Withdrawls are generally blown out of proportion by weak minded people who make excuses to themselves to get the next hit. Formor five bag a day user speaking.
Not true, I've been back and forth from years of successful chipping to down in the hole for 12 years years, been off opiates once for 2 years, 21-23, and a few months here a there.
And I can tell you W/D can be so much different each time depending on so many different factors. And when you been using everyday long enough at high doses and step off fast, it can be completely debilitating like having a severe case of the flue, people have died from opiate WD.
That being said I have never thought of WD as a reason of not quitting, just not quitting "TODAY"(when you got shit that has got to be done).
And I can say that age and length of habit(when you started using first, not since the last time being sobre for any length) plays a big role, when I started using again when I was 24 WD's were worse than when I was 21 even with shorter duration of habitual use(and despite the 2 year hiatus, it didn't reset shit, once I started using again my tolerance and addiction came right back real quick). And now the older I get if I use lets say 100mg of oxy for a week straight I get worse WD's than when I would be doing 200mg of oxy a day for months when I was 16. And I've done it ALL, oxy just my DOC. I like a little oxyM too, but it loses its warmth after a couple days straight, so only like to get it when my tolerance is down and just eno adugh for a few days.
And let me warn you, just stay away from opiates, but if you find you've been using for years and can't stop, you BETTER get good at detoxing if you want to have any kind of career, I am the detox MASTER.
First, taper if you can, even 2 days of using just enough to keep you well before stepping off helps a TON. If I've just been chipping I will usually just treat the symptoms(do your own research), but if I've been binging for a while and don't have the 3 days to detox(which I never do) I rapid detox with naltrexone, stick out the WD until it is getting bad, take the usual regimen to mitigate symptoms 12 hours before dosing naltrexone, then just keeping popping k-pins and valiums until bedtime(only time I take benzos is when detoxing) and right when I am falling asleep take 15mg of naltrexone, then 50mg the next night to make sure I stay clean for a week. If I don't have any benzos laying around I take seroquel to knock myself out.
Sometimes I stay asleep, sometimes I don't, I always end up soaking the bed in sweat like you wouldn't think is possible, but I always feel much better the next day, good enough to work at least.
I got on subs about half a year ago, started trying to quit a couple months ago, but everytime I quit the subs I go out and get something good and have a great week then go back on the subs, really afraid I am a lifer. Sad thing is the magic is mostly gone, it takes a lot of $$$ to really get off, and I love getting HIGH(my wife, been together for 7 years) she can make her shit last(we're co-dependant, either we are both on subs or both getting high), just a little in the morning to get her going, but I'm not happy unless I'm high so I think I might just be stuck on subs, don't get high from them but don't feel the need to do anything more when I am on them, and when I have relapsed it's always been after a couple weeks off the subs, not like it's from the WD.
I'd really like to just keep switching from subs to drugs, but I know I'll end up in the hole again and its been a LONG time since I've been there and I don't want to go back. I was just chipping before going on subs, just couldn't afford a habit anymore, and each time I relapse I keep binging a little long and little longer before going back on the subs). And it's not dose or taper or anything, I almost never do more than .5 and less before stepping off, and I relapse after the WD's are over...don't know what to do.
