Curious --- Clean or not Clean if on Suboxone

[candothis247]

If a person got off oxycontin, and used suboxone to get off the oxys. Would that person on suboxone be considered clean or not clean if they were in AA and/or NA.meeting? They talk clean and sober in those meetings. I am currently going to the meetings because I have the desire to stop using oxys. I do feel funny sometimes, like I should wait till I'm off of them completely, before I attend meetings, but I can say in my heart,  I believe 100% that the meetings are helping me stay on track with my taper. I'm thinking the answer is "not clean"

[tommm70]

It depends on several factors. Is the Suboxone being given by a doctor? IS it being taken to get a high? Or is it being taken as directed??
I go to Pills Anonymous is suburban Chicago, and I will tell you, several people are on Suboxone. They are taking as a prescribed medication. They are doing things the right way

I used Sub, would never use it again, the withdrawals were hell!! But it is a solution for some.

I support it's use in the right situations. If you are seeing a doctor, are involved in some sort of support system, are taking the right steps to understand addiction is a lifelong disease.

And if you are taking it as prescribed, and under a doctor's care, then go to meetings!!!

The logic in here seems to be (and I was guilty of this before rehab)"oh its an opiate, so you are still using" And that is true if you get it online, or off the streets to "make yourself clean" Sorry, but it won't stick. Suboxone only works with doctor supervision and proper mental health care.

[cattalina]

As long as the person is doing the right thing then they're clean. This is a huge debate especially in the rooms as the old timers don't consider it being clean. I've been on sub for awhile and I consider myself clean. I take it as prescribed, never abused it, I no longer lie, cheat, steal or hustle and I've made progress on myself within my recovery - so hell yea I'm clean. I couldn't necessarily say the same for someone who gets it off the street just to detox with and other situations like that but if you're clean you know you are. Plus they say all you need to attend meetings is "the desire" to get clean, so even if people give you cr@p about it technically all that's required is that desire right? But I still say if you're doing the right thing, moving forward in recovery then you're clean - don't let people take away from you whatever progress you've made on yourself!!!

[Prospero73]

The only qualification for going to meetings is a desire to quit.  No where is it stated that you have to be clean or sober to attend a meeting, as long as your behavior is under control.  I don't know about NA, but I've been an AA member for over 23 years.  I was drunk at my first AA meeting, and have been sober since.

[tommm70]

This is why I like PA so much. PA is coming to all 50 states soon. They say it is OK to take medications prescribed by doctors. There is no judging at the meetings I go to.

You are correct, AA andd NA have old timers that will judge you if you say you are taking a drug like Suboxone, even if it is prescribed.

Interestingly, there are two doctors and a nurse that attend my meetings, and they agree 100% that Suboxone therapy is absolutely a good choice under certain situations. But EVETY ONE of those situations involves getting it from a doctor and being monitored on it!!!

[HelpinUtah]

Personally, I believe with Sub that the person is clean as long as it is being prescribed by a doctor and that the dosage is not being abused.  It's a tool to keep you from using your drug of choice!  

[mom_of_two136]

I found that when I went to NA they had a very negative attitude toward the use of suboxone (I went to several different places). Then when I went to AA, they seemed to be more accepting. So now I go to a AA group that I really love who does not judge me. The reception you get really depends on the group, they all vary in there attitude about suboxone. Like you, I have found that going to AA has really helped me and I will continue to go. I would not get all hung up on whether you are "clean" or not. If you addicted behavior is gone that is what is important. I mean many people take various medications for various reasons. I take my suboxone along with my vitamins and get on with my day. At the end of the day, what is important is that you are addiction free.
Best wishes on your recovery.

[minim]

NA does have a negative attitude toward subs... I am in NA and just got off of the subs-
This is what I was told 'if you want to work the steps on subs- great, do it- but one day when you come off of them, I want you to work the steps all over again-'  basically subs are a mind altering substance- so yes you are clean- but you are still taking something to help you along the way... if a clean person takes a sub they get sick- proving that it is mind altering in some way...
Go to NA anyway- it is the DESIRE to stop using that is the requirement- geez you could be high as a kite and go if you wanted- and subs are NOT the same as oxys.... so do whatever it is you and your doctor think is best for you- screw listening to anyone elses opinion :)

[outotown]

Tommys, frist post is correct and well said, I was on sub, under a drs care, who was treating everything high blood persure, depression, and my stomach problems. While counsoling with me. Vey good reply tommy

[TrayCee]

this debate could and has gone on for days...

