Sundays, i really can't stand them too much time to think.
This week Friday there was a documentary on uk tv Channel 4 and it was disturbing to say the least, the reporter a Dr was an ex H addict and he was going around talking to other addicts interviewing them as they took their methadone, a prostitute hustling for enough for a bag, an ex addict etc etc.
Statistics only 4% of methadone addicts ever quit.
Average time for an addict to spend with a drug worker 7.5 minutes.
Half of all uk crime is drug related.
60% of the prisoners in our prisons have a drug problem - in three prisons that figure rises to 80%
Heroin addiction is on the increase as the drug of choice.
Then he goes to Sweden - very disturbing pictures of addicts shooting up in a freezone an area where they can use legally and get needles and citric. These images are commonplace viewing on Swedish tv as a result Heroin is no longer seen as rebellious and trendy - horrible images. Crime in Sweden is halved and Heroin use reduces.
Then he talks to a senior police officer who walks around London pointing out every doorway where a deal is being done it's a cliche he says but yes drugs are on every corner drop an addict anywhere they've never been before with money and they'll score within the hour. The detective says the only way forward is to take it out of the hands of the criminals to prescribe synthetic Heroin to addicts, no dealers, no scoring he though the crime rate would go down and from synthetic Heroin there was a better chance of recovery.
Cut to a Dr who had patients who were prescribed H and were in recovery she said methadone was a totally different drug which had worse WD's than H and the side effects were awful but politically kept under wraps. She said her patients all scored on top of their meth but didn't score on top of their synthetic H and so were now following a strict tapering schedule.
So what does anyone think?
Here apparently whether you can get the prescribed H depends in which Health Authority you live.
My man has hardly spoke since Friday he keeps saying 4% have I only got a 4% chance of kicking this - I say statistics what do they know.
4% is pretty much no chance light and tunnel are disappearing.
I hate Sundays.
Any thoughts?
k
x
Statistics only 4% of methadone addicts ever quit. My thoughts ........I did quit m-done i got up to 130mg. YES BY FAR AND WIDE it was harder to detox from then H. I felt terrible DID NOT sleep right and hurt for nearly 2 months. I left the clinic at 30mg which is the START dose. I had to pay for it all "out of pocket" and the clinic was a hour drive away i had no car. I could not do it i was homeless at that time. I detoxed out real fast got real real sick. My brother used to share a lil 10-20 mg here and there with me after i had detoxed... out of his take home m-done. It can be stoped and it is hard. My brother was forced to quit mdone he was detoxed out because he had 3 + drug test. HERE in the USA if you test dirty they can take your dose down and detox you out. Over-seas things are ran a bit better. Here in USA i bet the rate is more then 4% because our clinics are all about money. If you can't pay your not getting a dose. They drug test you here and you have to see a counslor or they detox and put you out.
I quit h and mdone. Addictions a monster that's my thoughts. I don't know any suggestions to fix things. It's all a huge sad mess. There is not much help in the USA for the H addict. As crappy as m-done can be IT IS A BETTER OPTION to be on it then H.. It is not cut with unknowns that could kill you. It's legal if it's from a doctor. It can balance one out. It's safer then street dope, i'ld take that 4% and go with it. Methadone is the lesser of the two evil.
I quit h and mdone. Addictions a monster that's my thoughts. I don't know any suggestions to fix things. It's all a huge sad mess. There is not much help in the USA for the H addict. As crappy as m-done can be IT IS A BETTER OPTION to be on it then H.. It is not cut with unknowns that could kill you. It's legal if it's from a doctor. It can balance one out. It's safer then street dope, i'ld take that 4% and go with it. Methadone is the lesser of the two evil.
Those stats sound right to me. Those 4 percent that get off m done for good really have to break a cycle like no other.
I think if there were "free zones " here in the states ,although it sounds like it would keep things under control- - would end up being a disaster.
