DickMcWickland
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2015
- Messages
- 39
I'll try to keep this concise.
Throughout my heroin addiction, these boards have been a great resource for information on how to manage and overcome withdrawals. As a high dose user, cessation of IV heroin comes with some uniquely unpleasant symptoms, and I'm very thankful to those who've contributed to this deep repository of tactics for ameliorating those effects. That said, it's a bit disconcerting that for every valuable post concerning the management of opiate withdrawal symptoms from long-term, high dose drug abuse, there's five other threads involving a new user voicing their concerns about coping with withdrawals from a few weeks or even days of opiate use. Don't get me wrong, drug abuse shouldn't be taken lightly and I don't deny it's imperative to catch these things early. It's just that, I'm speaking from experience when I say it's entirely counterproductive to entertain this unfounded paranoia. In my experience, serious withdrawal symptoms did not present until several months of high dose daily use, and were entirely bearable up until the two year mark of unsustainable IV abuse.
Here's a sample: "I've been using heroin for 10 days, totaling just over half a gram of east coast powder during this time. I have one suboxone strip, several clionidine pills and a total of 10mg of Xanax. What would be the best way to use these medicines to detox and what kind of discomfort should I anticipate?"
To my dismay, the above scenario isn't generally answered with a resounding, "it is unlikely you will experience any real perceptible withdrawals. If you continue using, you will regret it, however, at this point, your use of heroin should not present any problematic symptoms upon cessation. Therefore, the best course of action would be to stop cold turkey immediately and try to rest up and eat well, while focusing on your happiness via constructive hobbies. Using the medicines you have set aside will only prolong the ordeal and instead you should focus on exercise and supportive friendships."
Instead, typical responses involve unfounded speculation about the withdrawal symptoms this person should anticipate and how to use hardcore prescription drugs to negate them. Even worse, many posters recommend long term opiate replacement therapy! I remember when my use was limited to a two month oxy run at ~30mg/day and I came on Bluelight to search information on what to expect when stopping; reading all these threads scared me shitless, and I'm now embarrassed to admit, I continued using just for the purpose of avoiding the nonexistent withdrawals I wouldn't have even experienced. I know this because when I did finally stop a month or so later, I only experienced a couple days of lethargy and depression. To clarify, this was a 100 day run or so, far longer than those discussed via countless threads perpetuating an irrational fear of cold turkey withdrawal after just a few short days or weeks of use.
Hell, even after two years of a gram or two of high quality IV dope use, the withdrawals are admittedly bearable, although unpleasant and certainly an impediment to my functionality. I am freezing cold, pissing and shitting constantly, aching, anxious and depressed, lethargic, and nauseated. Even so, I'm still able to sleep with high doses of antihistamines and if I have benzos and/or clonidine and/or gabapentin/lyrica, the severity of the entire experience can be reduced to 96 hours of comfortably watching TV in bed.
Fellow veteran opiate addicts, please stop coddling these people and perpetuating this destructive cycle through paranoia and fear. And while you're at it, regarding your own battle with addiction, why don't you at least try maybe smoking a bowl and having a Valium or two before you resort back to subs or methadone? Put aside all the withdrawal horror stories you've been reading on here and try not to add to your own anxiety before you at least try getting to the 48 or 72 hour mark of clean time. Remember, a satisfied customer just goes about their life in silence, while an irate customer wants to shout their experience from the rooftops. In other words, there's plenty of people who come off long term, high dose opiate use without enduring a nightmare, but you're statistically less likely to hear those types of stories on these sites; that's just how it goes.
TL;DR: don't believe the hype resulting from all the threads about managing opiate withdrawals following only a few short days, weeks, or even a couple months of drug abuse. An opiate hangover is not withdrawal and you don't need an advanced drug therapy plan or coping strategy to endure the effects of cessation. You just need to find something else, anything else to do while you rest for a few days and move on with a better, drug free life. You don't need methadone, subs, or any other prescription comfort meds, although there's admittedly no shame in a couple days of clonidine or gabapentin if you really want to ensure a painless transition back to sobriety. Don't buy in to the nonsense and never justify continuing your drug abuse just to avoid withdrawal symptoms because you haven't been using long enough to worry about it and that's a fact!
