HOW DO i STOP

[statepay]

I do about .5 gm every 4 days or so depending on the quality. I have been using for about a year and I am scared to death. I want my life back. I have scored about 10 subs and I have a bunch of xannies,k-pin, and high grade buds. I have no idea what to expect and I need to know. I also lack a plan.
Please help me.                                                                                                                                

[Dooley1947]

How are you doing?  You're in our prayers.

[statepay]

I realize that I need a plan and I need to stick to in order to get through this. I can not tell you how much all of your opinions mean to me. My first step is weighing my options. I would like to go CT but I have a dilemma. I am a full time student in a very time consuming major, so if at all possible I would like to make this transition without bombing in school. And my last experience quiting was semi brutal and I would never be able to focus.Does this make sense, or does that sound insane? Does it matter that I am using such a small amount of H? And the reason I ask is because my friends use around .25 gram a day via the needle  and I am using less than or around .1 of gram a day, via snorting. So does the amount that a person uses effect the severity of withdrawals.

So I could cut my use by 30% or so, and then go to the sub in very small doses? Is this a possibility? Could I use a minamal amount of subs, lets say 2mg- 4mg a day for 5 or 6 days? And then deal with withdrawals?

I want to be substance free but I have to consider school.

I hope I do not offend any of you that have been through this, by thinking that I have some great idea, but I have to look at every possibility.

May God be with us all  

[Htownnofrown]

I hate to see people use illegal drugs to get off illegal drugs, but I've been in your shoes before, so I'll shoot you straight. This is just my opinion, though.

If I were you, I'd quit the H cold turkey (it can be done, I did it too). Don't get on the subs, that will actually keep you from fully detoxing from the opiates. Use the weed, and benzos to manage the anxiety and insomnia for the first 3-5 days. Once you run out of the stuff you have on hand, don't resupply. Get yourself to an AA or NA meeting and tell them whats been going on, and listen to what they have to say. If you really want to get clean, in my opinion, you'll have to get rid of all mind altering substances from your lfie. You can do it though.

Good Luck, be safe with your plan.

[Dav125]

Good job Henry..Thats absolute clear plain english for those that have a hard time accepting reality when it comes time to pay the piper..

[HenryS354]

Hey there,

Congrats, on your desire to get clean.  Thats the first step.

Heres the bad news:

Coming off H is aweful no matter how you cut it.  I did a short stint with IV H a long time back, and remember the wd's to this day.  It was long before I was banging my original love-Fantanyl again.

For me personally, the H wd's kicked in about 6 hours after my last dose. The chills came first, followed by extreme anxiety. I felt like I had fire in my veins, but was oh so cold. The leg jerks, and the feeling of ants crawling under my skin was next, and finally the gut wrenching cramping and diarrhea with constant vomiting were the last to creep up.  12 hours after my last dose I felt like I was knocking on deaths door.

Mental withdrawals are far worse than the acute wd phase, where we feel physical symptoms.  My cravings were the worst with H and I could not stay away.

The "Comfort meds" you have most likely wont do much, but you need to do what you need to do for you. Im not a smoker, so cant help you on what the buds will do for you, but some say that they help with the anxiety.  Clonopin and xanax did nothing for me in safe doses anytime I went through wd's.

I'll give you my opinion on the suboxone at the end.

Now heres the good news:

First and foremost, YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN! That is if you do not want to and work a recovery plan!  H wd's are hell, but they are relatively short lived compared to some of the things you mention messing with to make you more "comfortable"  The fact is, wd ***** no doubt about it.  You just have to accept that, I mean hey- Isnt recovery about accepting things we dont want to deal with?  This is your first exercise in a new life of recovery.

Suboxone is a tricky animal to deal with.  Most docs dont even know how to use and prescribe it properly, so why would you?  No offense, really.  Suboxone has a bad rap- but can be a lifesave when used properly.  I would try going CT with everything you have in you!  If you cant go that route, see a sub doc and start a sub taper...  If you cant stay away from the H, think about suboxone maintenance.  Its a life or death decision really. Whats the lesser of two evils?

I was on sub for two years.  I came off at 3mgs almost 40 days ago, and Im feeling amazing now.  

Please be warned, Buprenorphine (Suboxone) has a set of wd's all in its own that will have to be faced at some point.  I find suboxone wds to be subjective to the individual, and where they are at in their lives and recovery when they come off. Sub wd can be rough, and lasts far longer than H wd, so if you choose suboxone maintenance, be ready for that.

Time to make some real harsh decisions, and take control. What are you willing to do to detox? How much suffering will you take in? And what are you going to change to be able to stay off the H once the wd's are gone?

Hang in there!

Henry

[Dav125]

I tend to think your best option is what IB says above. I can tell your struggling with the thought of letting it go..Kinda caught in a "middle of the road" situation where that deep inner voice is telling you that your tired of fighting the battle yet that other is saying "but just one more time,,it will be ok". Problem is, that one more time just never ends..Never did for me when coke ruled my life.

So best bet is listen to the inner voice #1 and jump 100% on the side of "I don't want to torture myself with this anymore". Then try to get mad about how the drug has caused the delimma you now find yourself in..Using your anger does work. And when you get down to the nuts and bolts of all this, the drug is the reason things are screwed up. Make the decision and go for it. There really isn't much to think about..

[IBKleen]

Taper off of H is going to be torture. Your best bet is to just stop ct and get it over with. You will be uncomfortable for a few days and then be done. I know I am making it sound easy, and it is not. I have been there several times, many times, and it wasn't fun. But if you want to get clean, it is the best way to go with H.

[statepay]

I am aware of the risks of taking suboxone. I had thought of another approach. If I taper, not as much by amounts, but by time of the day. Take my first hit later in the day and my last one earlier in the night and keep shaving time off. Does that sound feasible?

God Bless You All

[Dav125]

You may not be in for a bad ride if you've been more of an occassional user. I really don't know alot about H other than how they describe it and oxycodone being close to the same animal. I imagine the supplimental stuff you have may help block your attention from the H wd's but what worries me is the suboxone. People have describe the wd's from that stuff to be far worse than oxy wd's. You need to do some homework on those. HenryS354 knows about suboxone. He used it to wd from oxys and now is tapering away from them..

[statepay]

I am doing a half gram of H every 4 or 5 days. The suboxones, xannax , clonipines, and weed is for getting through any withdrawal, I am not using them in concert with the H.
I have to do this on my own. My question is what am I facing, how can the weed, and pills help.? I am having trouble planning for something that I know nothing about.  What kind of pain am I looking at? Because I am using a small amount, will withdrawals be less severe?

[Dav125]

I believe its heroin that was being taken that he is trying to get away from. Has acquired 10 suboxones, has a stash of xanax, clonipine(sp), and some potent pot to try to substitute with.

Statepay, you got to make the decision that you want to be free and don't look back first would be my perception. The substitute drugs might help short term, but the ultimate solution is going to be getting away from all those things.

Finding an addiction counselor would be a good idea.This site is great for "at home support" in those times we need a boost, but with a heroin habit, I suspect the best route with the strongest chance of success is going to be having "hands on" help close by, whether it be a community based assistance program or a counselor..To help get thru the days of cravings and bad thinking..Thats my take...Wishing you the best of luck with this..  

[meemums]

I can't tell what you're taking:  "10 subs"? "bunch of xannies"? "k-pin"?  "high grade buds"?  What are these?  I'd say perhaps your first step might be to cut off your supply, whatever that may be.  Go see a  pain management specialist who's familiar with opiate-based pain management, to help you detox or wean.