In the mean time ,I remain one of the 96 percent who drinks my dose every day,goes to work,stays out of trouble, has relationships with my kid & mom that are good (some days better they others)
Of course I deal with some side effects that are unpleasant, but right now ,mdon seems to keep me functioning like any drug free person and with more street smarts than many will ever have,-Not that that is a good thing or a bad thing- - but it makes me feel less naive than many others when they try to convince me of my evil ways.
I go back & forth with the m done for life debate- -however,the documentaries you see on TV are not a picture of my life & that gets me annoyed.
Some people just cant get comfortable physcally,mentally or spiritually while drinking a legal medicine prescribed for a specific decease- - Ive come to terms with it for now.
Many of you will probably remember my failed attempts to get off for good.- They were all unsuccessful. So when & if I feel it nessercery or problematic ,Ill try again- until then.- - Im a harmless ,contributing member of society- and if there were legal ways to do heroin in the states, I would have to pass.
2am thoughts,
jack
I think if there were "free zones " here in the states ,although it sounds like it would keep things under control- - would end up being a disaster.
In the mean time ,I remain one of the 96 percent who drinks my dose every day,goes to work,stays out of trouble, has relationships with my kid & mom that are good (some days better they others)
Of course I deal with some side effects that are unpleasant, but right now ,mdon seems to keep me functioning like any drug free person and with more street smarts than many will ever have,-Not that that is a good thing or a bad thing- - but it makes me feel less naive than many others when they try to convince me of my evil ways.
I go back & forth with the m done for life debate- -however,the documentaries you see on TV are not a picture of my life & that gets me annoyed.
Some people just cant get comfortable physcally,mentally or spiritually while drinking a legal medicine prescribed for a specific decease- - Ive come to terms with it for now.
Many of you will probably remember my failed attempts to get off for good.- They were all unsuccessful. So when & if I feel it nessercery or problematic ,Ill try again- until then.- - Im a harmless ,contributing member of society- and if there were legal ways to do heroin in the states, I would have to pass.
2am thoughts,
jack
Methadone.... it's a catch 22, good and bad whatever way you look at it! Whilst in prison it's the only thing the docs were prepared to offer me, i asked for Naltrexone for 6 months but they always told me to chase my tail.The only reason i didn't go on the Meth was cos the last time i was on it i put on loadsa weight and it made be sweaty like god knows what! I know alot of people it has helped though.
I think what they have done in sweden should be considered here in the UK, but could you see the Tories allowing that??? Don't think so(lock them up springs to mind) Also i think the Government is wanting more n more people on the Meth so the crime figures go down.
As far as legal H is concerned it would be a good thing for crime ect, but then a bad thing in other aspects, Good post Jazwan. What was the programme called? My sis has got that 4 on demand i'd like to watch it, Regards, Kev
I think what they have done in sweden should be considered here in the UK, but could you see the Tories allowing that??? Don't think so(lock them up springs to mind) Also i think the Government is wanting more n more people on the Meth so the crime figures go down.
As far as legal H is concerned it would be a good thing for crime ect, but then a bad thing in other aspects, Good post Jazwan. What was the programme called? My sis has got that 4 on demand i'd like to watch it, Regards, Kev
Yeh ..Jaz scarey stats and thoughts...im with Jack in the 96% of people on methd. but function normally in most ways...sumtimes alot better than people not on it...thats life.
