hydro addiction need help

[wifetoaddict]

Hello All, this is my first post....so here it goes.  i've been married for 5 years now and we have a wonderful little boy.  my husband is very addicted to hydro and i need advice.  yesterday, after finding this site i came to the conclusion that this is my first sign of hope for him.  after reading some of your posts i have a new perspective on where he is right now mentally.  i know that he takes 10/7.5 a day, or thats what he has admitted to me at least.  he has to take sleeping pills or nyquil at night to sleep.  i know that he's done oxcy too, but i dont think he's on those right now.  he's told me that he's tried to stop over the years, but no success.  i've been in past relationships where drugs have been involved, but this is the longest i've stayed with someone whose had an addiction.  my father was an alcoholic, so growing up in that environment was mentally/physically exhausting.  my father is now 12 years sober.  i call him every other day and tell him how proud i am of him and that i love him so much.  i now see that my my husband is like my father.  my father drank, my husband drinks, my father didn't do any other drugs, that i know of at least, but nonetheless, my husband with the pills and alcohol, i see him going down the road my father did.  in and out of jail, distant relationships with his family and friends, depression, anger and abuse.  i just don't know what to do.  our little boy adores my husband and the thought of him not being around to watch him grow up terrifies me.  i've told my husband about this site. i was shocked when he didn't get upset with me.  he even read a few archives this morning.  he said he could see that he's going down the wrong path and it was nice to see others feeling the way he does.  again, i was shocked with his comments.  i really don't know all of his dark secrets and i'm scared to want to know more.  i see him moody, not sleeping at night, complaining of pains in his legs and his shoulder.  i thought he was just making it up.  i feel so terrible for doubting him.  i should have been supporting him all of these years.  he's never told me how long he's been on pain pills, but i think he was introduced in high school.  he is 36 and i think he wants to quit this time.  he told me he wants to have another baby with me.  i told him that i don't think that would be a good idea right now due to his addiction.  what do you think?  i want to help him try the thomas recipe.  he and i work full time so we'll have to take a vacation soon to get through this.  how many days can he make it to, before he can go back to work?  can you tell me what day 1 thru 3 are like?  what about alcohol?  can he still drink?  cutting him off of beer too would be torture.  i don't know if he'll do it, i just pray that he gets out of this mess.  i'm affraid that this will end our marriage if he does not stop the pills.  i just need advice, what should i do to help him get clean?

[wifetoaddict]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my questions.  My husband does not have a legitimate need for the painkillers.  He had past knee surgery (10+yrs ago) and foot surgery (4yrs ago) in which doctors prescribed his painkillers.  He's over the years used his mother's vicodine and hydro prescriptions, recently stolen his step father's prescribed pain medicines and also has dealers and friends that supply his habit.  We have fought over the years constantly about his addiction, but I think I may have just pushed him farther away from me due to my constant suspicions and rude comments.  He's told me that I'm the reason he needs to use.  Coming from an alcoholic family, I know that's what made my father so distant.  Just like my parents arguing constantly, that is something that I don't want my son to be witness of...all this chaos.  Boogieman, to answer your questions, he's had no treatment, we do have insurance, and he averages a 6 pack a day.  He does not want to go to the doctor for this because he drives for a living and they do drug tests.  He's very lucky no one has caught on to his problem.  He told me he would register and write out his feelings.  I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.  I promised him that I would no longer question him on his intake, but that I do want him to end this abuse or we can't continue our marriage.  I'm just so sad and scared at this point.  I don't know what to expect.  Thank you again for letting me talk about this....

[Danny750]

Hi. I am also in the process of coming off hydro 7.5. I was taking about 8 a day for 3 years and it's been hard coming off. As people said above he's going to have to make the decision. Everyone detox's differently. The first week was hard physically but I still went to work. Then it got easier and I made it to 15 days before relapsing and that's becuz mentally I wasn't taking  care of myself. He can do this and he will get through it physically but as I'm learning now he'll have to look into aftercare for the mental challenege which is quite a bit harder to deal with. Good luck. Dan

[boogieman]

hello. one good thing you have going for you is that the demon is out in the open where it can be confronted. if he admits there is a problem, the next crucial step will be deciding to take action to begin to recover. as mentioned above, he must want to do this for there to be an honest attempt. if he has a legitimate need for opiate painkillers, things can get a little complicated. has he ever been to treatment? does he have insurance, or even better, an employee assistance program at work? what is his daily alcohol intake?

[Ella789]

I took lortabs for abt. 5 yrs. up until Feb. 16th.  I hope most of all that your husband will have a STRONG desire to quit.  Without that desire, it will not work.  Detox is tough, but it is doable as long as the person wants to quit.  Then, go to a Dr. and tell him that you need some Clonidine, (and a few tranzene would help).  If you tell him what you are doing, then alot of Dr.s would help.  Get Immodium, otc pain meds, heating pad, maylox or mylanta, tums, benadryl,and be prepared for day 1-4 cause they seem to be the worst, everyone is different tho.  Perhaps it will not be so bad for him.  Get the b-6 and l-tyrosine helps they say.  I couldn't take the htp-5 or l-tyrosine because I take an antidepressant.  People on here have quit without the Clonidine but it really did help keep me stable or "in my skin" the first few days.  

  I hope I never take being free from opiates for granted, I always want to remember what it felt like to detox, so when I think I want just one pill, I can recall that that's how it all started with me!

Ella789   33 days free from opiates :)

[bluespence]

Welcome to the forum you will find a lot of helpful info on here. First off, the only thing you can do for your husband is support him...but you can't help him get clean he has to do it himself. There is nothing you can do to convince him, he will quit only when he is ready. I mean you can show him this site and if he is willing talk to him about what you are learning but he has to want it. Secondly, the alcohol withdraw could be dangerous, it all depends on how much he drinks and how long he has drank. He may need to go to the ER to detox from alcohol because he can go into seizures. As for the pills, normally it takes a good week for the physical w/d to stop with day 3 and 4 being the worst. You can expect flu like symtoms, chills sweats, diarreha (sp), nauseous, tired, restless legs, not able to sleep, anxious and depressed. You have a long road ahead of you but there is always hope. I am sure you will get others to repsond too...good luck to you and your family!