Does outpatient treatment help?

[Clm1974]

Today was day 19 in my recovery from Crystal Meth and I threw it all away. I'm so disappointed and ashamed of myself! I have been trying to quit since October and this past 19 days was the longest I've made it. I have been going to NA meetings and that's made a huge difference but today I just quit on myself. I'm wondering about outpatient treatment. Has anyone else gone that route and found it to be successful? I really want to stick with what I'm already doing because it has been working but my therapist has basically given me one last chance and I blew it. I agreed that I would go into treatment if I messed up again and here I am. Any help is greatly appreciated! I'm not ready to give up this fight.

[Jeff50193]

Man dissapointed to hear about the relapse, all i know to say is cut off all your connects and stay strong my friend, just lay around the house and eat like a king for a while, the cravings will slowly dissapate, i know iv said this before but seriously, read the poem " meet mr. Chrystal"... It change my life! Just kinda put things into perspective for me, and it hit home, HARD. Keep posting i love following your story, cant wait to see you saying "90 days clean guys!" Good luck bub its a battle but you got this no prob!!!✌✌

[Amandag78]

Yes well done on telling your parents. It shows how serious you are about getting clean!!
Leave no stone unturned : )

[Ldytaz]

Coming"clean to you parents" is a big step.I remember when I did to my Mom.I was shocked that all she cared about is helping me stay clean.After living on my own for over 20 years,we packed all my stuff into storage and I moved in with her.The first 2 weeks was hell,then I got bored and went back to work.She was so supportive.I stayed for 6 months with her.Every weekend we went out to my storage and went thru everything.Throwing away all from my past and getting ready for the future.I wish she were here today to help me thru this.Let your parents be a part of your recovery.You will be so proud to show them u r doing so good.It is some times all u need for that extra strength to get er done.Keep coming here also.good luck

[VICourageous]

Staying clean takes a lot of work. I just love all the advise you got from above. Addiction has SO much too it..Different drugs can hit different parts of the Brain wiring. But most hit a few areas that makes it hard to let go..Studying the Disease of Addiction and Addiction and the Pleasure Pathway beyond willpower has shown me some light on all of this. But as a long time user I have come to the conclusion that it is what WE want out of the drug..Are we looking to get wired up or one to go to sleep. This reminds me of that song; "I need a new drug"..
I was a crank/cocaine user in the 80s..I just got tired of it and walked away with no w/ds at all. Yes I used a lot and for a long time..I was very young. It was the opiates that bit me in the ash Bad!! I guess my point is, that it does not matter what the Addiction is we have to have Support. I go to the meetings both AA/NA even if I had not had a drink in about 9 years. I hit church and bible study when I can. I have about a Year and a Half in and in the last 4 months I had 4 family deaths. So I had to reach out even more. There is SO much support out here then just the meetings. Maybe if you can find out what brings on these triggers, Like environment, boredom, stress, depression and on & on, then look around for some more one on one or groups that deal deeper into mental issues. Right now I am doing some grieving and I find the situation no different then when I first came clean. All the mental and physically is the same in a lot of ways. I just think that sometimes we need more help..The more the merrier to help us stay clean. Reach out and Reach out every where that you see fit..I did put in my Journal about the Grieving cycle we go through letting go of our substance. There is SO MUCH to this disease. Knowledge about this is a great start..I wish you the best no matter what route you take. Just do not try it alone!!!!
Bless

[clean_in_ks]

This is HUGE progress:

"I came clean to my parents for the first time yesterday and they are offering to help with the financial part so that's no longer an excuse. I just need to sit down with everyone who loves and supports me and listen."

Good on ya!

[Clm1974]

You made some good points about the difference between going into treatment versus meetings alone. Since I've never been I don't know all that's involved. I could definitely benefit from the things you mentioned! I came clean to my parents for the first time yesterday and they are offering to help with the financial part so that's no longer an excuse. I just need to sit down with everyone who loves and supports me and listen. Being active in my addiction makes it hard to know what's best. I appreciate your response and support!

[ActingBrandNew]

I think your thinking is right on in terms of an inpatient residential program and how it would take you out of your environment. If you cant get into one though...an outpatient program isnt a bad idea. They do a lot more than just going to meetings. The one I went to had in house meetings as well one one one therapy....drug testing, etc. There was just a lot more to it than a regular meeting.

Another option could be a sober living home. They are good and offer a structured environment while giving some freedom to the outside world. It would remove you from the environment like you said.

All drugs are hard to recover from but it can be done. You can do it!

[Clm1974]

I am definitely shooting for that 30 days! I'm having such strong cravings today though and it's a bit overwhelming. I just need to get passionate about my recovery again! Every treatment facility that's an option for me only does outpatient for meth. I don't see how that would be anymore helpful then daily meetings since the outpatient programs are about 3 times a week for several hours each day. I would probably benefit from a 30 day inpatient to get me out of my environment but that would break the bank and I don't have that ability. I just need to stay strong! There were so many great responses on here and it helped so much! Thanks for the support.

