Wife Needs Help

I have been married for 6 months and had an Idea that my new husband was popping pills, I asked him he said no. I then watched and waited until the perfect time. I confronted him and he told me that he has been taking lortabs for 15 years. since a back operation. He wants to stop and go through WD at home how as a wife can I help him and what can I expect?? please help I don't know what to do...
WD can be a pretty horrible thing. My dad tried to do it at home but couldnt take the pain so he went to rehab and was detoxed and now he's in counseling. But if you see the topic Need Advice Please! on the next page it has things you can do to ease the pain of WD,
What type of pills is he taking? It's going to be tough no matter what. They say that it's impossible to do yourself, but personally, I think it's a matter of opinion. It's going to be the hardest thing that both of you go through. Addiction is a very serious disease, and especially after 15 years.
It's very dangerous to do at home on your own without professional supervision and proper medications. For this reason, the best thing to do is a taper and decrease his intake each day little by little, this way his withdrawl won't be as hard. (Don't get me wrong it's still going to be hell) He's going to feel like he has the worst flu he's ever had in his life. If he works, he will probably need to take a few days off.
Hot and cold sweats, diarrehea, headaches, vomitting, depression, aches and pains are all just a few of the side effects he will have.
Depending on how many pills he takes each day and what type they are, there are some things he could take while withdrawing to help him. It could be dangerous to stop cold turkey because theses types of medications can be hard on his heart, especially when his body has become used to having it each day and all of a sudden it's not there anymore. He needs to be careful. Once he gets through the withdrawl which could take a couple weeks before he starts to feel functional again, he is going to have to deal with the immense craving to take the pills again...this is the HARDEST part.
Thats when you will need to be there for him the most. You also need to understand that it's not because he is weak that he wants to give in and take them again, but it's because he has depleted the natural pain relievers in his brain and the natural receptors that cause happiness. It's going to be a while before he can get that back, and in the mean time when he starts to crave the pills, his brain is going to be telling him "Just take them, it's the only thing that will make you feel better" No matter how much he wanted to stop...he is going to have to deal with this horrible feeling...
It's going to be hard for you to realize what he is going through and how he is feeling, when you're not going through the same thing. You can't just think that because he hasn't done the pills in a week that he has recovered. Doctors and rehab centers are now starting to say that insurance should cover at least a 90 day stay in rehab facilities, because anything less, will not work...that just goes to show you how long the recovery is going to be. He might feel better after a month or so, but he will be at a very high risk to fall back into his old ways for quite a while after he stops. Good luck, I hope this helps, if you want to talk more about anything let me know.
Dani
Thankyou for the response, I feel scared and confused. I have never been exposed to anything like this before I didn't realize that pain pill addiction was sush a problem in this country. I am also scared that my husband is lying to me and just telling me what I want to hear, I am just concerned about his health and the well being of his 13 year old son. does anyone know any websites for alanon isn't that the place for family members to get help??I bought a house away from town to try to get him away from these type of people and around positive people. This is going to be one hell of a honeymoon hu? well this will be the test to see if we can survive, If we can make it through this we'll be okay.
My mom and I went to an NA meeting to see what they were like so we could help my dad along his road to recovery. They were really helpful, a real eyeopener and they can give you info that you can use
This is a site I found to help deal with my wife. http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/forumd...isplay.php?f=23
Other people with the same problems.
I was thinking I was all alone and these on this site and that one have helped so very much.
Only problem for me it made me a bit scared at what was really going to be happening.
I hope that is a help Ken
I'm kinda like you. I just found out my husband has been taking lortabs for 6 months (that he's admitted to anyway). He went into a rehab center to detox and get better one week ago Friday. He's doing much better, but still wants to come home when the insurance runs out (in 8 days). I'm trying to discourage him from leaving treatment too soon. My sister in law is a nurse and said everyone she talked to said not to quit cold turkey or on your own. I thank God my husband decided to get help. I had no idea until he told me on that Friday afternoon. Now, looking back so many things make sense. I hope your husband decides to stop using and get help. Keep me updated. Please contact me if you have any questions. I'm still learning too, so be patient with me! beekaycro@alltel.net