Question about my posts

[GA Guy]

As many here may know..I'm lazy..and got tired of typing the same stuff to new people every day (although I would in a minute if I had to). Therefore, I wrote part of a cold turkey how to article and mended it with the Thomas Recipe. I have two questions..First, is it annoying or helpful? I know it is long and takes forever to scroll. Should I post it just one day and point to it? Or shorten it? Second question, is there anything that anyone thinks needs to be amended or added? Like, I'd love to put something from beachtowel's musings on the therapy/12 step process (if he'd write me something that I could add and credit him..I don't wanna steal peoples ideas..I'd have asked Thomas his permission to use the Recipe if I knew who he was). Any suggestions and comments will be heard and used. Brutal honesty is encouraged. We will not agree on our methods, but we can lay out all options.

[wait2long]

the name of this facility is step one...in berlin NH

[Zillialee]

I had been reading these posts to plan my tapering/withdrawal plan and basically I would go through and read a lot of other peoples posts that did not really get me anywhere, yours however is the best information, at least for me.  It had a lot of information in it as far as ideas and time frames, etc. I think you should post it on here once a day for people like me that are new to this forum.  I also want to mention to anyone that may be offended by saying yours is the best, everyones posts have helped me, it is just that the phase I'm in right now "Ga Guy" gave me most the information I was looking for and I have a feeling a lot of people may come here in search of that particular information to start out.  If it is posted daily it will be easier for them to find and maybe help more people.  I will let you know though as I start and when I finish my detox if there is anything else that helped me if you want to add some new stuff.  Thank you : )

[wait2long]

i agree with you, i can be used for withdrawals that way...i had done it numerous times too, but just was not ready to give up the percs yet, now i am , and i would have to add that therapy is a must, it has really helped me.

[Addicted2Pain]

First, GaGuy, your posts, along with fish's (he too re-posts the same thing over and over), is fine with me. I know by now to scroll thru it. :)

Now, as far as methadone...I don't know if anyone is posting in regards to my posts on methadone, but just in case they are...

I have never advised anyone to get on a methadone maintenance plan. But all too often, I see posts from newbies who want to quit, but are afraid of the withdrawals. Since I know that if someone will take a single 10 mg methadone pill per day for 3 days max, that their withdrawals will be much more manageable, then I am going to put that option out there. That is not enough to get high, not enough to get addicted, and not enough to experience withdrawals. I know that when I do decide to quit, I will use methadone to get thru the withdrawals. It HAS WORKED FOR ME TOO MANY TIMES FOR ME NOT TO!

[wait2long]

