Drug Abuse

Question by lost agenda: I’m a “recovering” addict,but?
can’t seem to string together more than a few weeks before I relapse.To add more of an issue,i’m on state parole.I’d like to tell my parole officer,but am scared he’ll just violate me and send me back to prison.I’m going “crazy” with the ups and downs i’m continually putting myself and my loved ones through,yet still can’t get it right.It’s no ones fault but my own,but if i don’t get it right soon,i’ll either go back to prison anyways,or i’ll end up relapsing full time.I’ve tried meetings,rehabs,and methadone,all with no long term sobriety.Any advice or help in getting me on the path to being completely sober would be more than greatly appreciated

Best answer:

Answer by Jade M
At this point, your best bet is inpatient treatment. How this plays depends on where you live and the medical services available to you.

Answer by J Miller
Are you an opiate addict (heroin, oxy, etc)? If so getting on and staying on a proper dose of methadone or Suboxone is your best bet. Unfortunately other methods have very low success rates and most people that go through rehab end up relapsing. I’ve been clean and doing great for almost 8 years with the help of methadone. Before that I was just like you. I could just stay clean for a few weeks here and there and always relapsed. After I got on methadone I had this stupid idea that I wanted to stay on a low dose because I thought it would be better. But all that happened was that it didn’t work at all and I continued to use. It wasn’t until I got serious and got a few dose increases to where I could go over 24 hours without getting sick and have no cravings at all that it started to get better. I started to go every day like I was supposed to and I took the dose I needed, not just a low dose for the heck of it. It didn’t take long before I was stable and no longer had any desire to get high. Isn’t that amazing? Not only could I stay away from drugs, I also came to a point where I didn’t want it. I had no interest in getting high at all and if someone would show up at my place with free dope right now I wouldn’t take it ’cause I don’t want it. That never happened to me before I got on methadone treatment. It’s such a relief and freedom to no longer have a desire to use drugs.
After a few months in treatment I started working full time and later went back to school. I started to live a normal life like everyone else. If you give it a chance and get on a proper dose for you I’m sure you can get well too. If methadone doesn’t work well for you Suboxone may be a better alternative. Suboxone didn’t work for me and it doesn’t work for everyone but I know people who are doing great on it. Everyone is different.

If you do get on methadone or suboxone treatment it will be a long term thing. You may have to take medication for years. But you have a chronic illness and like a lot of people with chronic illnesses you may need long term treatment. Nobody wants to be on medication for years but it may be necessary to get your life back. A lot of people take daily meds and there is nothing wrong with that. Taking methadone or suboxone does NOT mean that you are still using drugs. You are just taking medication for your illness.
Remember that when it comes to a proper dose it’s very individual. Some people do just fine on 60mg while others need as much as 400mg. It has to do with your metabolism and some other things. You just have to try and see what works for you.
Also remember that the longer you are in treatment the better your chances for life long sobriety.

Good luck

Oxford House model can help legal highs addicts, claims US professor Leonard …
While the people living in the property are recovering from more common addictions such as alcohol and illegal drugs, Mr Brown admits “most addicts and alcoholics have tried legal highs.” Despite the move, Professor Jason believes it is time the …
Read more on Kent Online

PETER and LINDA KELLEY, Norwell: Gov. Patrick, please help addicts recover
Our family would like to urge you to listen to the pleas of family and friends who have lost loved ones to addiction. As The Patriot Ledger editorial suggested (“Drugs are killing us,” March 1), there is a desperate need to form a special task force to …
Read more on The Patriot Ledger