The freezone sites i think are a brilliant idea...an addicts gonna do his gear either way ..so why not have some harm reduction..and as the Swedish studies have shown it works.Heroin was prescribed to addicts in U.K until the early 70s...legal H...overprecsribing by some docs lead to this being stopped...enter the Dangerous Drugs Act...which stopped this practice...so who steps in ...the criminal gangs...if you take the commodity from them they got f*** all.Decriminalisation not legality i think is the answer...coz its true an addict with cash can score most places...but if caught with a small amount he/she should be let of with a caution ...just like ganja in the U.K.Just my angle.......Davey
The freezone sites i think are a brilliant idea...an addicts gonna do his gear either way ..so why not have some harm reduction..and as the Swedish studies have shown it works.Heroin was prescribed to addicts in U.K until the early 70s...legal H...overprecsribing by some docs lead to this being stopped...enter the Dangerous Drugs Act...which stopped this practice...so who steps in ...the criminal gangs...if you take the commodity from them they got f*** all.Decriminalisation not legality i think is the answer...coz its true an addict with cash can score most places...but if caught with a small amount he/she should be let of with a caution ...just like ganja in the U.K.Just my angle.......Davey
i dont no if its true but i was told hitler used to give methadone to the jews???blackrosesmum
I thought he gave it to the soldiers ... anyone know??
Oh boy, I wish I was in charge, really I do. I can well believe that stat of 4%. I'd get everybody off meth, and onto subs. I know quite a few people who have got clean via subs. I never kicked meth properly, coz you still think like a junkie, every day waking up wanting your fix. Subs have got such a long half life that when I was on 16mgs, I could go 48 hrs without withdrawing, but I dosed every 24, and that kept me stable, and just allowed me to start thinking about other things, instead of drugs.
And drug workers, well, I had a brilliant drugs team, but in order for them to be effective there has to be a serious desire to get clean. Many people get in with the drugs team just to get methadone, not because they want to quit, but because they want to have meth to tide them over during dry spells. Which is why subs tend to sort the men from the boys in quitting terms. If you're on subs and you're drug tested a couple of times a week, then you either stick to the programme or you get booted off it. I'm afraid I don't have much time for people who waste those valuable and scarce resources when they've got no intention of getting clean. I'm talking about in the UK where treatment is free if you can get on the government programmes. I know that I wasted a lot of those valuable and scarce resources during my drugs career. And I had no intention of getting clean, not really. I just wanted a meth script to keep the cluck at bay when I was too skint to score, or couldn't get hold of any gear in the middle of the night. And in all honesty, all the counselling, all the time spent with my shrink and my drug worker didn't do me any good at all, until I wanted to get clean. You just can't help someone who doesn't want to help themselves.
Sooo. I reckon the government should phase out methadone, or at least use it as a last resort, and should give the methadone patients a choice - wean down over say 12 - 24month period on order to get down to 30 - 40mls of meth, then swap to subs or face losing their script entirely. Sure, I think a lot of addicts would end up losing their scripts, but not those who really want to get clean. And think of all the people who could benefit in that scenario. Think of all the resources that would be freed up if we managed to get rid of the time wasters and could put all the resources into helping those with a genuine desire to get clean. Lets face it, the current system is failing everybody. Target those people who really want help, and that stat of 4% will be blown out of the water, believe me. And nobody would be excluded. If you want help you can have it, all the help you could think of, addiction specialist psychiatrists, support workers, drug workers, counsellors, medical support, housing support, even financial support, but it has to be my way or the highway. Subutex. Twice weekly drug tests. Three strikes and you're out.
I think that is fair, and would be much more successful than the current system of just doling out methadone and leaving everybody to their own devices.
What do you reckon guys - good manifesto, or am I just a militant hardliner?
love
Diff xxx
And drug workers, well, I had a brilliant drugs team, but in order for them to be effective there has to be a serious desire to get clean. Many people get in with the drugs team just to get methadone, not because they want to quit, but because they want to have meth to tide them over during dry spells. Which is why subs tend to sort the men from the boys in quitting terms. If you're on subs and you're drug tested a couple of times a week, then you either stick to the programme or you get booted off it. I'm afraid I don't have much time for people who waste those valuable and scarce resources when they've got no intention of getting clean. I'm talking about in the UK where treatment is free if you can get on the government programmes. I know that I wasted a lot of those valuable and scarce resources during my drugs career. And I had no intention of getting clean, not really. I just wanted a meth script to keep the cluck at bay when I was too skint to score, or couldn't get hold of any gear in the middle of the night. And in all honesty, all the counselling, all the time spent with my shrink and my drug worker didn't do me any good at all, until I wanted to get clean. You just can't help someone who doesn't want to help themselves.