I do have an opinion though,  IMO, if youre taking a controlled substance everyday....youre not clean.

[cattalina]

This debate has gone on for some time and everyone feels differently about it for sure. Sub has the potential to be abused just like any other medication and that's where the clean line gets even more fuzzy. Alot of people say sub becomes their new doc over time, so everyone's situation is different. I guess the bottom line when it comes to meetings is - the only requirement is the desire and if going helps you then you should continue to go. Try and find people who will support the decisions you make as opposed to make you feel less than - that was my beef with NA. They made me feel like such a loser for being on sub but if I hadn't done it I would have been dead a long time ago...  like someone said above: what matters at the end of the day is that you're no longer in active addiction.

[TrayCee]

"what matters at the end of the day is that you're no longer in active addiction."


BUT...arent people now addicted to the Suboxone?  you are trading one addiction for another

[corey411]

I found that many people at the NA meeting  that I went to were closed minded when it came to anything other than what they wanted to believe....and if I believed anything they didn't want to hear they shunned me and told me I would relapse. My DOC is opiates. I use Klonopin which is a controlled substance as needed. I also take Fiorinol for migraines every couple of months. In NA I could not really count cleantime  because they considered it a relapse every time I took my other meds (that I have taken for years under the care of a doctor and am not addicted to). I was told by members that I needed to tell my doctor to put me on something else. I was also told NA does not recommend seeing a councelor until I was 6 months clean. This is not in their literature as far as I can see but you need to realize that these people are not professionals and some can give harmful advise.
I also liked the meetings and felt that they helped me. I went everyday for almost 5 months. I stopped last summer. I learned that counting my clean days was not the most important thing. Use what works for you and hold onto that from everything you learn and hear. Not everyone is the same so the same thing does not always work for everyone.
I don't know much about Sub first hand but from what I learned I would say your not "clean" because you can not leave that drug sit tomorrow and walk away. It still has a hold on you. BUT you are working toward getting clean just like all of us. You ARE IN RECOVERY. Don't get caught up in the counting numbers game. If meetings help. go to them and get from them what you need for your recovery. If someone says that you shouldn't be there remember boohoos post.
I wish you the best in your recovery. I hope that you meet some people who have a greater desire to help you than to judge you. God bless, Corey

[mom_of_two136]

Just to clarify to one of the above posts, suboxone ends the addiction. Today I am addiction free. Sure one is dependent on suboxone but not addicted to it. There is a big difference. I take suboxone as prescribed with no cravings to take more. My body is dependent on suboxone so that is why I must wean off of it but I am not addicted to it (as is the case with most people who take suboxone). I really bothers me when people start using addiction and dependence interchangeably. There is a difference.

[mchiurazzi]

thank you you couldnt have said that any better!

[candothis247]

Thank you everyone I appreciate everyone’s input & support. I find you all are a wealth of information here.  I want to be free of my addiction. These prescription medications have really changed me as a person. I’m not living the life that I deserve to live or was meant to live.  I had been pretty high-functioning for a long time, on the meds; however they have finally taken a toll on me in every way. I know for sure that knowledge is power and I'm here to learn all that I can, and support people who have stopped their substance abuse, and hopefully that will be me some day…. I’m going for the slow taper for now and no plans of using suboxne in the near future. Thanks again -- you all are great support

[LateAugust]

I agree so much with what Cattalina said.......   no one here is a doctor or a scientist,  perhaps I am wrong,  but I doubt it.   Why is it okay to take clonidine   anti-depressants  bp meds to help  anti anxiety drugs,  have a drink or two daily,    the list is endless,   yet  Sub  to so many is almost the anti-Christ?      

