Does a recovering addict become prone to a faster decline in their tolerance?

[FINISHED!!]

As many of you know, I have suffered a shattered ankle & broken wrist earlier in the month resulting in reconstructive surgery...placing MORE titanium in my oh-so-shattered body. Before this, I was over 150 days clean from a Vicodin ES habit consisting of 20 to 30 pills a day...sometimes taking as many as 6 at a time over a period of appr. 2 years. As one would easily guess, my tolerance had grown to an astronamical high. (no pun intended) I was told by my ortho doc that surgery was necessary to repair the damage in my ankle due to the severity of the injury. I was then given 1 pin, 1 plate & a handful of screws...along with two tension rods that are still poking about 4 inches through the skin. I was released from the hospital with a script for 40 percoset 10 mg with 1 refill. I have yet to take more than 4 pills in a single day but that was only for 1 day of severe pain. The prescribed amount was to take 1 or 2 pills every 6 hours. My worry lies in the fact that obviously I have TRUE pain that no amount of tylenol will extinguish alone but I've noticed the pain worsening over the past few days & even the percs aren't giving the amount of relief they did in the beginning. I have GREAT faith in my ability to NEVER abuse my medication again due to the fact that I have always had the Vicodin ES on hand since detox due to my past injuries. (taking no more than 6 or 7 a month) Question is this: Does you tolerance rise faster than those who have not ingested the amount that I have in the past? Is it possible that the body remembers?

FINISHED!!

[Walking Bad Habit (WBH)]

Am I an addict? (absolutly)
Am I recovering? (So far)
Are my bad habits insidious? (This is proven)
I had dental surgery recently, I recovered with Ad-Vil only, this means I am still recovering. Had I taken pain killers, I am sure I would be using now. Some people can take pain medication for pain, and not, end up, addicted. Many of us can not. If I was injured to the point where I had to take pain killers, I know that it would be the end of my recovery. I am willing to admit this. I sympathise with those who must now use pain killers for pain. But addicts on pain killers, should look for empathy and support, not fights. I am with you Ladymp72. But I stress empathy and suport.
                                Paul

[Bubblesh]

Just a little note...I do past tense...so I guess being written about you see everything as bad.  This looks like one of those guilt trips things coming.  I am sure anyone out there would be the same pain in the butt my sister was unless of course I was also high.  Lady, you need to understand what I am saying and not act like it is all new stuff to you and you have never heard any of it before.  Everyone on here tells the truth and so do I.  I don't think I was rough...I told what happened...none of it was a lie was it?  You know I love you but I was asked what it was like and I spoke about it.

Love
Bubblesh

[ladymp72]

geez my sister was rather rough on me, I did not realize I was causing all of this turmoil. I thought since I got clean we got along really well. But I guess I was wrong, just goes to show you an addict thinks everything is fine and dandy but in reality it is not. If I am this bad to live with now I hate to see what she thought of me when I was using? :(

[Bubblesh]

Hi there...I noticed you posted to both my sister and I.  It is upsetting that you ask me why I am on here if I am not an addict.  First off addicts need to understand what they do to other people that are around them.  Someone asked me what it is likle to live with an addict and I explained.  If you look above this post you will see my story.  I don't know why you think that I am Ladymp also.  She is my sister as I have always said in the beginning.  The funny thing is, we must have both posted at the same time cuz I am at work on my puter and she is at home on the puter.  If you look back through the threads you will notice that I have apologized to FINISHED and everyone else (including you) on this forum.  Finished has also apologized.  I don't like the fact that you seem as if you are still trying to instigate things.  Excuse Ladymp's reply before mine if it seems rude but it is from one addict to another.  Please will you just realize that everything is smoothed out and I will like to keep it that way.  Also please remember that I have every right in this world to be on this forum because it is the addicts that make me come.  Thank you and hopefully everything is better.

