life after opiates

[Rawkus]

I realized a few days ago that i had wasted 4 years of my life on opiates/dope. Jesus time flies. It started after i got back from my deployment in Iraq. I was having the time of my life, young dude with some money in my pocket and out of the army. Stupidly, i had no idea what i was jumping into.

So, i finally decided enough's enough. It's been 8 days so the worst part is over, goddammit my body hurts though and, i haven't sleep for more than an hour or two a night. It's really sad to know that i lost some good friends, did some fucked up shit to people and put myself in some situations that could have turned out pretty bad but I think this is for real this time cause i dont think i can do this all over again. If there's people that have been down this road any advice for staying clean after the hump would be appreciated.

[Penelope]

It happens to the best of us. I won't get into it too much here, but I had a severe benzodiazapine addiction about 5 years ago. I did the outpatient withdrawal, and it was the most hellish experience of my whole life. I made it through. Live and learn. Forgive yourself, and start a new chapter in your life. A wise man says "It don't make you a bad person." Just learn from your mistakes and look toward the future. Hugs.

[Chigworthy]

I don't know what to tell you. I was prescribed vicodin for a year for a back problem. After surgery, the doctor's would have been happy to keep me doped up, and part of me wanted that as well. I was so sick of being reliant on them, that I stopped taking them even while still in some pain. For me, it was just like that. Now, I think of taking a painkiller with disgust, even on days where chronic pain is rampant. Hopefully, you will develop that same disgust, and it will be easy for you.

[angrymissy]

I have been on percocet for a year due to severe back issues. I'm starting a taper down so I can get off them and it's been hard. I don't abuse them, I take them exactly as instructed, but I've needed more and more for pain relief. I had surgery to fix my problem and now I want off.

Did you go cold turkey? That is really rough. If I miss a dose for a day I get restless to the point where I'm uncomfortable. I've got 4 months to go of tapering. Once I get low enough I might just stop early.

If you are still feeling shitty, there are a lot of forums that have tips on what to take to stave off the withdrawal, supplements and OTC stuff, and if you feel comfortable talking to your doctor, there are some scripted meds that can help too.

good luck.

[Space Edge]

Congrats, I've been off "the dope" for 5 years. It gets better each day but you will probably suffer some PAWS(Post Acute Withdrawals) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post–acute_withdrawal_syndrome

If you feel like you are going to go back on them why not go on a real low dose of Suboxone. It will prevent cravings and prevent you from getting high. If you need some help,advice, someone to talk to whatever just PM me. I'll be glad to help.

Good Luck !

[tanless1]

Consider a 12 step program,you aren't alone.

[Rawkus]

The only way i made it this far is with the help of family and friends. The past 11 days have been fucking hellish and i've wanted to blow my brains out many times but somehow i made it. The problem is suboxone. After a long OC habit i was put on subs to help with the withdrawals and it did but, subs come with their own long process or weining off. I read that some people go on this stuff for years at a time(i was on it for a long while too)I was doing some research and learned that it stays in your system WAY longer then H. or oxys, vics etc. The w/d symptoms are much lighter but the first 10 days i literally got 1 hour of sleep a night no joke. Finally yesterday i got 6 hrs and felt a lot better. I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and goddammit it feels so good.

I appreciate the helpful comments, in my long sleepless nights of pain i was on a lot of message boards looking for answers or just people that went through the same thing i did with this shit and there are so many more out there than i thought. Don't give up.

[disneyspy]

good for you rawkus,getting off them is a bitch but worth it,life gets better

[torker]

it's not life after opiates, it's life without opiates
as Dr. Leo Marvin says..."Baby steps'.

[Space Edge]

The only way i made it this far is with the help of family and friends. The past 11 days have been fucking hellish and i've wanted to blow my brains out many times but somehow i made it. The problem is suboxone. After a long OC habit i was put on subs to help with the withdrawals and it did but, subs come with their own long process or weining off. I read that some people go on this stuff for years at a time(i was on it for a long while too)I was doing some research and learned that it stays in your system WAY longer then H. or oxys, vics etc. The w/d symptoms are much lighter but the first 10 days i literally got 1 hour of sleep a night no joke. Finally yesterday i got 6 hrs and felt a lot better. I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and goddammit it feels so good.

I appreciate the helpful comments, in my long sleepless nights of pain i was on a lot of message boards looking for answers or just people that went through the same thing i did with this shit and there are so many more out there than i thought. Don't give up.

The deal with suboxone is that you have to get the the smallest does possible and then taper off of that. You go down to maybe 1mg a day then .5mg a day then .5mg a every other day. If you do a Suboxone tapper the right way you can be successful.

[tanless1]

...you only have to go through this once, the choice is yours.