|
|
 |
Reply
| |
Hello all, I am new to this whole message board thing, here is my situation. I am in a relationship with a user. He started with heroin then got into morphine and is now on the methadone program at 70 mls a day? He can't get off the whole needle obsession and uses it frequently, on top of the methadone. We have recently seperated as I have a 9 month old daughter with him and I can't handle the insanity anymore. Sure we live a normal life and all....but there is the deep dark secret of his addiction. He has tried quiting numerous times and can't do it. He has been using H for 5 years then morphine for 2 and now methadone since last year...What are some steps that he can take, is there hope....How do you beat 70 mls of meth a day?? How do you conquer love of the needle? |
|
 First
Previous
2-8 of 8
Next
Last
|
|
Reply
| |
Shifting,
Well, first of all I want to tell you that yes, there is hope. And all I can say after that is that it will take time and a lot of motivation on your boy friends part.
He had a heroin habit for 5 year and then morphine for 2.........thats 6 years shooting up. Six years using a needle wont be fixed over night. It will depend on a lot of things how long it will take your friend to get clean and off needles. But in my opinion he is on the right track doing the methadone.
I had a heroin/morphine habit for several years (25) and was on methadone 3 times. Right now is the third time and I started at 70, like your boy friend. I stayed at that dose for about a 2 years and now I am slowly detoxing about 3-5 ml. per month.
And, like your boy friend, I used to shoot up a lot, at the same time as doing the methadone. It took a long time for me to not have to use a needle any more.
I'm not sure what happened, but something just 'clicked' and I got over the craving to shoot up. Maybe it was the fact that I really couldn't feel the heroin anymore over the methadone, or the fact that I didn't want the clinic to find heroin in my urine test, or just that I kept praying and praying. I dont know, but I know that it can be done because I'm proof.
So dont give up hope. Keep him in your prayers/thoughts whatever. I will too.
luv,
sue |
|
Reply
| |
Hey Sue, Thanx for the reply, hopefully he will be able to retire the needle soon, I mean it has been way less frequent since he started methadone of course....also what are the chances of being able to get off 70 mls in a matter of say, 6 months? You are getting lowered now by 3-5 mls a month..is it a big change? He wants the doctor to lower him like 10-15 mls a month. Is that too short of a time to come off methadone? I just wonder if that will make him shoot more due to less meth....I mean I really never know if "this is it, he's really gonna do it this time" because there has been so many attempts. He really wants to get out of this life for us and I just support whatever is the best method for him. We know people that have been on methadone for years and years and it just seems like it is crazy to even try coming off it, worse then Heroin they tell us.... |
|
Reply
| |
Hi Shawdow,
In my opinion coming down 10-15 a month is WAY to fast and If I came down that fast I'd feel sick probably. Then I'd go shoot up because I hate being sick.
Now, I'm not saying it cant be done, it's just a bit to much for most people.
I just want to take my time and do it right, ya know?
If I were your boy friend I'd do what his doctor suggests. Every body is differant, maybe your boyfriend can handle coming down that much.
I'm sure you'll get more replies from people who are more into the medical thing of methadone. I just go how I feel.....and thats why I take it slow.
hang in there,
luv,
sue |
|
Reply
| |
I did not do it on the out side I was able thou for my body anyway to detox in a wk and a half. I was a heroin addict for 10yrs. I then went to prison for 11 months and wanted to straighten up I think that has a lot to do with it, is when you are ready. But I also had the love and support of a good man that I never had before. I hope he does for your childs sake. By the way in my opinion people who stay on methedone for longer than a month are only maintencing there addiction. Because it is a legal high. I kicked in 1 wk and a half. No problems. Because I was ready. I was done. Dont get me wrong people who have been on it for yrs are going to take a lot to get off of it. To me methedone does more damge than good as far as the affects on the body go. I am glad I never stayed on it for long. And I have tried it more than once. I would use on top of the methedon and get a seriously out there high. The last time I wanted to stop. |
|
Reply
| |
Wandalynn,
God Bless you that you have been able to rid your
body of your active addiction while you were incarcerated and today you
are clean and I pray that each day will bring you the same blessings.
I have been involved with methadone for 4 decades either as a recipient
of the medication or as an advocate helping others in the world of
opiate addiction or as an clinician working with people in recovery.
Methadone has endured almost 50 years of myths,mis-information,bad
clinics, bad politics and the stigma that goes along with just being
an addict in search of the right treatment.
If someone in this forum told me that they used peanut brittle to beat
their active addiction, I would say to them I am glad that you found
something that worked for you and the important thing is we are both at
the same place in our recovery taking different routes on our journey
but we both arrived and that is the point of my silly example of
people taking different paths to reach the same destination as that is
all that should be important when we are blessed and given a new day in
order to keep working our
process.