Sooo. I reckon the government should phase out methadone, or at least use it as a last resort, and should give the methadone patients a choice - wean down over say 12 - 24month period on order to get down to 30 - 40mls of meth, then swap to subs or face losing their script entirely. Sure, I think a lot of addicts would end up losing their scripts, but not those who really want to get clean. And think of all the people who could benefit in that scenario. Think of all the resources that would be freed up if we managed to get rid of the time wasters and could put all the resources into helping those with a genuine desire to get clean. Lets face it, the current system is failing everybody. Target those people who really want help, and that stat of 4% will be blown out of the water, believe me. And nobody would be excluded. If you want help you can have it, all the help you could think of, addiction specialist psychiatrists, support workers, drug workers, counsellors, medical support, housing support, even financial support, but it has to be my way or the highway. Subutex. Twice weekly drug tests. Three strikes and you're out.
I think that is fair, and would be much more successful than the current system of just doling out methadone and leaving everybody to their own devices.
What do you reckon guys - good manifesto, or am I just a militant hardliner?
love
Diff xxx
Well said Diff...I've heard lots of good stories about subbies, but up here you don't get them. You get them in Edinburgh and Glasgow but not here in dundee. I think you need to go private to get them up this neck of the woods. Top notch manifesto by the way!
It was subs that got me clean in the end. You know recently I've been trying to work out which came first - the desire to get clean or the subs. I know that when I first went onto subs, I stuck to it at first, then as the monitoring sort of eased off a bit, I started cheating. I was only seeing my drug worker once a fortnight, so I took advantage, starting spitting my subs, spending a few days a week getting loaded. But one day I just woke up to myself - who was I trying to kid! I wasn't cheating the system, I was cheating myself, the stupid foolish girl that I was. And I just got it together after that. But I don't know if it was the time that I spent on subs, the clearheaded time, that gave me that insight, or if I just got there on my own. Maybe it was a bit of both...
love
diff xxx
love
diff xxx
I didn't get clean intentionally, i got sent to prison. Whilst in prison i noticed that i hadn't been that happy in years. My mates used to say to me " Kev, how can you be happy in a place like this?" But, the kit f***ing depresses you, eh? That's why i was so adament that i get on the Naltrexone, and obvoiusly life isn't always hunky dorey, but since getting out everything has beren sweet. So, in a way getting the jail was the best thing that happened to me.
hi kev - you know, when I was on probation, I had to go back to court for another minor offence and my probation officer asked me if I wanted to request a DTTO. He said that if I was serious about wanting help to get clean that was my best option. He was right of course, but at the time I'd rather just pay the fine and do another year of probation. I guess I can't have been that serious about getting clean at the time. But in a way not doing a DTTO helped, coz the fact that I had no drug worker, therefore no script, it accelerated my decline, pushed up the ante, got me deeper into the criminal lifestyle, dealing etc, which ultimately tipped the terror/thrill equilibrium in the favour of terror. And that got me into the frame of mind I had to be in, in order to WANT to get clean. Anyway, it all worked out good in the end, so who cares how i got there...
love
Diff xxx
love
Diff xxx
Before i was sent to prsion, the weeks leading up to it i was in some state. Thinking about it now getting the jail probobly saved my life. From Jan til March 2006 i was on a path of self destruction taking as much H and as many Valium as i could and getting up to alot of mischief and just being one big ball of depression. Thinking of the state i was in and also about doing a rattle again, that's what keeps me clean... I'm defo not going back to that again. That was my rock bottom.......The only way is up (As Yazz used to say)
What do you reckon guys - good manifesto, or am I just a militant hardliner?
love
Diff xxx
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I vote - militant hard liner !!!
who loves ya baby!!
jack
love
Diff xxx
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I vote - militant hard liner !!!
who loves ya baby!!
jack