Bubblesh

[ladymp72]

Look my sister is bubblesh, and if you had not noticed things are smoothed out, but you keep on going. For the sake of us all would you please butt out. We have all made up but for some reason you keep going. You can think I am the meanest person alive, but you should have never been involved in what was said. You are the one that is hostile. My sister has every right to be on this forum even though she is not an addict. Sometimes family members would like to talk with other people about someone close to them having an addiction. My sister and I stick together and at first it was her standing up for me now I am saying leave bubblesh alone as the matter of fact skip over her posts she does not want to have anything to do with you nor do I!!!

[Bubblesh]

Let's see, life with an addict can be very very stressful amongst other things.  We do have our ups and downs living together.  You see there are alot of trust issues.  Last year her, her daughter and son came from Virginia Beach and lived with me to "start" over since she got into so much trouble there.  My husband and I gave her a chance to get clean and start over and all we asked in return is to stay clean and never never bring the prescriptions drugs in my house.  Out of respect it is my house and I don't like what they did (the drugs) to her or the children.  Well she broke that request a couple of times.  That was one of few very big blowups...of course she did the usual guilt trip trying to make me feel bad and all but it didn't work...you know, tough love.  I do love my sister but it is very hard on the people you live with.  When she finally moved out I thought she straightened up.  Nope, she didn't.  But I figured, hey who cares, she isn't in my house.  Well I couldn't do that cuz she is my sister.  One day my husband calls me at work and asks if I called in a prescription...Duh, of course I didn't.  We had a message from a hospital about the prescription "I" had called in.  Needless to say, I called the lady back and she told me someone had called in a prescription to a pharmacy under their names...I had emough so I told the lady that my sister probably did it cuz she has a record of doing it and yada yada yada.  I gave the lady my sisters number and before we hung up she told me to give my sister a message...I said sure.  She said "tell your sister if she trys to pick it up at the pharmacy, the cops will pick her up".  Damn I thought, that is bad.  I should have just said screw it let her get picked up cuz I am tired of covering her for things, for Gods sake I am the baby of the family and she is the oldest...why should I have to cover her all the time???  But nope, that "sisterly" love happened again and I called and warned her.  I don't know exactly what the final straw for her was but she checked herself into the hospital to get help right before Xmas.  She was in there a week and while in there I took care of her daughter and our mother had her son.  

Being at my house she causes alot of turmoil.  I do love her but first off...I do not have the biggest house and so now in my little 3 bedroom 2 bath house I have 3 adults, 2 children, 4 cats, 1 dog and 1 fish.  That is alot to have.  My husband and I just got married in September 2002 and we haven't had much time...I am always doing something for her or or children.  I don't mind helping out but there are also alot of fights that happen.  Being an addict, you lie alot, try to play each other against one another, manipulate people, get real lazy, I could probably go on and on.  My sister get into what she calls a "funk".  To tell you the truth I can't stand it.  Sometimes it seems like she has got to be the mopeiest (SP?) person in the world.  I don't know if she does it for attention or what but man it can get on your last nerve.  You know, you might be addicts and recovering addicts but you can make it through everything.  

I don't know if she has a problem with the way she is treated in my house but it has to be done.  All her money (for the time being) I keep and she has to tell me when she needs some and most of the time I go with her to get whatever she needs (gas, cigs, etc.).  Whenever she goes out my husband or I ask where she has been and stuff.  It has to be done.  Our trust has been broken many of times and if we have to act like strict soldiers or whatever it has to be done for her own good.  People don't understand what we go through.  Yes you have the pain of withdrawals and cravings, but we have the pain of lies, manipulation, sneakiness.  I hate to also see people say they are clean but take everything else they can find under the sun.  My sister wipes me out of Excedrin PM's (or whatever sleeping pills I have), Nyquil, tylenol, benedryl or whatever I have sitting around.  I have to hide things that I don't want to have disappear...I had to actually carry my cough syrup from the doctor in my purse when I was sick in Dec...I shouldn't have to do that but I do.

Trust me, I can probably go on and on but I think I have typed a bit already.  I do love my sister and pray for her healing for both her and her children.  To all of yout out there I also pray for yours.

Feel free to ask me any more questions and I will gladly answer them truthfully.

Bubblesh