Methadone is one of the safest drugs that one can take when it is
prescribed and consumed properly, the problem is we judge the medication
by looking at someone who was not ready for recovery no matter what
modality of treatment was being used if someone wants to play with their
treatment and use while taking just enough of methadone so that they
don't have to worry about w/d then that is the responsibility of the
patient and then the other responsibility falls on the clinic is not
properly following up with the patient. If you are on a blocking dose of
methadone then this person would loose the incentive to use because no
matter how much heroin he/she would use it would not have any effect but
those that want to work the system will have the opportunity if they are
at the wrong clinic or the right one for their purpose.
Opiate addiction is a brain disease and I know there are those who
disagree but this isn't my opinion it is scientific data that backs this
and with any disease there will be those who will be able to make it
through treatment without medication and there will be those that will
need medication for a limited time while their bodies heals itself and
then there will be those that will require medication for life not
because they have no will power or that they are weak, they require this
medication only because their bodies no longer produce enough endorphins
that the receptor sites require and without enough of these chemicals
one will suffer from cravings,depression,and other problems that stem
from the body not producing necessary chemicals that our brain requires
in order to function properly.
I don't want to take up everyone's time and bore you with allot of
scientific jargon but on this website there is information and it can be
easily found on the web, you can go to Nida.gov or just put nida in the
search engine and put in addiction as a brain disease. Also on
www.methadone.org you will find many links and allot of information on
methadone and addiction. I attend different methadone conferences and
harms reduction conferences along with other related seminars that have
taught me a ton of stuff and meeting folks from all over the world,
doctors, scientists,researchers,other clinicians and folks in recovery
by way of medicated assisted treatment or a 12 step program,
or using their spirituality and combination of it all.
Stay well
Claude
Wandalynn_route66 wrote:
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> New Message on Heritics of Heroin
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> From: Wandalynn_route66
> Message 5 in Discussion
>
> I did not do it on the out side I was able thou for my body anyway to detox in a wk and a half. I was a heroin addict for 10yrs. I then went to prison for 11 months and wanted to straighten up I think that has a lot to do with it, is when you are ready. But I also had the love and support of a good man that I never had before. I hope he does for your childs sake. By the way in my opinion people who stay on methedone for longer than a month are only maintencing there addiction. Because it is a legal high. I kicked in 1 wk and a half. No problems. Because I was ready. I was done. Dont get me wrong people who have been on it for yrs are going to take a lot to get off of it. To me methedone does more damge than good as far as the affects on the body go. I am glad I never stayed on it for long. And I have tried it more than once. I would use on top of the methedon and get a seriously out there high. The last time I wanted to stop.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> To stop getting this e-mail, or change how often it arrives, go to your E-mail Settings.
> http://groups.msn.com/HeriticsofHeroin/_emailsettings.msnw
>
> Need help? If you've forgotten your password, please go to Passport Member Services.
> http://groups.msn.com/_passportredir.msnw?ppmprop=help
>
> For other questions or feedback, go to our Contact Us page.
> http://groups.msn.com/contact
>
> If you do not want to receive future e-mail from this MSN group, or if you received this message by mistake, please click the "Remove" link below. On the pre-addressed e-mail message that opens, simply click "Send". Your e-mail address will be deleted from this group's mailing list.
> mailto:[email protected]
>
>
>
|
|
Reply
| |
Shifting Shadow, Hi and welcome to H of H. Im not a heroin addict but I have heard many recovering addicts say the love of the needle and the addiction to that was as strong if not stronger then the H itself. I hope you check out the links on Methadone. I know of many people who have come off methadone, but it has to be done very very slowly. Your boyfriend didnt get deep into opiate use overnight and hes not going to be free of methadone overnight. I hope you stay here and learn as much as you can about the disease, Love Karen |
|
Reply
| |
Hi Shifting Shadows, I am a recovering I.V. H addict who used for quite a few years. I tried Methadone, only to go back to shooting dope because it really interfered with my high (imagine that). They, the courts and my counselors, thought I needed to quit shooting dope so we tried this way. Didn't work for me. Hated it. I do remember that I was on 150mg per day and when I came off of it, I weaned off fairly quickly only because I had to dope to help (if I can say that it helped) me. A friend of mine was on Methadone for years and said when he got clean it was a nightmare and he would never use it again. We were in a recovery program together and he said that he was sicker than detoxing off H and it last waaaay longer. When I got clean this time, I realized, for the first time, that I was as addicted to the needle as I was the drug (and the lifestyle). I romanced my needle! And it took a while for me to realize this and say it out loud. Thanks to some really good friends and people who care about me, I was able to see it for what it is. . . another addiction. I will never tell you that it's easy, because for me, it is hard as hell. There are days when I would almost f***ing kill for just one more bag. . . but today I am not willing to suffer the consequences of doing just "one more." I know for me, I really had to reach my bottom before I was ready and willing to try something different. Unfortunately for me, like many others, my bottom was pretty damn low, but it took me where it took me. Hang in there and things do get better. |
|
|
First
Previous
2-8 of 8
Next
Last
|
|
|
Free Forum Hosting
Important Announcement
Return to Methadone