Methadone

[brooke1028]

Hey do any of you consider being "clean" if your on methadone? i consider myself "clean" but i was advised not to mention that i take methadone at any of the NA meetings.  

[brooke1028]

yeah relapse is something i cant afford to do. i feel like though as long as im at my clinic, relapse wont happen. but what happens when i eventually get off of methadone? i wont know till that day comes, so its hard to tell where i am at on my recovery. i have no urges but is it cause of the methadone is just doing its job? i dont want to be on it for another 5 yrs you know. thanks for the support- brooke

[scaredmommy2005]

Hi Brooke, I just saw your post and like everybody says do what is best for you. I have gotten off my DOC and then relapsed. That time I had no aftercare so this time I am trying NA. I dont want to relapse and I am going to try anything and everything just to help me not go down that path again. This is your journey not anybody elses so you have to figure out what is best for you. We might all be similar but we are never the same. Hugs to you and I wish you well on your recovery.

[brooke1028]

wow thanks to everyone who posted. as of only being on the forum for a few days you guys have a lot of good advice and positive support. i think something like this is a good way for me to keep in contact with people who are going through the same things as i have. thanks for info and advice. i will definitely be using it to my best ability. brooke

[hellc@mst]

Hiya Brooke. The following are all evidence based alternatives to the overwhelming number of  12 step programs whose grandiose and unsubstantated promise  offering a daily reprieve from the obsession to use and all maner of "spiritual maladies" (must come from spiritual cooties) beggars belief.  The (referenced/credentialled) organisations  I listed  all specialise in Addiction/Alcoholism rather than the superfluous and almost satirical"adictions/compulsions mentioned at the end of my post.

SMART: Self Management And Recovery Training.
http://www.smartrecovery.org/
Rational, sane, common-sense recovery techniques. Based on Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, the brainchild of Dr. Albert Ellis.
SMART online chat groups, http://smartrecovery.infopop.cc/paraentry.php, and
SMART message boards, http://smartrecovery.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x
Also see the book, When AA Doesn't Work for You, Rational Steps to Quitting Alcohol by Albert Ellis, Ph.D., and Emmett Velten, Ph.D.

WFS (Women For Sobriety) also has online chat groups: (guys ignore this one)
http://www.womenforsobriety.org/news_conferences/chat.html
For local group meetings in your area you can also call 1-800-333-1606.

SOS, Secular Organizations for Sobriety, a.k.a. "Save Our Selves".
SOS is an alternative recovery method for those alcoholics or drug addicts who are uncomfortable with the spiritual or superstitious content of widely available 12-Step programs.

Another web site: http://www.sos-rochester.org/ — Rochester, NY, SOS on the web.

Also see the book, SOS Sobriety, The Proven Alternative to 12-Step Programs by James Christopher

LifeRing Secular Recovery (LSR)
LifeRing provides live, online meetings on the Internet, and they are also starting meeting groups in various cities.

http://www.unhooked.com/chat/Chat.html — the Unhooked chat
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LSRmail/ — a Yahoogroup, "LifeRing Secular Recovery"

Harm reduction, Abstinence, and Moderation Support (HAMS)
http://hamsnetwork.org
HAMS is peer-led and free of charge. HAMS offers information and support via a chat room, an email group, and live meetings — as well is the articles on this web site.
http://hamsnetwork.org/chat == chat room
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/hamshrn == email group
http://hamsnetwork.org/live == live meetings

Moderation Management
http://www.moderation.org/

Rational Recovery
http://www.rational.org/
Rational Recovery is no longer "a recovery group", it's a book, and a technique — basically the same idea as the Lizard Brain Addiction Monster.


I think you'll find ALL these programs above are evidence based and  under no illusions as to what their intended purposes are......ie: stop/minimise using drugs and alcohol. It also pays to remember that the above mentioned rational recovery programs all have exit strategies/graduates and dont require livelong/indefinate membership.  I also thought it would be humurous to publish a brief list of the countless 12 step incarnations whose evangelical beliefs paints their organisation/s  as a universal panacea for ALL "spiritual maladies"however innocuously some may manifest themselves. (Ready for a giggle)

