Aetna PPO Insurance

I live in Laguna Beach, CA and have been on narcotic prescription pain pills for over 30 years. I do not drink alcohol or take any street drugs.  I have gone through in patient treatment two separate times, once in Washington and once in California. Both treatment facilities were recommended by my Insurance and covered all addiction problems, which main focus was on alcoholics and the 12-step program.   My question is, are there any programs available that treat patients who are not alcoholics, and are covered by most major insurance plans and treat the individual patient as opposed to a generalized group which seems to always include patients that are ordered by the courts to attend so as to prevent jail time?  I don't have the time or the money to attend yet another generic, one size fits all, treatment program. I have 2 teenaged children and a supportive husband who would like to see me happy and drug free. I have serious guilt issues pertaining to myself as a role model for my kids because of my addiction and need to be cured

[J T Junig, MD PhD]

It is very difficult to maintain long-term sobriety from opiates once a person has become addicted to them-- even if a person does everything right.  I have seen many people who had a great deal to lose-- and who wanted recovery very much-- relapse and end up losing everything.  One challenge in treating addiction is getting the addict to drop the feeling of being different from others;  whether the person feels better than others or much worse than others, being 'terminally unique' prevents the addict from opening up the dark recesses and letting recovery in.  I hear your concern about people who are court-ordered, as those people are often less motivated than the people seeking help on their own and they can become a disruption to the treatment millieux (see below).  But there are two concerns I would have were I your addictionologist, based on your question:  first, I would worry that you are seeing differences between addicts based on their substances, when in reality there are many more similarities than differences, and second, that you think that you can drink alcohol and somehow remain sober from opiates.  The latter does not work;  even if the person 'doesn't like alcohol' (which I hear often-- but then why does the person fight to keep drinking it?), because drinking or using any other intoxicating substance keeps the person in 'addictive mode' in a way that is difficult to explain in the space of this column.

About court ordered patients, I agree with your concern.  The only way to avoid that is to go to a center that doesn't get those patients, such as a place that is more expensive, as people who are more concerned about filling a court order than about recovery go to the cheapest (or 'easiest') program they can find.  I will mention, though, that my first treatment in 1993 was a pretty lousy place, and was 75% court-ordered drunks... but I was very miserable and desperate, and became 'all about recovery'.  I did well for five years... until I decided that since I never liked alcohol, I could go ahead and drink a glass of wine with dinner now and then... that was the start of a process that led to my own relapse in 2000.  

[NautyOne]

You said 30 years !  correct.  Do you have reason for being on pain meds.  Medical reasons that is?......How much do you take and what do you take.  30 years on pain meds and two unsuccessful attempt with rehab.  It's very rare that I ever consider recommending Suboxone.  Your addition is fine well-tuned into your being.  Have you heard of suboxone?  only other option I can think of is a 12 month or longer detox and sober living.

Just my opinion as I am certainly no doctor.  If you could give a little more of your history as to what you take, how much, why and all those very pertinent questions that need to be answered so, you can get a much better answer to your quesiton.

luv,
Nauty...........