uncle_jocko
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2018
- Messages
- 55
Greetings, my friends. I posted over on the tapering thread a week back, and I'm glad I did. I simply wanted to expose myself (no pun intended) to a larger group of recovering folks. I'll try and make my story brief: I entered rehab in April of 2010. I was hooked on oxycodone - taking approx. 200-250mgs a day. Luckily, I had only taken that amount for 4-5 months, so I was able to get clean after a 3-week stint in rehab. I loathed rehab, simply because I was 44 at the time (I am 52 now) and taught at a local college ... I felt like I was swimming in an ocean of teenage (and early 20's) kids doing their 5th rehab run on their parents' tab. But it worked - no way in hell did I EVER want to return. I got out of rehab, went back to teaching and writing, and dove into 12-Step work. After the typical "brain depleted of opiates" depression wore off, life was pretty good. I threw myself into Program. After around year 7 of sobriety, I began seeing cracks in the system, so to speak. No offense against Program - it works, but the "tribe" of folks I hung out with just seemed too narrow-minded and judgmental. And often, downright mean-spirited. The hypocrisy of hearing their honest sharing, followed by their behavior out of the rooms turned me off. I should have tried other meetings, but I didn't. Anyway, I won't bore you - I stopped going to meetings, started micro-dosing edibles of pot, and as you can guess ... I thought I'd have a quick dance with Percocet again. Luckily, it never got that bad. It started around last April or so, and I began mixing them with rum and cokes, etc. As a writer, that old, familiar euphoric feeling was inspirational - like reuniting with an old lover. Poetry seemed to flow from my fingers, so to speak. But, as summer came to an end, I knew that I HAD to stop. Currently, I'm teaching an entirely new curriculum (a promotion of sorts), and I have to be on top of my game. I won't go back to rehab, and luckily, I've tapered down to 25 mgs. a day (with the exception of Fridays - I allow myself to take more pills Friday evening ... I know, it's rather stupid).
So, here I am. I'm trying a VERY slow taper. Obtaining the pills isn't a problem, and I just changed from 10mg Percocet to 5mg. Today, I'll be taking 22.5 mgs for the first time, and I'll try to taper off at about 2.5 mgs a week (or every ten days). Again, it's going to have to be a slow taper, and I'm working out, jogging, etc. If anyone out there has ANY feedback, I'd really appreciate it. Again, I simply can't afford to go through withdrawals at this point - I've been given a special teaching position, and I have to be "ON my game." Thanks for reading this, and I apologize for the wordiness - but again, any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!
So, here I am. I'm trying a VERY slow taper. Obtaining the pills isn't a problem, and I just changed from 10mg Percocet to 5mg. Today, I'll be taking 22.5 mgs for the first time, and I'll try to taper off at about 2.5 mgs a week (or every ten days). Again, it's going to have to be a slow taper, and I'm working out, jogging, etc. If anyone out there has ANY feedback, I'd really appreciate it. Again, I simply can't afford to go through withdrawals at this point - I've been given a special teaching position, and I have to be "ON my game." Thanks for reading this, and I apologize for the wordiness - but again, any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!
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