i just wrote this extremely long post answering every question you had...but my pet birds landed on my keyboard and somehow its gone and i have to start over.....kind of sounds like "the dog ate my homework" huh.   oh well here goes AGAIN!!  of course i am offended, i am not defending my addiction...i am defending the way i am getting clean. and you say i am not dealing with my recovery? how am i not dealing with it?  because i am not writhing in pain from withdrawals on the floor as my 3 boys watch!  and dont you dare tell me that my addiction isnt worth posting about because it wasnt what you took!  i did do heroin, for just about a full year!  i was also an alcoholic for almost 5 years..i would drive 3-4 hours every weekend to get my bundle, i decided it was just as much "fun" to get loaded on pills and i didnt have to drive anywhere, so yes you are minimizing my addiction and also my recovery.  there are no other options in this area that i live in for addicts, nothing! but the one i spoke of in last post! and there were no doctors or nurses on board at this place, NONE!!  the lady that called me (the director or who ever she was, i think she was the cleaning lady or housekeeping) told me to come get my friend because they were not equipped to deal with her level of anxiety, she was taking anything and everything, the only legal prescription she had was for klonipin, and she was not allowed to bring it on the premises with her, it was not allowed, now first of all i thought it was extremely dangerous to just suddenly stop benzos?  so no wonder she was anxious, tell me 1 person who wasnt horribly anxious while detoxing?  when i first got the call to go get my friend..i thought it was her giving up..it wasnt, this "facility" or whatever you call it was mainly for alcoholics or people who would go to jail if they didnt enroll at this place...i spoke to the woman that called me (the cleaning lady) when i got there, she said my friend was not dissruptive, was not an ******* and caused no scenes, she had just began to experience some anxiety on the 3rd day, she hadnt even started with withdrawals yet!, with methadone in your system it can take days to feel the effects of withdrawals (for me 5 days), my friend was prepared to stick it out, but they told her to leave because of her anxiety??!! what kind of place is this, i decided then...NOT FOR ME!!!   but i am sure because i am an addict not facing my recovery that you think i am lying or making this up, so i will try to remember the name of the is place so maybe you can check it out for yourself.   they even told her when she did start with WD's, that she would not be allowed to stay in bed for any amount of time, she would be expected to act like there was nothing wrong, go to meetings and write essays with feces running down her leg .  is what one patient told her, sounds like a GREAT place to me !! and i am sure she started using the minute she got home too, because she was an addict trying to get help and getting nowhere fast!!! i would have felt pretty defeated at that point also. now on to the benefits of methadone FOR ME, if i did not take methadone i know i would have probably by now lost my home, lost my husband, lost my boys to the state and anything else possible to lose, and at that point i know for a fact i would have killed myself, i was extremely suicidal with no place to go but down! (death was my only option at this point)...20mgs of methadone daily made it possible to get my **** together enough to get my job back, get caught up on bills, get therapy and prepare for the next step which was getting off methadone, which i again was going to have to do alone, my husband worked 3 hours away from home and was gone from sunday night until friday night, so that left me in charge of taking care of my 3 boys and may i also add my oldest boy is handicapped, so laying in bed for a month waiting for methadone WDs to come to an end was not an option for me, my life was not going to stop so i could be sick andi have no family or trustworthy friends to help and this is where the suboxone comes in. i did quite a bit of reading and research on suboxone before even calling my sub doctor (who by the way is an addiction specialist) i talked to her on the phone for about a month before i made my commitment,  she is about 60 years old, wonderful person and i am quite sure she would be offended by what someone from an addiction forum had to say about her and her career, she has dealt with addicts her whole career, she did admit to me that suboxone was a new drug, and new to her... so i made my commitment with her to continue my therapy, and start on suboxone after stopping methadone for a few days.  do you know what a doctor has to do to be able to prescribe suboxone?  and about methadone i never said it was not a serious drug, it is and i knew alot of people who abused it, and it extremely addictive and hard to kick!!! my sub doctor told me i could stay on it for up to 2 years, it was recommended to me because of my past history of always abusing something, pills, booze, heroin and back to pills...you are not the expert, you are not the one with the degree hanging on your wall to treat addicts. so you have no right to tell me what i am doing is wrong  or not valid and that i am in denial and not facing my recovery or addiction, i know i am an addict, i am not abusing anything and i havent since sept25, 2006, i feel i am doing well and have come a long way since a year ago, and then to have someone imply that all my hard work and effort is meaningless, useless and not valid is nothing short of a kick in the face!  very hurtful i might add!  i started on 32 mgs of sub, i am now down to 10 mgs, so now where is the proof that an addict cant take prescriptions properly, that they will abuse anything they can? and the dose will always increase for an addict (only for those that arent serious about getting clean)!  and my analogy of taking handfuls of advil is not from outerspace at all, taking sub FEELS the same as taking advil, meaning THERE IS NO FEELING FROM IT, THERE IS NO HIGH, THERE IS NOTHING so i dont abuse advil why in the hell would i abuse sub??? do you even know about suboxone? have you ever taken it yourself or seen someone (in person) who takes sub?  obviously not or you would not be accusing people of abusing it, it simply cant be done...look up "ceiling effect" in one of your addiction "manuels".  and you know what, i have recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, i could very easily go to that doctor and ask for pain meds. but i dont because being clean is more important to me than not having pain.  alot of people who come to this forum are in a very delicate state of mind and the last thing they need right from the get go is your uncompassionate abrasiveness... it took me a long time to actually post here, i have been reading everyone elses post for months now, and i feel better now that i have people to talk to that understand and give sound advice because they have been there, and know what has worked for them, and you should not be criticizing any one for it.  just about everyone here is here for the same reason... adiction is addiction, and once an addict always an addict.   you are no better or different than the rest of us.   well i think i have answered EVERY question you asked me, if not please let me know.

[serenitysaves]

Here I am......  I'm one of those methadone patients.  I had an active addiction to herion for three years. and am now on methadone which I've been on four six years.

Yes, it is a hell of a drug and a ***** to get off.  Which I'm working on a taper now.  From you're last post to me I got, I know you think I should just go c/t instead of a slow detox but for me this is my path, my road to recovery.

Methadone has helped me sooooooooo much in finding a way to live again.  When in my active addiction I was'nt showing up for my life, I was mearly going through the motion to get what I needed in whatever way I could.  This took me to some very dark, ugly places.  For myself, rehab was'nt enough I needed something eles.  and I feel I was lucky to find methadone.  Which for the last five years I've been taking as precribed by my doctor.  I'm active in N/A, and even though everyone might not like my path of recovery, they are supportive of me.  You seem to be involed with N/A also so you should know....

What is the Narcotics Anonymous Program?  "We are not interested in what or how much you used or who your connections were, what you have done in the past, how much or how little you have, but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help."

of course this is only in part, but before you jugde someone because they have'nt used long enough, remember the principles of the program you and I love so much.

take care, Robin