone is completely different from active addiction! The people who usually shout the loudest about how evil methadone is are usually either of the mindset that the NA/AA abstinence model is the only way to recover (it's not) or they have been on a methadone program and failed miserably. You have to remember that methadone is just a tool for recovery. It allows your body and mind to stop screaming so that you can begin working on your core addiction issues. It is not a magic pill, but it has made recovery possible for so many people, myself included.
A little back story for your reading pleasure LOL......I started using opiates almost 20 years ago after a very serious accident. It progressed from pain management, to running out early, to buying on the street, ordering off the darkweb, phoning in fake prescriptions from my job, stealing meds from any and everyone then moving on to heroin to fill the gaps. I had a near fatal overdose about two years into my using. I woke up feeling like death (the Narcan will do that to you!). I had a tube in my throat and inhalation pneumonia from inhailing vomit in the ambulance. I was coughing up so much blood that they had to do a lavage of my lungs (they put you to sleep and rinse and suction all the crap out of them). I had quite a long hospital stay and I swore I would never use again. After I got home I began going to meeting in earnest! I did everythig that was suggested. I got a sponsor, did service and sometimes went to more than one meeting a day. I relapsed within a week!
Over the next 10-15 years I would go to detox or rehab to come out and use again. I tried Suboxone, but it did nothing for my cravings and it barely helped my withdrawal. Suboxone is great fo those with a smaller tolerance and a shorter using history, but I tried it three times and it didn't help me.
I was so tired of the cycle of using, withdrawal, hospitals, detoxes etc. I lost my family's support, lost basically my entire life. I do not know what made me finally try methadone, but the day I did was the day I started taking my life back and the only thing I regret is not starting sooner!
In the beginning, when you have to go every day, can be a bit much for people, but I looked at it as saving time! I would leave my house, drive to the clinic, get dosed, see my counselor and be back in my driveway in an hour. That sure beats waiting for the dopeman or other connect to come through, swearing to you they would be there in"ten minutes", but it really being hours! I would take my dose and then go about living my life and working on my recovery.
Every clinic is different but if you comply with the program by giving clean urines (except for the methadone, of course!lol), seeing your counselor, going to meetings (there are many alternatives to 12 step meetings. SMART recovery, Lifering, SOS, WFS etc are some examples. If you are religious, there are some churches that offer their own groups. Working on repairing your life becomes much easier when you aren't always fighting gut-wretching cravings. Methadone, at a proper dose will take the cravings away. You may have one occassionally sneak up on you, but it will be quick and fleeting!
You probably have heard people say that methadone is "liquid handcuffs". The people that I hear saying this are the ones that do not follow the program. They are the one's that two years later they are still going in every day to dose. I only have to go twice a month, and it takes all of about ten minutes. Ten minutes is a small price to pay for keeping my life together!
I think the reason you only hear horror stories about methadone is because those of us who use it the way it was meant to be used are busy living our lives. We become so removed from the using life and we just quietly go about the business of living! There will always be nay-sayers, but methadone is very effective when used correctly. It is no more intrusive than taking any other medication..especially when you have put in the time and work and no longer have to go to the clinic every day. I know some clinics even give once a month take-homes...that is even less intrusive!
Just remember that methadone is meant to be a long term treatment. That is why it is called "maintenance". The biggest mistake I see is people who get on the clinic for 6 months then start to taper off because they feel better and their lives are getting better! However, what they feel to realize is that the methadone is why they are having the success they are having!
My counselor recommends a minimum of three years on the program before tapering. She says the first year is all about getting your dose adjusted properly, learning to live without the daily hustle of active addiction and learning how to listen. The second year is the beginning of the hard work. Now that you are always on an even keel and you are craving free and never, ever dopesick, you can begin to address the issues that surround your addiction. Healing relationships, securing housing, finding employment etc. are all part of year two. Year three is learning to be responsible with your take home medication, starting new hobbies or interests, going back to school or otherwise fulfilling your dreams for your life. If, and only IF you have done all of this without a slip or relapse, then you could be ready to taper off.
Tapering can be done absolutely painlessly. It takes a long time, but the key is to go slow. Some people only go down one milligram every two weeks. The slower the better! If you taper too fast, you are setting up your body for withdrawal and it is completely not necessary.
If you choose methadone as one of your recovery tools, do not listen to anyone who says to keep your dose low because "what goes up must come down.". That is completely flawed logic. You need to be on a high enough dose so that you experience no withdrawal symptoms, no cravings and you reach the point of cross tolerance (what people call a "blocking dose") where doing other opiates becomes a moot point because you will not feel it anyway. If you aren't on a therapeutic dose, why bother? A higher dose will not mke your withdrawal harder or more intense..it will simply take longer.