  AA Alcoholics Anonymous
Abusive Parents Anonymous
ACOA Adult Children Of Alcoholics
ADD Attention Deficit Disorder Anonymous
Al-Anon
Alateen
Alcoholics Victorious of the Institute for Christian Living
ARTS Anonymous (Artists Recovering through the Twelve Steps)
Augustine Fellowship: Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
CA Cocaine/Crack Anonymous
Calix (a Catholic 12-Step-based recovery organization)
CDA Chemically Dependent Anonymous
CEA Compulsive Eaters Anonymous
CMA Crystal Meth Anonymous
Chronic Illness Anonymous
CLA Clutterers Anonymous
CLA Clutterers Anonymous
CODA Codependents Anonymous
COSA Codependents of Sex Addicts
Compulsive Eaters Anonymous
Compulsive Shopping
Debtors Anonymous
Diabetics Anonymous
Divorce Recovery
Dual Diagnosis Anonymous
Drug-Anon Focus
Dual Disorders Anonymous
DRA Dual Recovery Anonymous
EAA Eating addictions anonymous
EA Emotions Anonymous
EDA Eating Disorders Anonymous
EAA Eating Addictions Anonymous
Emotional Health Anonymous
Ethics Anonymous
FA Families Anonymous
FA Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous
GA Gamblers Anonymous
GamAnon — families of gamblers
Gangs Anonymous
Gangsters Anonymous
Hoarders Anonymous
HCVA Hepatitis C Virus Anonymous (this one is most offensive considering the near 80% sucess rate of the newer pegylated interferon/ribavaron therpaies commonly available now. I am completely clean from Hep C and I thank my lucky stars I didnt pray in a group instead of seking the desperately required medical interventinon I urgently required.
High blood pressure Anonymous
ISA Incest Survivors Anonymous
Marijuana Anonymous
Methadone Anonymous
Messies Anonymous
MTC Make Today Count (for someone with a terminal disease)
NA Narcotics Anonymous
Nar-Anon — families of addicts
Nick-a-teen Anonymous
Neurotics Anonymous
Nicotine Anonymous
Obsessive-Compulsive Anonymous
Offenders Anonymous — for convicts
ODAT One Day At a Time — pagan recovery
Overcomers Outreach
OE Overeaters Anonymous
PIR Pagans In Recovery
Pagan Sanctum Recovery
Parents Anonymous
Pill Addicts Anonymous
Pills Anonymous
Prostitutes Anonymous
Recovering Couples Anonymous
RSA Rape Survivors Anonymous
S/A Schizophrenics Anonymous
S/A Schizophrenics Anonymous
Self-Mutilators Anonymous
SA Sexaholics Anonymous
SAA Sex Addicts Anonymous
SAA Sex Addicts Anonymous (alternate URL)
S-Anon — family groups of sex-addicts
SCA Sexual Compulsives Anonymous
S-Anon International Family Groups
SLAA Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous
Sexual Recovery Anonymous
SIA Survivors of Incest Anonymous
Partners and Friends of Incest Survivors Anonymous
Tough Love
UA Underearners Anonymous
WA Workaholics Anonymous

All the best Brooke. Whatever you decide I just hope you were able to make an informed decision based upon the wealth of information available on the web

Kind Regards Jeremy
Recovered Ex Addict

[gnarly_1]

HI Brooke ya you go to an N/A meeting and most will say your using if your on methadone been there got the t/shirt
to me your clean if your no longer chasing the high and methadone puts a stop to drug seeking behavior .....however
the end goal of the clinic if its a good one is to get you off the methadone also then your opiate free for me I count my clean time from the day I took my last dose of methadone
but again its different for each individual ....where ever you stand we will support your sobriety in what ever form it looks like welcome to the forum by the way good luck and God bless.........Gnarly  

[rizboy]

I go to NA but its horse for courses.im on subs but i consider myself clean.im off the H.thats all that matters to me.some sort of atercare is worth a shot.it connects with some people.take care.chris

[bettermomma]

Hi, I just wanted to put my 2 cents in... lol
well for starters, (just my opinion) I don't see anything wrong with maintenance drugs. As long as you aren't abusing them. (Like I did) Anyway, Brian ^ said that you must figure out what works for you. NA, therapists, AA, ect... didn't work for me, but this forum has helped me tremendously! We here on this forum, will not judge you for being on methadone, because we all have our own demons that we don't want to be judged. This place IS my aftercare! Hope you stick around! If you'd like, check out the addiction social forum too, this place is wonderful, when it comes to support, and sometimes you'll actually be able to catch a laugh or two... right Brian?


Anyways, hope you stick around, keep posting, and reading. I have a feeling that you'll like it here!


Momma

[brooke1028]

ok sounds great. thank you! brooke

[kk1303]

I mean I just want to say*

[kk1303]

Hi! I just want to see I don't take part in any type of aftercare/groups & I'm  just fine. If you have any questions from someone who doesn't go to group meetings, feel free to message me anytime!

[brooke1028]

yeah i just recently stumbled on this place and i really do like to see everyones advice. i didn't do well in the traditional na settings and the meetings i go to at the clinic i attend are starting to go in a different direction it feels. very negative kind of feeling. one thing i noticed is it seems to be pretty positive on the forum. which is refreshing to see. thanks- brooke

[bmdad]

This is just a general addiction forum but there are quite a few that also attend NA. There are also quite a few that don't. Many recommend some form of aftercare be realize that what works for one may not work for another. For many, this forum is the only form of aftercare they use.

I think you should stick around. I'd be very surprised if you don't enjoy reading and posting here.

Best of luck.




Brian

[brooke1028]

allright sounds good thanks. and yeah i have it perscribed but its through a methadone maintenance clinic so its a little different than a "normal" rx. but thanks i will look into the alternative groups

[brooke1028]

yeah i def. feel thats my reaction when someone says " oh don't say anything about that..." There are definite days where its like omg why do i jump through so many hoops when dealing with this freakin clinic. which then makes me feel like an addict all over again. Let me ask this...are most of the people on this forum NA people or is this just a general forum to help addiction problems?

[hellc@mst]

Stuff em. If you feel that you are clean then thats all that matters.