Compared to being on dope yes I'm happy. Would I be happier without it? That's hard to say because I have tapered off methadone before and was never really happy being 100% clean I always drift back to using something and eventually back to opiates. I will probably be on the 'done for a lot of years and I'm ok with that right now.
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NSADD Moderators: tryptakid
General Methadone Discussion v. Why the Hell Not?
- Thread starter brutus
- Start date
MMT
Bluelighter
Methadone has its place and does save lives but too many clinics,from top to bottom,are run by power-trippin assholes. Most of you here that have cool,compassionate clinics and counsellors should consider yourselves lucky. There needs to be more consistency nationwide on how they are run and stable clients deserve the same respect as any other medical patient. I would start by outlawing finance related detox and formal hearings before losing your take-homes,unless you've gone off the rails and are a danger to others.
Mr.Scagnattie
Bluelighter
Yes. I am. So are a lot of people.
When the alternative is being in prison, hustling for cash, being dope sick, risking your life, having no friends, no family, nobody who gives a shit about you, no drive, and no passion... yeah, I'm pretty damn happy.
Mr.Scagnattie
Bluelighter
No, it's probably my 4th or 5th real go at at. And who said it was "methadone or bust"? That is ridiculous. There are tons of ways to get clean and you just have to find what that is for you. Who here said anything different..?
Anyway, I have tried every way in the book to get clean. Bupe (worked for a while), fully clean, rehab, you name it. But for right now, at this point in my life and how my addiction was progressing, after trying to stop many other ways, and not being able to handle a full on cold turkey detox and months of feeling like shit, methadone was what worked for me. It helped to give me some stability, get me off the streets, keep a job, save money, not worry about being sick. Is it going to work forever? No idea.. but for right now it is. My life is better than it was, and it's a step towards being off everything for good.
Is it ideal? No, of course I'd rather be totally clean and never relapse.. but for right now, thats' not something I can do, so methadone is the lesser of two evils. Have you ever been on methadone? It doesn't sound like it. Or maybe you just had a shitty experience with it, I've had bad ones too. But right now, I'm in the proper mindset, and have the knowledge to use it correctly and then come off, which is also something I have done in the past.
So, trust me, there are no more "firsts" for me, man.I assumed it wasn't your first and was/am curious why you went back to dope the other times if it afforded you this happiness. That first response came off as very black and white and I knew there was more to it. I've also walked in all directions trying to get clean...well other then that full on anesthesia deal...and its a topic of great personal interest. How, when, where people get clean - the specifics of that point in their lives.
"When the alternative is being in prison, hustling for cash, being dope sick, risking your life, having no friends, no family, nobody who gives a shit about you, no drive, and no passion... "
Dude, not trying to antagonize, that is straight boom or bust type talk. However, after elaboration, I understand better where you're coming from. If you want to get into why your current circumstances are different then those previous I'm all ears.
ohshea
Bluelighter
Yea im extremely happy on methadone. The only reason i got on it was for that reason--avoid a couple of unpleasant days in order to pass a drug test for my court ordered rehab or i was going back to jail. I was NOT going to fuck up this time-the last time I was in jail I told myself I will ALWAYS do what it takes on the outside to avoid my cases issuing warrants. Because almost all my trips to jail are warrant based, rarely do i pick up a new case.
So anway it was down to the wire of my drug test and i was so close to fuckin it off but had to keep reminding myself which is better handle this now on the outside w comfort or detox inside. So i went draggin my feet down to the clinic. Anyway i ended up liking it so much i never jumped off. Even on the rare occasion when id miss a clinic i would be pissed because i started to dislike the feeling of being dipped during the day, its too lethargic. Now im on weekly takehomes tho.
Ive never really met any boom or bust users...most of them are just happy their lives are on track. Do i preach methadone? Yes i am guilty of that. Only because so many users scared me away from it for so long i wish i wouldve given it a shot sooner. Im not crasy about it, just try to counteract misinformation when i hear it.
No treatment technique is perfect. We got the subbers who cant imagine going to a clinic everyday for a few months, then we got us wuo cant imagine getting thrown into percipitated WD if we mess up. Then we got the AAers who think theyre the only clean ones. Methadone works for me because i still slip and stumble on occasion when i cant sleep (maybe 2-4x a month, and methadone blocks my cravings in a way subs dont.
Mr.Scagnattie
Bluelighter
Being that you've been here for 5 seconds and are talking like you know any of us or anything at all.. then no, I don't feel the need to justify anything to you.