[Clm1974]

Thanks so much! I've been calling around to different treatment facilities but my insurance doesn't cover most of them. I plan on attending a meeting as often as possible. Hopefully I can find a sponsor soon and start working those steps! I'm finding that there are not too many women at the meetings and I've been to 4 different groups. NA has made a huge difference so I may just refocus my efforts there and hold off on going into a treatment facility. Your encouragement along with every one else means the world! Thanks!

[Ldytaz]

i just want to let u know that we all have been there.Dont ever beat yourself up for falling,just get up,dust off,and get beck on that clean road.I did meth(speed) for 20 years.been off now 17 years,1 week,3days,5 hours and 23 minutes.It was hard but,I did it.I went to meetings sometimes every night back then.Where I live now they dont have any but,I would never go back.Good luck and stay on this site.they r great here.

[Amandag78]

Yes good on you ABN i was going to say the same thing as you.
Depends what web sight you go to, to what sort of info they give you. Most will differ from each other.
Anyway your back here trying to get help again and thats all that matters.
Personally i went to rehab and i used while i was there the last night. Obviously i was only 24 and wasnt ready to stop. 2 failed attempts at rehab.
But you will not be the same as one individual. Rehab may be just what you need and you may succeed and never look back.
Crystal meth is a hard drug to beat, but i beat it at the age of 33 along with my heroin addiction. You will too in time, good luck and well done for having 19 days clean.
Maybe try and go for 30 days clean this time, i wish you well   : )

[StonedTexan]

There is a difference between relapse and STAYING HOOKED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Sorry if you think I should not speak what I think. I do not want JP to think there is no hope of recovery. I know in my addiction if I was feeling  tempted and someone put in my mind there was very little chance of recovery I would use that statement as an excuse to use. Why not give people hope and not take it away?

[ActingBrandNew]

Outpatient can be very helpful to many. Its definitely worth a try. I went that route before and picked up some great tools. I did relapse after but I was still young and not ready for recovery. Like I said...I learned a lot and had I been ready to stay clean....who knows.

In terms of the statistics of meth relapse...dont get too caught up in the numbers. As long as you do what you need to do to take care of you and seek some sort of treatment...you can be in the percentage of those who stay clean.

@ StonedTexan - Calling anybodies post "garbage" when they are just trying to help really isn't what this place is about. Her 92% , your 55%....they are probably both valid statistics. As a matter of fact...upon my brief search the 92% she quoted came up on a number of studies as well as a study from 2012 that quoted 88% relapse rate.

The point being...nobody is posting "garbage" as study pools vary.

"Even those meth users who go to rehab have a long-term success rate of just 12%, says a new study."

"Most meth addicts relapse within three years of seeking treatment, according to a new study from Australia. And although those who attend residential rehab reportedly have more than double the success rate of those who go to detox, or receive no treatment, even those who go to rehab have a high rate of relapse—at 88%. The study, published in the journal Addiction, looked at long-term meth use in three categories: users treated in a residential rehab, those treated in a detox program, and those who weren't undergoing any treatment."

[Clm1974]

I must apologize to one of you! With my clumsy fingers I accidentally pressed something that caused one of your posts to show as reported. I don't even know whose it was! I feel terrible. All of you have been great. I'm still getting used to posting in the forum. If it was your post please know it wasn't intentional. Once I pressed on it I couldn't reverse it. That's what I get for using my phone instead of my PC. So sorry!

[Clm1974]

Thanks so much for your kind words! I am overwhelmed by the support and encouragement I've received on MH. I have relapsed in the past but this time feels different. I gained so much insight and knowledge during my clean time to help me overcome this bump in the road. NA is great and the first thing I did yesterday was pick up the phone and reach out to some great ladies. That is so unlike my past behavior where I would just use my relapse as an excuse to go on a binge. I'm gonna make it! I believe that with all my heart. I may be starting over at day 1 today but I'm not going to let this beat me down. Thanks so much!

[odaat1]

I am not familiar with your DOC, but I AM familiar with relapse.  Your honesty here, will help you heal.  It's when we hide our relapses, we stay sick.  
Failure is only when we stay down after the fall, you have got back up, and good on you!  
I had 5 years of sobriety and I picked up a drink.....BUT, I kept going to meetings....I just refused to give up.  Keep fighting the good fight my friend, we are all in this together, and you are not alone.  

[sprich3]

Hi Clm,
As they say, treatment IS a gift.  It means you have access to a wealth of information, counselling, meetings, resources, doctors to supervise your meds, etc., and it keeps you busy and on-track.  You also meet other people to walk the path with.
Don't underestimate the added difficulty of having mental health issues and an addiction.  You are not at all alone in that -- it is very common.
All the best to you.

[Clm1974]

I think I will look into outpatient treatment and try to be as open minded as possible. The way I look at it is what do I have to lose? I'm bipolar and the depression and fatigue I feel as a natural part of that disorder is part of the reason I continue to relapse. I need someone to be monitoring my meds on a regular basis and not just once month. I guess this is part of how outpatient treatment could be a good option for me. I just really want one more chance with NA to get a sponsor and start working the steps. I think that would make a huge difference. Someone at my meeting last night said we are all going to surrender it is just a matter of doing it standing up or lying down. That was a powerful statement to me. I'm not going to let this pull me down and I will do whatever it takes. Even if that means going into treatment. Thanks again everyone for supporting me through this difficult time. You all are the best!

