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Just detoxed and craving like hell

BlueSaffron

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Messages
1,117
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Buying bacon at the Aloha Snackbar
I didn't want to put this in the sober living forum, because I don't think I can say I want to NEVER use again - I just don't want to be addicted. And I don't want to put it in the 'other drugs' forum because that seems to be mostly for the exotic drugs with lots of letters in their name.

I've been using opiates since the mid-90s. I started snorting, and from 97 to 99 or so I was shooting heroin first, then speedballs. I wasnt shooting long, but I sure made the most of my time doing it - I used up most of my veins (never went in my neck or groin - didn't dare). So I went back to snorting. Unfortunately (and I really mean that), my partner and I were making decent money, so we bought a lot, cos it was cheaper. Which means we did a lot. By 2008 we basically couldn't get high - too much tolerance. So in 2008 I got on methadone. I still used though, til Sept 2012. That was the day I stopped heroin. I did use once a few months later, but that's it. Once I'd been clean a few months I was able to start tapering my methadone dose.

I took my last dose this past Saturday. I went down pretty fast at the end, because I wanted to get off it, and because I have a trip back home for Christmas (for the first time in years - hard to go home with no dope, and I aint bringing it on the plane), and i wanted to be totally detoxed and feeling good when I go back.

I've been feeling sick and crappy for the last two months as my dose went down. I had a few vicodin, so I've been taking one a day to just give me a few hours relief, but I took my last one this morning. By tonight I'm going to feel like crap.

I called my dealer a bit ago. He hasn't called back yet. My plan is to get one little piece and do just enough to feel decent, so I can clean up the house and start doing some organizing for my trip. Feeling sick makes me not want to do ANYthing. I dont even want to lay in bed and watch tv, or surf the net - things that require no effort. And I have stuff I need to do.

My plan is, do enough today to feel decent, clean up the apartment, ect. Then let myself be sick for six days. I feel like if I could just feel really good for ONE day, I could deal with being sick for a few. It's the constant sickness for the last two months that's driving me crazy. Then next monday I'll do a tiny bit again, finish reorganizing the apartment and doing everything I need to do.

Do you think if I just use once every seven days, the six days inbetween that I'm on nothing (I have no more Vicodin and I'm not going on the street to get more) will be enough for me to actually withdraw and get normal?

I'm not sure what kind of responses I'm expecting... I full expect some people to come in here and say I'm fooling myself with the once a week thing. But I don't mind - I'd appreciate any feedback at all. I sat here for hours this morning, picking up the phone, putting it down, picking it up, putting it down, fighting with myself about whether to call my d. And honestly he might not even call back. Or he might call back and say no - who knows. But I just need to type this somewhere. I feel like an idiot for trying to score two days after I got off methadone, but I'm dealing with so much right now (personal/family stuff I don't want to go into).
 
Your fooling yourself bro.

Having said that if you went through all that you know the dangers. Do you think it's worth possibly resetting all your progress? My history is no way comparible to yours but what keeps me off is remembering the struggles. As addicts we pay a much higher price for our normalcy then other people, so much so it becomes our lives. You sit on the cusp of a true life where you can feel what people are meant to. I can't lie and say you'll think it's easier or glamorous, because its not. What is great is waking up knowing you'll feel decent at least, not having to wonder if you'll feel like shit.

I hope you stay clean, we all think about maybe just once a week or whatever but know a lot go down that path and it doesn't turn out well. I don't know you but I know me and I'm the shit and I won't gamble that I can get away with even once.

Best of luck and just remember what it was like, it's not all sunshine like we remember it. It's like all nestalgic memories, you can never recreate those past times, even if everything was the same it wouldn't be all you remember it. Our memories lie and we can only progress by realizing the past is to learn and the future is for growth, your problems now will pass but as you know addiction is not easily lost
 
^Great advice.

Also, it never really works out how you think it would. Once the withdrawals start getting worst, your desire to extinguish the symptoms will be much greater. You'll be much more inclined to use opioids to kill the withdrawals. When the frequency of dosing increases it will prompt tolerance to grow, causing the withdrawals, again, to get worst -- rinse, repeat.

