Why does everyone use suboxone

[finnda]

I read alot about suboxone isnt that a opiate or a opiate blocker it seems to me if your trying to get off drugs why use it everyone Please comment

[Trademup]

Justa. I am in a very similar situation to you. Sometimes I walk down beaver street and think about how the only thing separating me from the doped out homeless people outside of that duane reade are four walls and a bank account. I put myself on suboxone for a couple years when I got out of control with oc. I am glad to say I beat the OC and am now about a month off of suboxone. I consider it a saviour, and have no complaints about the mild withdrawals compared to other opiates. My suggestion is you take the job in FLA, bring your 20 mg of suboxone (or more if needed) and nothing else, erase all the numbers in your phone book, and just accept whats coming to you. If you are far away from here and have no other choice it will make the withdrawal process that much easier. Wean with the suboxone, this is very important, get plenty of excercise and enjoy the nice weather. Wearing a P coat and getting your shoes shined might garnish some respect from the 5th ave crowd, but self respect is harder to earn... Whats more important in your life?

[BQ77]

Thank you for your post.  I understand why people feel as though taking something like Suboxone is just replacing one drug for another, but the truth of the matter is, Suboxone, if used responsibly, has saved SO MANY people.  I would like to believe most Suboxone users feel the same way I do.  I would think they would recommend to anyone to try some options first before deciding to try Suboxone because as addicts, it's difficult for us to not only give up what we're used to taking, but to substitute it with something else can be difficult and most of us would just end up abusing the Suboxone as well.  Like ANY OTHER OPTION, taking Suboxone must be done responsibly, or plain and simple, it won't work.  Taking Suboxone greatly reduces the physical withdrawls.  From most of the posts I've read, most of us have gone through withdrawls by quitting cold turkey, by choice or because we just ran out, many many times.  I would reccommend Suboxone every time to someone who has tried several ways to quit.  

LateAugust...again thank you for your post.  Some people can be quick to judge "substituting one drug for another", but responsibly, it can be a life saver.  Another great thing about your story is how not only did your daughter take Suboxone and it helped, but she went to meetings and group help.  If people have tried on their own several times and nothing is working, this is a good example of another GREAT option.  Taking Suboxone responsibly and going to meetings can help for many of us.  One thing about Suboxone is how quickly it gets your mind thinking correctly.  Quitting cold turkey and going to meetings can sometimes be rough because of the cravings we still have.  Suboxone can greatly reduce those cravings, making those meetings you go to much easier.  Just a thought for those who can't seem to get it right like LateAugust's daughter and myself.

Again I wish all those recovering the best of luck and God Bless.

BQ

[LateAugust]

I can understand your frustration and feelings, and I am sorry for your addiction.  I am the mom of an oxy addict,  she had everything in control and everyone fooled until her addiction got way out of control.  Rather than being able to smoke/rail oxy   just in the morn and at night,  she needed to use several times  a day.  Working for a bank and going to college  doesnt really facilitate constant use, or what her body needed due to the tolerance she had built up.   She ended up with nothing.     She has been thru rehab 2 times, addiction couselors, psychiatrists, CT with an addiction specialist, IOP with a psychiatrist.....  the list is endless as is the number of times she relapsed.  The physical of W/D was not the problem,  she is pretty strong... but the mental  aspect was a completely different situation. SHe relapsed so many times I can't tell you,  normally at the 2 week period after W/D.    It is not for me to judge or to recommend what treatment is right or wrong, it is an individual decision one makes after a lot of research and education on their specific addiction.   For my daughter, she did go on Suboxone, 3 weeks prior to entering in patient rehab again,   her 3rd time in rehab, this time tho she focused and no one begged her to stay, which was a first.  She completed in-patient and now is in IOP classes 3 times a week 3 hours per session.  In addition she attends 4 NA mtgs per week.    Also for the first time she sought out and has had a  sponsor in  NA for several weeks.      For her the Sub has allowed her to not only accept but to embrace  and follow thru with the help she has been offered.     This decision was made after exhausting all other avenues for her over the last few years.     To simply say you are "trading a drug for a drug" is way too judgemental   in my humble opinion.  If that were the case with my child, she would still be out of work, out of school, out of control,  stealing anyone around her blind and manipulating and lying.      Her life is on the right track for the first time in a very long time.  but this has not been an easy journey, nor were any decisions made without a great deal of research.    
I can only recommend you read as much as you can, talk to some professionals, and get help SOON  as the destruction of drug addiction will only get worse and take you to places you never imagined possible.     I wish for you to find the answers you are searching and recovery.

[SophieShine]

AMEN TO THAT avisg.

To justiredofit : This might sound harsh but CT seems too be the only way, but if you scroll down and check out the tomas recipe, you'll find lots of info.
I'd advise you to copy and paste your comment and re- post it, you might get more answers. hang in there. sophie.

[avisg]

Just ,you really need some recovery care aa/na therapy a pastor something you need to get to the root of why you use .The sub by itself is not going to solve your addiction it will just become one more subastute.  You don't get down to the root of the problem .Drug addiction is just a symptom of a bigger problem.

[justiredofit]

I would consider myself a very serious pill popper  It seems my whole life I traded one additions for another.  I'm a 28 year old male who's worked as an executive NYC  and quit my job in Oct. so needless to money is an issue for pills now and it has gotten to the point in which  I really need some help.  It's definitly taken a tool on my familt  I've tried cold turkey several times without uucess   I'm curenlly in the pursuit on of considering employment in Florida but the type of person that I am does not heave me to believe that it will solve the issue.  I do have about 20 mg. of Suboxone but I've had waisted some before by taking them and then taking a pk knowing the the pk would not work due to the opiot blokkers.  Does anyone out there have any advice or suggestions for me because I've always been looked as the successful one who had everthing together but that couldn't have been further from the truth.  It was just an act I guess.

[avisg]

There are time thats sub is a great option but unfortunately its also used a lot of time when other methods should be tried first .Not to mention if you are not going to get some other type of recovery care along with it then its kind of like replacing your DOC.

[BQ77]

George is correct.  Any smart person who has used the Suboxone route to their recovery, would have to agree to try other methods first.  Suboxone should only be a last resort.  In fact, taking any other prescribed medication to help get off another prescribed medication doesn't make sense.  I'm currently on Suboxone after a horrible opiate (pills) addiction.  The reason?  Too many tries cold turkey and I just don't have the seft discipline to take pain pills responsibly, so tapering was never an option.  In fact, when I first started Subxone, I wasn't even taking that responsibly.  Luckily (for some weird reason, I just thank God) I got my head out of my *** and within a few weeks of starting Suboxone I have taken it responsibly and have already started to taper with no problem.

But, I'll be the first to admit...cold turkey is the absolute best way to become clean.  Something like tapering 2nd.  Suboxone has been GREAT for so many people, but should only be used as a last option.  

BQ

[dominosarah]

I dont know anything about sub except for what i read on here...I was a ct girl!!!

[GeorgeD]

Suboxone is both an opiate and a blocker and pretty long axcting. It helps you get off other Opiates, but then you have to wean off the suboxone,

I used it and it got me through, but wouldn't recomend it unless you've tried other methods and failed. If you do use sub, use the least amount to feel OK for the least amount of time. I'd suggest at most 1 week and them taper gradually off.