My name is Martin , I live in Perth, W.A. I found this forum about three month ago and register , since than following every day trough postings. I am using codeine for about 5 years on and off , the last year continuously every day. I remember same time last year , I was happy to take only about 150 mg a day , today I have to have 1200 1500 mg a day . For about one month now I am trying to do something about it , two times I tried to go cold turkey and lasted 2 and 3 days which the last time was more kind of luck of money to buy Nurofen+ rather than sincere desire to stop. Two weeks ago I went to the doctor and he want to admit me to Royal Perth , I was in my second day of withdrawal looking probably not so good but regretfully I did refuse. I cant take any time off from work at the moment. Two hours later I was taking 30 halfs of Nurofen+ . Looking back I often think what was the reason at first which lead me to my addiction probably stress at work and dramas in my personal life definitely contributed. Everything is fine with me as long as I have at least one box of Nurofen + in my system and one box under seat of my car, I know I have to do something about it, otherwise sometime I just feel like killing myself and this is serious. . Altogether this all situation created lots of problems for me , externally from hiding the pills anywhere I can at work to taking some of my home goods to hook shop to cover costs of my habit. Internally I am psychological wreck, my self esteem is at its lowest , panic attacks, rushes, low nutrition, sleepless nights, feeling of sponge brain definitely going worst day by day.. I dont know yet how I am going to quit Im scared to death to even think about familiar felling of withdrawals as my last attempt did make me nearly claiming the walls .. In my kitchen cabinet I have Naltroxen, Diazepam , some clonadine as I learned from this forum and other internet sites to be helpful in withdrawals. Actually I cheated my doctor because he did not want to prescribe Naltroxen until 7th day of my sobriety form Codeine now I understand why as I did not know earlier what exactly Naltroxen does to help.. I read some good stuff about Naltroxen and I want to definitely use it because I do not trust myself even one bit with the temptation But somehow I have to get sober first. I know it can be done, I am a sober alcoholic for five years now somehow I thing it was easier to give up my drinking habit than it will be with codeineI am ashamed over my colleagues from AA meetings because I just replace alcohol with codeine. In result I stoped going to meetings and I knof for the fact that I am only sober from alcohol now because of codeine only. Anyone here on the forum with similar problems will undesteand me perfectly . I was actually thinking about switching to different opiates like Oxycontin and gradually reduce over time. The other alternative is Detox but I just cant take any time off from work and this is serious problem for me
On top of everything I get involved in really nasty conversation today with one of my local chemist .. I am mad at pharmaceutical companies in Australia for selling products with codeine over the counter . Pharmacies make anywhere from 15 to 8 dollars on each box sold ( 48 ) and most of people who work there just dont give dam that codeine is addictive.. They fell sorry ( as someone wrote here ) but they still sell . I was living in the US for 6 years and it is impossible to get codeine products without prescription over the counter..
If anyone can give me advice about replacing Nurofen with Oxycontin I will be grateful. Is this make any sense ? I cant imagine myself going on 150mg a day as far as now , I got cold sweats which is really embarrassing especially at work. I am completely wet in 2-3 seconds, when it first happened to me, I was shock and amazed touching my head, I never sweat that badly
Thank you all,
Martin.
Hi Martin,
Good luck to you. For me, I find that the pills were harder to stay clean from than the drink. I relapsed Oct. 31 2003 on what would have been my two year ann. clean and sober. It was pills that took me back out. I very rarley had an obsession about a drink. From what I've read I think I can relate to what your saying. For me, it was a big load off when I went to that first meeting after I relapsed and got my hand up and got honest. Now, for me, I respect A.A. and don't talk about pills or cocaine etc.. I just simply said I had picked up and was grateful to be back. I have a sponsor and friends that also have a drug addiction
and I save getting specific for those conversations. If I hear someone share about drugs I'll share or I'll most of the time get with that person at the break or after the meeting. I, for me, don't feel it's necessary to go into specifics about the drug of choice during a meeting. For me, picking up is picking up, and an obsession is an obsession, etc.. But, being someone who has had alot of surgeries, and pain, I do need to talk about pills, I just save those talks for friends and my sponsor. Being in A.A. for me, I find I get great feed back from all when I keep it simple and simply say I had a bad day. The times I did mention pills or coke, I could tell the old timers, tuned out, automatically, they hear the word DRUGS, and feel they can't relate. A drug is a drug, but it is different. These were just some things I've learned over time, and it's what works for me. Even my dad, if I were to tell him, I had an obsession, he'd give me some great feedback and suggestions, but, if I were to say to him, I felt like doing a line, for example, he doesn't understand and can't relate. To me it's just all in the head and I understand that, so I find if I word it in a way that everyone can relate to, I get great feedback. After all, I sometimes need direction on how to handle something and not pick up, doesn't matter what the substance is. Hope that makes sence. Anyway, good luck to you, I hope you find your way through this,
I'll be praying for you........Take care.....................God bless.................Bob