That's how you fall into an addiction. You're also using them to deal with your problems, which usually compromises any self restraint that you have. When you're also sick 6 days a week, problems become much more difficult to deal with which would lead to increased opioid usage.

You know all this though. You're a former addict, who recently cleaned up. Why tarnish all the hard work for a vicoden, which probably barely touches your tolerance. If you want to continue using opioids, do so. If you think you can use them in a manageable fashion after leaving a dependance to them not so long ago, then take the advice of the above poster, and don't kid yourself. Use them, or don't use them, it's either one or the other.
 
I'm a girl actually :)

I've actually been enjoying feeling, to be honest. While my methadone dose was holding me I only had cravings occasionally, and it was just like "damn, it'd be nice to feel that high again", not like I feel now. I've only been having bad cravings since I've been feeling sick. I obviously went down too fast, but I didn't want to get off like a day before my trip home and feel like crap during my vacation. So I thought - I'll go down quicker and just ride it out. But I think I underestimated how shitty it would be.

Dude hasn't called back yet, and I don't know if he will. I've known him since I started using, he's not just some random guy. We're kind of like 'friends', if a dealer and an addict can be friends. He knows I was on methadone and have been clean. Maybe he doesn't want to sell to me.

I actually found an old bottle of Vicodin 5/500 an hour ago - it's three years expired but I took one anyway, & it took the edge off, although I'm far from well. I'm not really tripping off the Vicodin - I don't really see that as ruining my clean streak, it doesn't get me high, it doesn't even get me normal. Just reduces the the pain from really uncomfortable to somewhat uncomfortable.

I know it's use or not use. It's just hard. Right now all my reasons for not using don't feel like enough reason. But I didn't use today (even though I would've if I could've), so.. we'll see what tomorrow brings. Maybe I'll find some of my resolve somewhere under a couch cushion.
 
You can do it, it does get easier but only with time off. The desire to get high will fade as you "forget" they say it never goes away but I bet it does. Time may not heal all wounds but it does form a nice gap where the decision to stay on the "right" side is easier. You are not alone in this even if you feel you are.

Think about how if your clean you could randomly go on a trip. I know it's not likely but it always bothered me that if by random chance someone gave me a "hey this is an awesome vacation once in a life time free ride" I'd literally say "no I need my dope plus 2 weeks in Europe I'd get sick" it made me sad not being in control of my life. I know it's far fetched but it speaks of smaller things we can't do because of fear of getting sick.

I promise you if you stay clean it will get better. You can make everyone proud and have that bullet proof feeling that if heroin can't beat you what can. The hard life can make you humble but it can break your will, you are stronger then some inanimate compound never forget that.

If you feel weak just talk to us on blue light :)
 
Yeah, this is my first time going home to the east coast in years, all because of my habit. I hate that I missed out on holidays that I could've spent with my family.

Thanks for your replies, I really appreciate it :) I'm doing the best I can. I do NOT want to be addicted again. If anyone is reading this and thinking about getting on methadone, my one piece of advice would be for your last 20 mgs go down REALLY FUCKING SLOW. Who cares if it takes you a half a year, or even a year? I went down fast cos I thought I could handle it, but man, it's hard.
 
It certainly is.

Seeing as how your thread is still more fitting towards sober living, because you seem to be on the fence, I'm gonna go ahead and send it over there.

Basic -> Sober Living
 
One thing I hate about being sick is how irritating everything is. My boyfriend saw the name "Straub" on a tv show, and said "Straub? Straub? What is that? Is that German?" Normal tone of voice, normal question, but what I hear is

"STRAUB?!?!? STRAUB!?!?!?! IS THAT GERMAN?!?!?!

I just want to snap "I DONT FUCKING KNOW WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?"
 
Lol.

Irritability is definitely a part of it. That's why being sick six days a week will have a major impact on your quality of life. Rather than being well everyday either through leaving opioids or being on opioids. Only then will you have a stable and healthy quality of life.
 