My daughter has been on Sub for the past  (almost) 4 months,  attends  NA or AA meetings daily,  and has had a sponsor for the past several months.  As her councelor said when she was in-patient treatment,  (followed by intensive outpatient treatment, IOP) it is absolutely no one's business other than her councelors and her sponsor, if she is using Sub to  ASSIST in regaining her sobriety or not.   My daughter went thru detox  and hell  getting sober,  if anyone thinks  Suboxone is a magic pill that makes everything okay,  you will be sadly mistaken.....   And it is not forever,  but a means to the ultimate end of a sober life.    

I will say one more time,  to anyone that says using Sub is trading one drug for another, you are  absolutely entitled to your  opinion, however I could not disagree more.....  for a multitude of reasons that I will not re post........check my old posts  I have discussed this ad naseum.

It is a  very personal   and INDIVIDUAL decision that needs to be made after much research........     and in my daughter's case,  a bazillion relapses with the traditional treatment,  that just didn't work,   and lord knows we tried them all........

My best wishes to all that are trying to quit,  I just pray to God you talk to the professionals and get the absolute best treatment you can in beating this disease called addiction.      It ain't easy,  whatever avenue you take.......

[Amy484]

I was put on sub in treatment where i was required to go to meetings. Then I got out of intensive treatment and used immediately. I struggled for a year and was hospitalized twice for trying to off myself. I made a decision to get on Suboxone start working a program and have been sober since August. It was the right decision for me.
Whether you should be on sub after detox is a personal decision. For me i have dual diagnoses plus long abuse history and other physical problems. It is the only thing that allowed my mind freedom from cravings long enough to do the work. I also hear that sub works well on people with depression. Ten years ago would have been different because it is a progressive disease. Had i stopped then allowed my body to recover maybe i would not need it.
If u are young and healthy your body will recover and u may not need it.  But it is a personal medical decision. U should take a look at your abuse history your medical history and make a decision. But don't let anyone tell u how to live your life.

[xru11]

Well said.  But I walked around for close to a year religiously taking subs as prescribed and feeling that I had ended the vicious cycle of addiction to pain killers.  I felt as though I was a functioning human being again.  Truth is, I was only marginally better than I had been before.  The highs weren't as high and the lows weren't as low (or so I thought as to those lows).  223 days ago I quit the Subs too.  The physical and psychological pain I went thru getting off the Subs made me realize that I wasn't really much "cleaner" than I had been when abusing pain killers.  I had merely become a different kind of user, one that was more socially acceptable in polite society.   Instead of getting pills from friends here and there, I was getting them systematically, and in a somewhat controlled environment,.....Doctor's orders. But every 30 days, I'd write that check for close to $300  to see a doc and get the pills and sure enough, that Dr. was ready with a script (and the bill).  It was only when I went thru my one self imposed detox and withdrawals and after the months of malaise and depression did it occur to me that Subs were merely a stepping stone and every bit a drug that robbed me of "me" as much or more than even pain killers,... because Subs lulled me into feeling I was done with my addiction/dependency.  Problem was, they were just the beginning of the end.  I congratulate anyone who makes the step to quit pain killers by seeing a loving and caring doctor and starting a responsible Sub program.  But it is what it is.  It's turning a page to the next chapter in the fight against opiate addiction.  It's progress, but honestly the battle has just begun.  The truest measure of success must still be finding the you that was "you" before the pills,...Subs can give you a false sense of premature victory....you know like Bush on the aircraft carrier exclaiming "Mission Accomplished".  It ain't over till it's over.

[LateAugust]

Hi  I just have a quick question for you, if that's okay?   When you were treated with Sub did you also complete in-patient treatment (for a minimum of  one month),  followed by an intensive out patient program (for a minimum of  6 months) and daily NA/AA meetings?   Were you drug tested on a weekly basis, sometimes several times a week?    Was it  a requirement that you be employed,  and enrolled in college if you had not completed your degree?  Were you required to donate no less than 10 hrs per week to the charity of your choice.   Did your doctor have you sign a contract that the above actions were the absolute MINIMUM of your obligation to remain in a Suboxone treatment program?

I truly am curious of specific treatments required by  Suboxone doctors.  I can tell you  the one that my daughter sees on a bi-weekly basis  has shown a lot more concern than cashing a check.......that seems to be his least priority, if it is discussed at all  during her appointments.     I would appreciate your insight.  Thank you so much for your help.

