update on methadone clinic

[jo1978]

So i have been 20 days clean of pills!!!!! YAY!!!!! I am so happy~ I am also down 5 mg of methadone. So, that makes my daily dose at 35 mg. I am feeling good, very stable. It's so nice to be living life again and to not be full of worry and anxiety of where my next pill will come from. I want to say THANK YOU from my heart and soul to all my friends here on the forum. You all truly helped, pushed, and supported me to get this far. I know I have a long road to go, but for today I am great. My methadone clinic staff is awesome and full of support. I do not feel that they are trying to keep me there longer than I want or need to be there. My goal is to be totally sober by the end of July. That gives me PLENTY of time to taper down slowly. I am also looking into after care. I want to start going tro some NA meetings. Honestly, I am scared and nervous about it, but I am going to force myself to try out a few meetings at different locations, so I can find a group of people that I am comfortable with and can see myself trusting. Any advice or suggestions I am all ears~~~ Thanks everyone out there...I am praying for all of us to keep fighting the good fight and to take it one day at a time. Love you all, JO.

[mr.lucky66]

Your ideas are good and make a lot os sense. The thing about clinic friends is from my own vast clinic experience. There are nice friendly people there but there are also a lot of nice people with a lot of problems and criminal backgrounds. I got involved with clinic people and the results were disasterous. It is good that you don't want to stay on methadone and It seems like this could work. The reason I'm worried is because I have seen many people say they only wanted to stay on methadone a short time but ended up stuck. This also happened to me and hope it doesn't happen to you. This treatment can work but you need to be carefull and don't let the clinic talk you into an open ended stay. all the best

[hellc@mst]

Congratulations on your progress so far. It s a big deal to work towards abstainence no matter what the particular substance is. I also applaud how pro active you have been with regards to your enquiries in an aftercare program as well as NA meetings. It shows you are taking responsibility for your own recovery.
Yes. Please beware of ''friends'you might meet at the clinic.Our minds are so crafty, we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are just looking for support but could easily find ourselves and our recovery comprimised by befriending the wrong person. Addiction is the only 'disease' that will try and convince the person that they dont have it. And if your seriously looking for like minded people there are plenty to be found in aftercare and NA.
Anyways. Best of luck and good luck with your recovery.

Regards Jeremy

[jo1978]

Hey, Yeah I did feel like you rained on my parade a little. I appreciate your advice and value your opnion. However, I did more than my fair share of research regarding methadone clinics. I heard and read some beautiful  success stories and even more horror stories about using methadone to get off any opiate, whether it be pills , heroin, or anything else. I understand and realize methadone is a very serious treatment and a that it can be a risky path to take. After many failures of trying to quit, even "slow down" on my 20-30 Norcos per day habit, I decided this was the right choice for me. So far, I have yet to prove myself wrong. I feel stable, not high on my 35 mg of methadone. I am there at the clinic to get clean, not to maintain being a drug addict. I realize that a methadone program is DEFINTLEY not for everyone, and that Lastly, why wouldn't I "make friends" at the clinic???? Aren't some of us there for the same reason? And going thriugh the same issues? And having the same emotions and feelings? Let me know and all the best to you too

[mr.lucky66]

I hope this works out for you. I don't want to rain on your parade and wish all the best for you. I don't like methadone for hydrocodone addiction unless you have had multiple treatment failures and have been doing these pills for years. This is very serious treatment (MMT) and was meant for only the most serious heroin addicts as a treatment of last resort. That being said, it can work for you and go to the meetings but don't make friends at the clinic. all the best