I didn't plan to be sick six days a week for the rest of my life, though. I mean even today I feel marginally better than yesterday. I actually even almost dozed off a minute ago, and that's impossible when you're really sick. What I meant was - just say I got some today, I would do a little today, and then not do anymore til next tuesday. If I already feel a little better today, I think after six days I'm going to be a lot better. Then I'd do a little more, and go another six days without, getting even MORE better. It's been a long time since I only used once a week, but from what I remember, I didn't start getting sick til I started using every other day or so.

I just feel like, if I could know I had that reward waiting for me, it'd be easier to stick it out. I know that's not how you're supposed to think. Maybe I'm not committed to recovery, who knows. I just want to feel good for a minute. You know when people say "part of the reason I got addicted to opiates is that they made me feel normal"? I don't mean like not sick normal, I mean like a normal human being normal. I've never felt normal without it, not really. And that's really, really hard to give up.
 
One thing I hate about being sick is how irritating everything is. My boyfriend saw the name "Straub" on a tv show, and said "Straub? Straub? What is that? Is that German?" Normal tone of voice, normal question, but what I hear is

"STRAUB?!?!? STRAUB!?!?!?! IS THAT GERMAN?!?!?!

I just want to snap "I DONT FUCKING KNOW WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?"

I had a Suboxone doctor named Straub....strange....

Yeah, I don't know if getting heroin is a good idea...but I completely understand....It's funny, I'm going home for Christmas to the East Coast but I'm worried about relapsing when I get there...Where are you, the west Coast?
 
Yup, San Francisco. There's a huge heroin scene here, has been since I came here. Is there much of one where you live?

I actually just read an article that said there's a growing heroin problem in the New England town I'm going home to. I don't think I'd dare try to score there though - the idea of doing that in a strange city... at least here in SF I know where to go and who to talk to and how to talk to them.
 
No, there's very little heroin here in Nebraska it seems...but in Nee England where I'm from there's always been a lot of it...Yeah, there's a good amount of it in the bay area, I've lived there, though never spent a lot of time in SF itself....I mostly hang in the east bay...
 
I love heroin....I have a very hard time using it without becoming addicted to it...when I go home for Christmas it will difficult, my best friend still uses it everyday, and it would be nothing for me to call him and have him bring me a shot..

It's very tough to kick opiates...I've had the idea of using just enough to keep me well to accomplish whatever I needed to accomplish that day...It's never really worked for me, that's all I'm saying...
 
Perhaps you should consider maintenance drugs? There's no shame in admitting that you can't live without opioids. If you feel normal on them, maybe you should consider being on them, long term. Suboxone would be the ideal choice for me.
 
I know I couldn't do it everyday. I don't want a physical addiction, it just messes too many things up and it makes you crazy. I actually went through the whole apartment trying to find a piece the other day. I've lived here a long time, and often I'd get a decent amount and break off a little piece and tuck it away somewhere for a rainy day. But... if there's dope in this apt, I don't know where it is, cos trust me, I looked.

I was thinking more like once a week, once every two weeks. A special occasion thing. Like back in the day - friday night, me & the bf would get ONE little piece and split it, go sit somewhere with a view of the bay and get high. And it was good like that... until we'd have a shitty week and on a wednesday be like "do you want to get some? I wouldn't mind.. do you? Yeah, we could." From twice a week to every other day, and then we had a habit.
 
Perhaps you should consider maintenance drugs? There's no shame in admitting that you can't live without opioids. If you feel normal on them, maybe you should consider being on them, long term. Suboxone would be the ideal choice for me.

What does suboxone actually feel like? Is it basically like methadone?

I don't know... I want to have no addiction and just use once in a while. I know it's possible for some people... just don't know if it's possible for me.
 
There's an inherent problem with your plans. Doing it once or twice a week will only trigger withdrawals for the rest of the week. Again, this will affect your quality of life in all departments. Relationships, work, sex, sleep, mood, etc. Why do you choose to a lifestyle where you're waiting 6 days a week for that reward of being normal for one day.

Don't you think deserve the luxury of being normal everyday? You're already physically dependent. You haven't quit opioids long enough to consider yourself clean. Plus your usage pattern is bound to bring about dependance and addiction, if not already present, based on the symptoms you mentioned.
 
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