alterbitave to methodone clinic

[grandma250]

My grandson has been going to a methodone clinic for about a year now and is ready to get off as soon as possible they say  
the methodone is in the  bone marrow and I have to keep on going down slowly.... this means another year at least.  Is ther no ohter help to shorten this process?  How does he get off and start a normal life again?

[AKAmildred]

Hi Grandma,
Methadone is physically addicting but all opiates are also very mentally addicting. If your grandson is in a very positive mindset and motivated to get his life back  to being drug free then he will be able to taper faster then if he is not in such a mindset. He needs to be really honest with himself when he decides which gameplan to go for, fast or slow.I have been on methadone along time. When I am in a good frame of mind I can lower my dose quickly. when I am not i slow down.
Sorry this is a round about answer but it acually is true and makes sense.

remember; your grandson can and will get off when he is ready but somethings are better not rushed too much,. better to go alittle slower and be successful then too fast and have a relapse. good luck and I wish you and your grandson the best.

[gnarly_1]

HI and welcome to the forum....I was a methadone addict for 6 1/2 yrs ...it is possible to get off and start a normal life again....it is also possible to taper off faster then what the clinics normally do...I was at 150ml when it was time to get my life back...it took me 8 1/2mo to taper off and I was on a pritty high dose...we no longer post taper plans in the open forum due to the high number of inexperienced people that try to post them...
methadone can be tuff to get off of but if you taper properly it is very doable..the recovery time varys from person to person but it took me a good 90 days after I quit to really start to feel better...today im 2 days past 6 months clean and life has started to return to normal...I can help your grandson with a taper if you like check your e/mail in a wile ...I will tell you what has worked for me...good luck and God bless....Gnarly  

[broknbck]

yea, that sounds pretty insane. what a ridiculous rehab program to take 2 years.
seems that switching to a different narcotic and than a tapper would be more efficient.
but i really don't know anything about methadone. hah except that it is addicting and not the best way to get off drugs.

[lmccoy]

Has your grandson been going to narcotics anonmous? If he has been changing his life to support sober living he may be ready to taper faster, but if the only change is that he is not on his drug of choice he may need to stay where he is. One of the things methadone is good for is to reduce the cravings for other drugs long enough to start to put a better life in place. If he has a steady job, is healing damaged relationships, has aftercare he is comfortable with and is developing sober friends it might be time for him to  take charge of his taper. Just try to keep in mind most of the time the methadone clinic is likly to be a step in the right direction. Has he at least started a taper? It is a slow process. Good luck.