You mentioned that you also have a problem with alcohol. Mixing methadone with alcohol can be deadly. Some clinics (including mine) are very strict about alcohol use. Many places will help you find a place to detox of the alcohol first. I know some people who started methadone and found that it took away their need to drink. Not that it happens to everyone, but I guess for some it is quieting the body and mind so that alcohol becomes less attractive. I am just basing this on anecdotal evidence I have seen from a few people. I am in no way implying that methadone is a treatmnt for alcoholism. Anyway, make sure if you do go the methadone route that you are honest about your alcohol use.
Sorry for this long post! There are tons of horror stories about methadone, but there are a ton of success stories too! Without methadone, I would be dead. No doubt about it..and if I wasn't dead, I would be on my way to dead shortly! I wish I could take back the years of the "getting clean, go to meetings, relapse anyway". I was hesitant to try methadoen because I bought into the abstinence only recovery model. I no longer believe that is the right path for everyone. We all need to find what works, and what doesn't work for us.
I have had some people ask me if I think I am "clean" on methadone. I no longer think of addiction as "dirty" or "clean". Those terms alone contribute to the stigma of opiate abuse! I consider myself in recovery from active addiction. I have said it before and I will say it again (the last time...I swear it! LOL) that addiction has very little to do with the substance and EVERYTHING to do with our thoughts, behaviors and the way we see the world. I could be abstinent from all drugs and still act like an active addict. All I know is today I have my life back and methadone helped me get there.
p.s. please ignore spelling errors etc. I am using my phone and it is way to small a screen to proof read all this,
I am not going to tell you what to do regarding methadone, but I do have a few things to say about it. First of all, when used correctly, meaning not using on top of your dose, getting into counseling, finding social support etc., methadone is the most effective treatment we have for opiate addiction. Every major medical association as well as WHO (world health organization) consider methadone an essential medication for the treatment of opioid addiction.
I hear lots of folks saying it is "trading one addiction for another" or "one drug for another", but being on a stable dose of methadone is completely different from active addiction! The people who usually shout the loudest about how evil methadone is are usually either of the mindset that the NA/AA abstinence model is the only way to recover (it's not) or they have been on a methadone program and failed miserably. You have to remember that methadone is just a tool for recovery. It allows your body and mind to stop screaming so that you can begin working on your core addiction issues. It is not a magic pill, but it has made recovery possible for so many people, myself included.
A little back story for your reading pleasure LOL......I started using opiates almost 20 years ago after a very serious accident. It progressed from pain management, to running out early, to buying on the street, ordering off the darkweb, phoning in fake prescriptions from my job, stealing meds from any and everyone then moving on to heroin to fill the gaps. I had a near fatal overdose about two years into my using. I woke up feeling like death (the Narcan will do that to you!). I had a tube in my throat and inhalation pneumonia from inhailing vomit in the ambulance. I was coughing up so much blood that they had to do a lavage of my lungs (they put you to sleep and rinse and suction all the crap out of them). I had quite a long hospital stay and I swore I would never use again. After I got home I began going to meeting in earnest! I did everythig that was suggested. I got a sponsor, did service and sometimes went to more than one meeting a day. I relapsed within a week!
Over the next 10-15 years I would go to detox or rehab to come out and use again. I tried Suboxone, but it did nothing for my cravings and it barely helped my withdrawal. Suboxone is great fo those with a smaller tolerance and a shorter using history, but I tried it three times and it didn't help me.
I was so tired of the cycle of using, withdrawal, hospitals, detoxes etc. I lost my family's support, lost basically my entire life. I do not know what made me finally try methadone, but the day I did was the day I started taking my life back and the only thing I regret is not starting sooner!
In the beginning, when you have to go every day, can be a bit much for people, but I looked at it as saving time! I would leave my house, drive to the clinic, get dosed, see my counselor and be back in my driveway in an hour. That sure beats waiting for the dopeman or other connect to come through, swearing to you they would be there in"ten minutes", but it really being hours! I would take my dose and then go about living my life and working on my recovery.
Every clinic is different but if you comply with the program by giving clean urines (except for the methadone, of course!lol), seeing your counselor, going to meetings (there are many alternatives to 12 step meetings. SMART recovery, Lifering, SOS, WFS etc are some examples. If you are religious, there are some churches that offer their own groups. Working on repairing your life becomes much easier when you aren't always fighting gut-wretching cravings. Methadone, at a proper dose will take the cravings away. You may have one occassionally sneak up on you, but it will be quick and fleeting!
You probably have heard people say that methadone is "liquid handcuffs". The people that I hear saying this are the ones that do not follow the program. They are the one's that two years later they are still going in every day to dose. I only have to go twice a month, and it takes all of about ten minutes. Ten minutes is a small price to pay for keeping my life together!
I think the reason you only hear horror stories about methadone is because those of us who use it the way it was meant to be used are busy living our lives. We become so removed from the using life and we just quietly go about the business of living! There will always be nay-sayers, but methadone is very effective when used correctly. It is no more intrusive than taking any other medication..especially when you have put in the time and work and no longer have to go to the clinic every day. I know some clinics even give once a month take-homes...that is even less intrusive!
