Yes, it's the idea that opiates are less addicting when you're chipping.
I see. PLEASE-- NOBODY MISUNDERSTAND C.H's QUOTE HERE>> OPIATES ARE STILL SOME OF THE MOST ADDICTIVE DRUGS ON THE PLANET, NO MATTER WHAT!!
If I wanted to IV a milligram of dilaudid (all I would need to get a nice 4 hour high and a great rush), I can, and while the experience would be nice, it's not as "addictive" or "powerful" since I'm not addicted to opiates. I don't have any major WD symptoms anymore, so there's no "-10" for me to go to "+10", it's just 0 to "+10".
I see. So you have IV'd some opioid other than Bupe since getting off of H?
Getting high on drugs seems a lot, lot, lot, lot, lot better when you're in really bad WD from them. For example, I would get "the highest" I normally would off of heroin when I would go get a new bag. Sometimes it would take longer than expected to get in touch with dude man, then meet up somewhere, wait for who knows how long, then the drive back, then the chopping of a line. By the time I'd be having the next line I felt so god awful that when I did get high, it was a whole other level of "getting high on opiates". A lot better than merely busting out another line within another 6 hours or so.
Yeah, and this type of scenario OVER AND OVER again for a many-year IV user is what keeps them going further and further - rock bottom doesn't exist. The pull and addiction gets exponentially greater inversely to the desire to be clean and live a normal life and not be pawning shit off, etc.
What interests me is that when I first had heroin WD, I was only using for a week. It was still horrible IMO. I couldn't get out of bed, felt like I couldn't pay attention or concentrate, I felt like I was in a daze, etc. Lots of apathy/boredom, somewhat of a depressing feeling. I guess my point is - consider yourself lucky you have only had "minor" WD's. For some people, there isn't such a thing as "minor WD's". So, get clean from opiates and stick to chipping or using other, not as addictive drugs if you can't be a responsible chipper (if you can or can't - it's up to you and something only you can realize about yourself).
Well, I never used Heroin for a week straight. I used Oxy for that 2-ish weeks straight with random Heroin encounters, sometimes 2 or 3 days in a row, but never more than 3 heroin days - don't know why, maybe it was lack of funds, or a realization, or getting bored... Take that as you will - maybe Oxy's WD is worse than H's... but what is worse is a large portion subjective.
Wouldn't you still say that your first Heroin WD was minor compared to your last?
I'm only calling mine minor compared to what other people have stated and what I've read elsewhere. I have had all of those symptoms that you stated directly above, but never constant shits/pukes or restless legs. Goosebumps I've had a fair share of... but not near permanent as the poster above me stated.
I don't know if I can be a responsible chipper. I seem to have been, but have let myself use for two weeks straight thinking "Oh, this will be the last time..."
Then again, I get so bored with not having enough sober time, because the drug's high isn't as rewarding anymore, so I stop.
Then again, the majority of times I have stopped I have ran out of money.
Then again, I've never pawned anything off for drugs while sick or not.
Then again, I've messed up relationships over the past 6 months pretty bad.
Then again, I've been smoking weed more than ever and I KNOW that weed exacerbates my tiny bit of anxiety and laziness and lack of motivation.
Then again...

(maybe I'm overanalyzing)

I can responsibly use opiates, which is why I'm choosing not to use anything but buprenorphine.
So, you are responsible to not use anything but bupe?
Or did you mean to say "can't"?
Also, do you get high from your bupe, or do you just use it to maintain?