When I look back over the years that I've had a habit, I realize that the best thing for me to do was leave the country. I know not everyone has that option but I've found that europe has a far more harm reduction/help attitude towards users. In Detroit, its only a matter of time before you get caught scoring. Police, arrests, jail, fines etc etc.. That in no way will help you. I truly believe that if I had of remained in the US, that eventually i would end up in jail and that is not a place i need to go. It would fuck up my career, my future, everything.
Treatment, well my experience with getting help in detroit, being that I had no insurance. I recall calling SEMCA and recieving a grant to attend detox centres. QBH on the boulevard downtown. 10 people in a room, hardly supervised, i must say it was better then nothing but It never worked. Only after using for 2 years, then moving to europe to get clean, i found subutex and then finally agreed to methadone. I've never had to pay for my treatment here and that one thing i can say has saved me. I was always against methadone, but without it, i would wake up and immediately i would have to start figuring out how to score that day, just to stop the sickness. Now we all know how that goes, that feeling that you would crawl thru a river of shite or take your mothers purse or sell your last instrument etc etc etc, god, these days to wake up without that feeling is the most refreshing state of mind i've had throughout my addiction. Methadone has allowed me to be me. I work, I study, I travel, I have a life, I have more of a life then loads of completely sober folks i know. I've been on methadone for 9 months now. 60ml, faily pickup with weekend take homes. Sure, i may be addicted to it, but when the time is right i will flirt with coming down. Right now, things are good, and i dont want anything to change. I would recommend anyone interested in substitute prescribing to give it a fair go. I took subutex, which is similar to suboxone and i was heroin free for 16 months. I relapsed, then a couple years later started a methadone script and here I am today.
I just with that the government in the united states would see that Jail, punishment is not the answer. Heroin is on the rise and is going into the suburbs to a younger crowd. Its scary