[xru11]

No and no and no and no.  What's more, the Dr. I went to never bothered to tell me the adverse effects of subs if used longer term and the very real severity of  withdrawals associated with this drug.  He led me to believe that it was, quite simply, a magic pill that would solve all of my problems.  I concur with you that all of the things you mentioned would have likely greatly facilitated my efforts in transitioning to a "clean", happy and healthy recovery.  Unfortunately I did not have that experience.  My doctor cared only about getting that monthly pay check.  My genuine recovery was of little or no concern to him.  That's why I prefaced my recommendation of a doctor's care with two key adjectives: loving and caring,  I presumed everyone would also look for competence in a physician as well.  I wish your daughter well in her recovery.  She seems to have a lot more going for her than I did, not the least of which is a mom to help her through this.

[buprenex]

This is an interim opiate that you are tapering to get off opiates. It does stop the behaviors you mentioned, by stabilzing you. And that is very healthy for you or anyone. Buprenex is a opiate that in the long term will be just as hard to get off and you are not from a chemical standpoint clean. It is an opiate. So I can also tell you that when you get off off Buprenex you will see the world is brighter and better than it is while your on it. So it does alter perception so from that standpoint as well it not what I would refer to as clean. But it has cleaned up your additive behavior which is one the reason it is used is to do that. That feels clean and it is clean and a wonderfull place to be. So you have cleaned up. Proving you are not just some bad person.

[LateAugust]

Thank you so much for your candor and taking the time to answer my questions.    I am so sorry you did not receive the best care,  and hope that your struggle for sobriety is becoming just a bit easier for you.

My thoughts are with you and I truly appreciate your comments and your experience that you shared with me........        It is such a continuing growing process....  sometimes I truly wish that magic pill did exist  or that I had a magic wand to take  all of the pain and addiction away from my daughter's life.  It took a long time to get to the level of destruction she hit,   and I am not so naive to think it will not  nor has it been an easy struggle to regain the life she deserves.

Thank you again my friend for sharing your thoughts with me.....

[tommm70]

To say Sub gives you "a false sense of premature victory' tells me you are missing the point of the drug completely. A good pyschiatrist will not assume someone is eligible for sub treatment just because the patient wants it. Sub treatment is a therapy to keep someone from using their DOC in extreme situations.

I am no advocate for sub. It put me through a long hell of w/d's i never want to feel again. I was also told, my level of abuse did not require sub. But I wanted to avoid w/d's, not realizing using sub for more than 10 days has it's own set of w/d's
Some treatment centers actually use sub for as little as 5 days to give someone relief of opiate w/d.


But for some, it allows them to live a normal life and make the changes they need to make to be drug free.

Thjat being said, there are plenty of bad doctors out there. That is why we must advocate for ourselves at some point on what is right.

The ultimate goal is to clean and sober. And if that means taking a medication to be sober, then thats what it takes. You CAN be sober on Suboxone, that is a fact true to the core of the definition of the word addiction. The "old timers" in NA who challenge this, need to shut up and worry about themselves. And get some education on the matter.

As I said in an earlier post. Until rehab, I thought it was just a substitute. The fact is, it is nothing of the sort.

[refusingbondage]

I go back and forth on this.  

When I was on SUB the whole time on it, I considered myself clean.  

Now that I am off it, I know that *now* I am truly 100% clean.  I do not think of myself as being clean as of March 2006 (when I began sub maintenance) but as of Sept 2008 (when I quit using sub).  

That's my personal belief though and I certainly would not take anything away from anyone who considers themselves clean while on sub maintenance..Its a great tool in recovery.. It's all a matter of how you feel personally.  Do I think its a substitute - no, not necessarily.. but I know it can be.  In a purely scientific sense (which really doesnt matter in the grand scheme of things) if your addicted to opiates and putting an opiate in your body every day, even if its not your drug of choice, your not 100% clean.  I would say sub is a recovery tool and a great step in working towards being 100% clean anyone who is using it properly and working their recovery is doing something to help themselves and I wouldn't argue with them if they considered themselves clean.  It's their feelings and I'd accept it and I applaud their efforts!  Whatever you have to do to help yourself is exactly what you must do.