Just remember that methadone is meant to be a long term treatment. That is why it is called "maintenance". The biggest mistake I see is people who get on the clinic for 6 months then start to taper off because they feel better and their lives are getting better! However, what they feel to realize is that the methadone is why they are having the success they are having!
My counselor recommends a minimum of three years on the program before tapering. She says the first year is all about getting your dose adjusted properly, learning to live without the daily hustle of active addiction and learning how to listen. The second year is the beginning of the hard work. Now that you are always on an even keel and you are craving free and never, ever dopesick, you can begin to address the issues that surround your addiction. Healing relationships, securing housing, finding employment etc. are all part of year two. Year three is learning to be responsible with your take home medication, starting new hobbies or interests, going back to school or otherwise fulfilling your dreams for your life. If, and only IF you have done all of this without a slip or relapse, then you could be ready to taper off.
Tapering can be done absolutely painlessly. It takes a long time, but the key is to go slow. Some people only go down one milligram every two weeks. The slower the better! If you taper too fast, you are setting up your body for withdrawal and it is completely not necessary.
If you choose methadone as one of your recovery tools, do not listen to anyone who says to keep your dose low because "what goes up must come down.". That is completely flawed logic. You need to be on a high enough dose so that you experience no withdrawal symptoms, no cravings and you reach the point of cross tolerance (what people call a "blocking dose") where doing other opiates becomes a moot point because you will not feel it anyway. If you aren't on a therapeutic dose, why bother? A higher dose will not mke your withdrawal harder or more intense..it will simply take longer.
You mentioned that you also have a problem with alcohol. Mixing methadone with alcohol can be deadly. Some clinics (including mine) are very strict about alcohol use. Many places will help you find a place to detox of the alcohol first. I know some people who started methadone and found that it took away their need to drink. Not that it happens to everyone, but I guess for some it is quieting the body and mind so that alcohol becomes less attractive. I am just basing this on anecdotal evidence I have seen from a few people. I am in no way implying that methadone is a treatmnt for alcoholism. Anyway, make sure if you do go the methadone route that you are honest about your alcohol use.
Sorry for this long post! There are tons of horror stories about methadone, but there are a ton of success stories too! Without methadone, I would be dead. No doubt about it..and if I wasn't dead, I would be on my way to dead shortly! I wish I could take back the years of the "getting clean, go to meetings, relapse anyway". I was hesitant to try methadoen because I bought into the abstinence only recovery model. I no longer believe that is the right path for everyone. We all need to find what works, and what doesn't work for us.
I have had some people ask me if I think I am "clean" on methadone. I no longer think of addiction as "dirty" or "clean". Those terms alone contribute to the stigma of opiate abuse! I consider myself in recovery from active addiction. I have said it before and I will say it again (the last time...I swear it! LOL) that addiction has very little to do with the substance and EVERYTHING to do with our thoughts, behaviors and the way we see the world. I could be abstinent from all drugs and still act like an active addict. All I know is today I have my life back and methadone helped me get there.
p.s. please ignore spelling errors etc. I am using my phone and it is way to small a screen to proof read all this,
I had a long post written that's now in cyber space so I will just try & say it quicker.
I wanted to say Thank You ti the last poster...They said what I wanted to say eut I don't think I could of expressed it as well.
Anyways I have been on a steady dose of methodone for the past 5 years.In that time one of the best changes is I have a job & have been there for 1 full year so far,
I also attended "group"at the clinic 5 days a week for about my whole first year
Methodone is like any other very strong drug,It must be taken with care,with respect of the dangers there can be.It can be very elpful to those who don't abuse it
or just another drug.It all depends on the person taking it and their desiree to get clean...thank you
Hey NOW its 2018 and Ive been at my job for 2 years & have received 2 raises.Ive had a lot of stress in the past year,but who hasn't? My dose is still the same ,no increase needed,no decrease wanted.The ONLY things I take are,my antidepressant(the same for last 7 yrs)& I smoke weed.I don't drink and I am still feeling fine...Guess that's all I wanted to say
I wanted to say Thank You ti the last poster...They said what I wanted to say eut I don't think I could of expressed it as well.
Anyways I have been on a steady dose of methodone for the past 5 years.In that time one of the best changes is I have a job & have been there for 1 full year so far,
I also attended "group"at the clinic 5 days a week for about my whole first year
Methodone is like any other very strong drug,It must be taken with care,with respect of the dangers there can be.It can be very elpful to those who don't abuse it
or just another drug.It all depends on the person taking it and their desiree to get clean...thank you
Hey NOW its 2018 and Ive been at my job for 2 years & have received 2 raises.Ive had a lot of stress in the past year,but who hasn't? My dose is still the same ,no increase needed,no decrease wanted.The ONLY things I take are,my antidepressant(the same for last 7 yrs)& I smoke weed.I don't drink and I am still feeling fine...Guess that's all I wanted to say