[dominosarah]

I think outpatient treatment is something you should look into.  We bury so many demons while we are using and we need to deal with them to allow ourselves to move on.  We learn to start loving ourselves and that brings us freedom.  You would be given valuable tools to take out in to the world and with this addiction knowledge is power~

[Ben727]

I know your original question was about outpatient treatment, and hopefully someone can answer that one for you. I personally don't have any experience with one. Regarding the comments you've gotten so far, I don't think jpun meant any harm, and I do think the texan is basically right. That said, I'd throw percentages and studies out the window, they really don't matter to an individual.

Every addiction to a substance has a physically addictive component and a mentally addictive component. Lots of people get on here having taken painkillers per doctor's orders at the amounts prescribed and have horrible withdrawal from them. But they don't relapse once they get past that short-term (30 days or so) withdrawal (unless their pain drives them to, but that's another story). This is because they were physically dependent, but not mentally addicted. Another option is a chronic weed smoker. Cannibis is minimally physically addictive (I think everyone would agree a bit less than coffee or chocolate). But it is powerfully mentally addictive to some. So you can smoke ten times a day for years and quit one day and you're aren't vomiting, you aren't sick with the flu, you don't have the shakes, etc. But for those chronic users, their entire personality, their entire sense of self, is wrapped up in using that substance. So it's very hard to stop using.

Then, of course, you have the majority of people on here, who have both. We took opioids, or stimulants, or alcohol. These are all BOTH physically and mentally addictive, and as an addict, we have to deal with both. A lot of people relapse inside that 30-40 day window, because they actually beat most of thy physical addiction, but they haven't dealt properly with the mental part. And let's give credit where credit is due: Beating that physical part is huge! It means you're serious. You're ready to go through withdrawal in order to get your life back. But you have to address that mental part too, which most long-term recovering addicts (or former addicts, depending on what you want to call yourself) will tell you is the hardest part.

For the long-term user, your personality, your life, your being, is tied up in using your drug of choice. It takes a long time to gradually rebuild a clean "you". Aftercare of some kind is really critical for doing that. That can be AA/NA, or a therapist, or any other kind of dedicated support group. The key is that you're bought-in to the form of aftercare you choose. There is no drug on earth that it's not possible to quit from. Even if 50% of the users of any given drug relapse, every one of those people can make the choice after they do so to get back on the horse and continue their journey towards being clean. Most experts agree that nicotine is one of the hardest drugs to quit. And in the USA, we've seen massive numbers of people who successfully do just that. And look, there are great support systems for doing so, a ton of positive feedback from society in general, and plenty of tools available for people (sadly, for drug users, there aren't nearly as many options). But if you work hard on your plan, and give it your best effort, there's no reason why you won't find something that works for you. Every person who posts on here who is over a year clean was in your shoes. I'd bet every one of us doubted we'd ever be able to quit. But it IS possible, and you can do it!

[jpunclepeter]

Lisa Ling sited the statistic in her documentary "Hooked: America"s Meth Epidemic". I wasn't being negative was trying to say don't beat yourself up as all that does is make you want to use. Discouragement can be a huge cause of relapse. I will tell Lisa she was wrong.

[Clm1974]

I can't say thanks enough for taking the time to post this response! I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the 92% statistic. This is a difficult battle and I'm under no illusion that it's ever going to be easy but at least I have a fighting chance! I will do some research like you suggested. I am currently reading a book that's aimed at helping one quit crystal meth successfully and I believe I CAN do this. I was most curious when I posted today about the success of outpatient care. I guess I need to look into that more on my own. I do appreciate greatly all the encouragement and support I've received on MH! Thanks again.

[StonedTexan]

fter discharge, about 55 percent of meth users were still drug-free.
I would like to know where you get your statistics about crystal meth users. I wish people would do a little research before they post. People come to this site seeking help not to be told they have little chance of beating there addiction.  Clm1974 do not buy into jp's garbage. Search the topic and you will find out recovery rate for crystal meth users is nearly the same as cocaine and alcohol. You just need to get into a good program and not try to beat it by yourself. Below is one of many articles about the recovery rate.
You can beat this.


"There are myths that less than 5 percent of methamphetamine addicts recover, but that's a made-up number that is somehow repeated around the country," said Dr. Richard Rawson, the associate director of the University of California, Los Angeles Integrated Substance Abuse Programs.

"In fact, recovery rates are comparable to other drugs, like cocaine and alcohol," he said.

Mary Ann Ford Sherman, Kings County Behavioral Health director, said a 12-month program is needed to combat meth addiction, and the idea that addicts cannot recover is not true.

"Meth is a beast, and it takes a longer time in treatment to address that addiction," said Ford Sherman. "But folks can recover, this is no longer the face of addiction we thought it was in the '80s."

Rawson helped create the Matrix Model, an outpatient, abstinence-based drug treatment program that combines therapy, education, urine monitoring and positive reinforcers.

The rate of methamphetamine-negative urine samples at six months was about 67 percent. One year a
.