"boom and bust" talk? Really? Who are you, man? When you actually have more than a couple months here, then maybe you can talk. Otherwise, stop trying to get into peoples shit if you don't know what you're talking about. When you have some credibility, maybe I'll pay attention to what you have to say, until then.. I repeat.. who are you?
You do whatever it takes to get your life back.. sometimes that's been subs for me, methadone, rehab, whatever, and a lot of times you're just not ready to get straight. You don't use the methadone right, don't use the sub right, whatever. But for right now, this is the best shape I've been in in a very long time, and methadone is helping with that. Plain and simple. It's working for me right now, so who the hell are you to come and tell me anything different?
Love it when newbies come here, think they know everything about everything, and try and tell us what the deal is. Ha. Get real.
Moving on.
Yeah exactly.
There is so much anti-methadone horror stories out there, mostly based on bullshit it and users not using it the right way. I was one of them. First couple times on it, I hated it, warned people to never get on it, etc, but that was because I was an idiot with it. I chased the high, got on way much more than I needed and ended up on a huge dose, then thought I could just stop at like 50mg's, and cursed methadone and everything else but myself, for why it happened.
But then when I learned how to actually use it properly, and saw how many people I knew who did it right and it worked for them, I realized the horror stories were all severely exaggerated and from people using it like idiots. No treatment option is perfect, and sometimes it takes many tries for something to actually stick, all depends on your mind set and how smart you are about working whatever program you're on. Whatever works for you, that's great. If it's giving you your life back, whatever it is, awesome. Don't knock something just because you don't understand it or are filled with bias from all your mishaps with it by using it like a moron or hearing horror stories from other people who used it like a moron. Nothing is black and white.Last edited:
ohshea
Bluelighter
^yea true that. Nobody said 'done was a miracle end all, cure all. When it comes down to it, its really about your mindset, although methadone is a good crutch its not everything. Gotta have both in check it make ot work.
Porkchops: I dont know if its your intention but your posts come off very condescending and snarky. Not just here but around the other threads as well.Last edited:Whoa homie...
"Porkchops: I dont know if its your intention but your posts come off very condescending and snarky. Not just here but around the other threads as well."
Certainly unintended, maybe its the way I type. I'll definitely take it into consideration.
MMT
Bluelighter
^^FWIW Mr. Scag, dare I say it sounds like you're maturing somewhat and in a good place. You've seen the bigger picture and doing what you have to do for you. More power to ya.
Mr.Scagnattie
Bluelighter
^^
Haha. Me maturing? Can't be!
Ha. Thanks, man. Appreciate that. Doing what I can. Livin and thrivin, brother.
Mr.Scagnattie
Bluelighter
^^^
Plus you wont get takehomes.
ohshea
Bluelighter
My clinic doesnt care about benzos or weed. Weird how clinics have such different regulations.MMT
Bluelighter
^This disease should be treated as any other. Dr.'s office monthly visit just like pain patients,within reason regarding compliance. Too many variables in the current system. When the rules were overhauled in 2000 they said they would do pilot programs with office based monthly MMT but it never happened. DEA has too much say in medical matters.Okay so I just got the best job of my 8 year history in the workforce, and I have been on MMT for 6 months and am at 110mgs...I start my job on this coming Monday, and I have to be at the office at 430 am and we are traveling out of town for the week...I can't get the necessary take home doses as they only give you one every 6 months and 9 months for the first. So I am in a position where I don't know what to do, I can't afford to pass on the job as I have a newborn and my girlfriend is in college so I'm the provider. I am at a loss, are there any doctors that I could convince to give me a 5 day prescription to methadone given my circumstances...I really don't think I can handle jumping off at 110. I can't guest dose really, because A.) there's not enough time to set it up and B.) we are in 2 company trucks so I can't really say 'hey guys, let's hit the methadone clinic real quick'. Aaaaaaahhh, please help, what can I do???Last edited:
Mr.Scagnattie
Bluelighter
Sorry, man but.. there really is nothing you can do. No doctor in their right mind is going to give you methadone, so don't even bother. Not gonna happen.
Getting on MMT, you accept that you are kind of shackled in a way, at least until you get takehomes.. and that's just how it is. You knew the deal when you started. So if you can't guest dose, you really don't have any options, short of passing on the job, going through grueling withdrawal that will leave you in a state where you cant work anyway, or finding some other illegitimate way to get opiates, which is obviously not a long term solution..I think your only hope is to guest dose. 110mgs is probably too high for suboxone to work well. Or you could buy a large quantity of dope. ( I'm joking about the dope). Let us know what you come up with and how you make out on this.