Throughout my heroin addiction, these boards have been a great resource for information on how to manage and overcome withdrawals. As a high dose user, cessation of IV heroin comes with some uniquely unpleasant symptoms, and I'm very thankful to those who've contributed to this deep repository of tactics for ameliorating those effects. That said, it's a bit disconcerting that for every valuable post concerning the management of opiate withdrawal symptoms from long-term, high dose drug abuse, there's five other threads involving a new user voicing their concerns about coping with withdrawals from a few weeks or even days of opiate use. Don't get me wrong, drug abuse shouldn't be taken lightly and I don't deny it's imperative to catch these things early. It's just that, I'm speaking from experience when I say it's entirely counterproductive to entertain this unfounded paranoia. In my experience, serious withdrawal symptoms did not present until several months of high dose daily use, and were entirely bearable up until the two year mark of unsustainable IV abuse.
Here's a sample: "I've been using heroin for 10 days, totaling just over half a gram of east coast powder during this time. I have one suboxone strip, several clionidine pills and a total of 10mg of Xanax. What would be the best way to use these medicines to detox and what kind of discomfort should I anticipate?"
To my dismay, the above scenario isn't generally answered with a resounding, "it is unlikely you will experience any real perceptible withdrawals. If you continue using, you will regret it, however, at this point, your use of heroin should not present any problematic symptoms upon cessation. Therefore, the best course of action would be to stop cold turkey immediately and try to rest up and eat well, while focusing on your happiness via constructive hobbies. Using the medicines you have set aside will only prolong the ordeal and instead you should focus on exercise and supportive friendships."
Instead, typical responses involve unfounded speculation about the withdrawal symptoms this person should anticipate and how to use hardcore prescription drugs to negate them. Even worse, many posters recommend long term opiate replacement therapy! I remember when my use was limited to a two month oxy run at ~30mg/day and I came on Bluelight to search information on what to expect when stopping; reading all these threads scared me shitless, and I'm now embarrassed to admit, I continued using just for the purpose of avoiding the nonexistent withdrawals I wouldn't have even experienced. I know this because when I did finally stop a month or so later, I only experienced a couple days of lethargy and depression. To clarify, this was a 100 day run or so, far longer than those discussed via countless threads perpetuating an irrational fear of cold turkey withdrawal after just a few short days or weeks of use.
Hell, even after two years of a gram or two of high quality IV dope use, the withdrawals are admittedly bearable, although unpleasant and certainly an impediment to my functionality. I am freezing cold, pissing and shitting constantly, aching, anxious and depressed, lethargic, and nauseated. Even so, I'm still able to sleep with high doses of antihistamines and if I have benzos and/or clonidine and/or gabapentin/lyrica, the severity of the entire experience can be reduced to 96 hours of comfortably watching TV in bed.
Fellow veteran opiate addicts, please stop coddling these people and perpetuating this destructive cycle through paranoia and fear. And while you're at it, regarding your own battle with addiction, why don't you at least try maybe smoking a bowl and having a Valium or two before you resort back to subs or methadone? Put aside all the withdrawal horror stories you've been reading on here and try not to add to your own anxiety before you at least try getting to the 48 or 72 hour mark of clean time. Remember, a satisfied customer just goes about their life in silence, while an irate customer wants to shout their experience from the rooftops. In other words, there's plenty of people who come off long term, high dose opiate use without enduring a nightmare, but you're statistically less likely to hear those types of stories on these sites; that's just how it goes.
TL;DR: don't believe the hype resulting from all the threads about managing opiate withdrawals following only a few short days, weeks, or even a couple months of drug abuse. An opiate hangover is not withdrawal and you don't need an advanced drug therapy plan or coping strategy to endure the effects of cessation. You just need to find something else, anything else to do while you rest for a few days and move on with a better, drug free life. You don't need methadone, subs, or any other prescription comfort meds, although there's admittedly no shame in a couple days of clonidine or gabapentin if you really want to ensure a painless transition back to sobriety. Don't buy in to the nonsense and never justify continuing your drug abuse just to avoid withdrawal symptoms because you haven't been using long enough to worry about it and that's a fact!
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