Good luck to you. For me, I find that the pills were harder to stay clean from than the drink. I relapsed Oct. 31 2003 on what would have been my two year ann. clean and sober. It was pills that took me back out. I very rarley had an obsession about a drink. From what I've read I think I can relate to what your saying. For me, it was a big load off when I went to that first meeting after I relapsed and got my hand up and got honest. Now, for me, I respect A.A. and don't talk about pills or cocaine etc.. I just simply said I had picked up and was grateful to be back. I have a sponsor and friends that also have a drug addiction
and I save getting specific for those conversations. If I hear someone share about drugs I'll share or I'll most of the time get with that person at the break or after the meeting. I, for me, don't feel it's necessary to go into specifics about the drug of choice during a meeting. For me, picking up is picking up, and an obsession is an obsession, etc.. But, being someone who has had alot of surgeries, and pain, I do need to talk about pills, I just save those talks for friends and my sponsor. Being in A.A. for me, I find I get great feed back from all when I keep it simple and simply say I had a bad day. The times I did mention pills or coke, I could tell the old timers, tuned out, automatically, they hear the word DRUGS, and feel they can't relate. A drug is a drug, but it is different. These were just some things I've learned over time, and it's what works for me. Even my dad, if I were to tell him, I had an obsession, he'd give me some great feedback and suggestions, but, if I were to say to him, I felt like doing a line, for example, he doesn't understand and can't relate. To me it's just all in the head and I understand that, so I find if I word it in a way that everyone can relate to, I get great feedback. After all, I sometimes need direction on how to handle something and not pick up, doesn't matter what the substance is. Hope that makes sence. Anyway, good luck to you, I hope you find your way through this,
I'll be praying for you........Take care.....................God bless.................Bob
Hi Martin,
Sorry, forgot to say, Oxycotin is a b****. When I first got clean thats what I was doing alot of. I could have never done it cold turkey. I've tried a million times.
I had to do detox. I got to the 2nd and 3rd day then the stomach cramps etc.. set in and I was done. If you can't detox/rehab, I suggest getting with a doctor that can help you wean off, maybe even out patient rehab after work as well.
Anyway, good luck to you............Take care.............God bless.............Bob
Sorry, forgot to say, Oxycotin is a b****. When I first got clean thats what I was doing alot of. I could have never done it cold turkey. I've tried a million times.
I had to do detox. I got to the 2nd and 3rd day then the stomach cramps etc.. set in and I was done. If you can't detox/rehab, I suggest getting with a doctor that can help you wean off, maybe even out patient rehab after work as well.
Anyway, good luck to you............Take care.............God bless.............Bob
Hi Martin welcome to the site i live in UK and you can buy a lot of OTC drugs which i find distastefull now that im clean but also the tv adverts try to sell baby meds how bad is that maybe il get up the courage and start a campaign jackie xxx
wow martin hope this doesnt sound bad but.... you seem to know what you should do and cant do....
like you have all the drugs to substitute to make that nasty w/d so much easier.. all the clonidine and such.... and you just know you can do without using that codiene caus all the stress and stuff..... and you just cant do rehab.... but can you die of liver failure can you take time off work for that ....?
oh and you even know who to blame and be angry with.... and which drug to substitute like oxy to not move up the tolerance latter so quickly i suppose is your thinking...?... i sure dont know....
I do wish you luck.... I dont mean to make this sound snippy.. but you really appear quite intelligent... when I got clean they told me my intelligence was going to make it harder bor me to make it.... they said... 'they never seen anyone too dumb for recovery but they had seen so too smart...'....
hope you can make it... but it really does seem like you think you got it all figured out and just want someone to confirm what you already think you know..
Teresa
like you have all the drugs to substitute to make that nasty w/d so much easier.. all the clonidine and such.... and you just know you can do without using that codiene caus all the stress and stuff..... and you just cant do rehab.... but can you die of liver failure can you take time off work for that ....?
oh and you even know who to blame and be angry with.... and which drug to substitute like oxy to not move up the tolerance latter so quickly i suppose is your thinking...?... i sure dont know....
I do wish you luck.... I dont mean to make this sound snippy.. but you really appear quite intelligent... when I got clean they told me my intelligence was going to make it harder bor me to make it.... they said... 'they never seen anyone too dumb for recovery but they had seen so too smart...'....
hope you can make it... but it really does seem like you think you got it all figured out and just want someone to confirm what you already think you know..
Teresa
lol,
I'm sory again, I thought you said replace oxy's with your drug of choice now.
I wouls say deff. don't go on oxy's. everything else in my above post still goes.
Get help with getting off from a professional, but I still say, if at all possible, detox/rehab is the best way to go. It is a matter of life and death, so please think about it, and weigh both sides well, before just saying no way is detox possible. Anyway, good luck Martin, I will be praying for you,
Take care.........................................God bless....................................Bob
I'm sory again, I thought you said replace oxy's with your drug of choice now.
I wouls say deff. don't go on oxy's. everything else in my above post still goes.
Get help with getting off from a professional, but I still say, if at all possible, detox/rehab is the best way to go. It is a matter of life and death, so please think about it, and weigh both sides well, before just saying no way is detox possible. Anyway, good luck Martin, I will be praying for you,
Take care.........................................God bless....................................Bob
