AgeIsWisdom
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2013
- Messages
- 3
A very close friend of mine is in the program in the methadone clinic. In my opinion, it is the best thing to ever happen to him. If he can make it through the whole program, I believe it will change his life. The problem isn't whether or not he has the drive to finish, it's quite the opposite, he is all about it. The problem is, when he entered the clinic, he had gotten home from a job he took for the summer and was drawing unemployment. Even with his unemployment, the cost of the clinic ($320/month) would nearly take his whole check, sometimes he could not make the full payment. The total amount he owed them had climbed to around the $800 mark after about 8 months. When they cut off his unemployment, he wasn't even able to pay anything at all and, after a couple weeks, his bill reached nearly $1000 after which they came to him with an ultimatum. He is to pay no less than $80 every week and the first time he cannot do so, they will begin dropping him by 10mg/daily and kick him out. Once he begins dropping, he cannot go back to where he was at should he find a way to pay them.
To clarify, he is currently taking 125mg of liquid methadone each morning and his taper plan was to begin right around this time with a suggested taper that was to be roughly 3mg each week. I know the first reaction from some may be "Why don't you tell him to get his lazy ass a job?" Unfortunately, it isn't that simple. We live in Michigan and anyone from this state can tell you that when you do get a job, you hold onto it with your life. That's the whole reason he had to go away last year was to find work. Furthermore, finding a job willing to work around a clinic that is open from 6 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. is proving to be harder than first thought. Believe me when I tell you that he definitely hasn't just been sitting around all day, he has actively been looking for work since long before his unemployment ran out. I've been helping him as much as I can and things on the job horizon are beginning to look better but, in the mean time, each weak is just another ticking clock in which he struggles to come up with the $80 to ensure him another week in the clinic. I am helping him with that as much as I can but I am married with two kids and cannot afford much, nor does he want me to.
They had mentioned something about medicaid, however, he seems to have found that there is no chance of that until at least the middle of January, this is something I have yet to check into for him though. Has anyone on here experienced anything similar to this situation? We really need to just buy him a little more time until he can find himself any job possible for now. If you could know his past and the steps he has taken to change his life, you would understand why I want to help him so badly. He is definitely one of those friends that you keep for life, an uncle to my children, he just went down a bad road. What's important is how much he has done to bring himself back from that but I am afraid he is going to lose the clinic at what looks to me to be the most difinitive point of his life. I know it sounds pretty dramatic, especially when I look at it just typed right out, I guess you would kind of have to know him and see what I have seen.
I do believe having this scare of losing the clinic has been a necessary part of him moving on because he has realized just how much he took it for granted. All of this has definitely been important in his recovery and I have watched someone I've known for quite a while finally get things figured out, someone who has been through more things with and knows more about me than anyone else besides my own wife. Getting into the clinic was the most important first step but almost losing it has been the all important last step, for my friend anyways. Unfortunately, the means needed to bring us to this necessary step are the one thing that may completely undo the last year, and I KNOW that wont be the worst part. Do I think He would ever go back to sticking a needle in his arm? No, I believe he does know better than that and he is also aware of the beating (because he is like a brother to me, really, it's ok) he would get from me. I would beat him up and down the street, yes, but after that I would take care of him. I don't think that would ever be a problem anymore but I do think if he lost the clinic, he would definitely go back to the street drugs, something I have experienced enough to somewhat understand how it could lead to needles. I am terrified of them so there was/will never be one in me He he would be stuck back in that vicious cycle. Even if he never went back to the needle, he would lose the best chance he has to come out on top for the first time in over a decade and start his 30s out the right way.
Wow, I am sorry for such the long post, I joined as a last thought and definitely a last ditch effort to help him through this. I guess I got a little carried away in explaining things but I am afraid some people won't understand the situation. I am going to put my head together with his and get him any form of decently steady income from any job we can find but that really has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. I guess what I would like have help with is figuring out if he understood the medicaid correctly (if he did, is it possible to get it now?), and does anyone on here have any suggestions, really any ideas at all. Even if it seems like the smallest advice I would greatly appreciate it. I just really want to help him stay in the clinic until he can find any kind of steady paycheck.
To clarify, he is currently taking 125mg of liquid methadone each morning and his taper plan was to begin right around this time with a suggested taper that was to be roughly 3mg each week. I know the first reaction from some may be "Why don't you tell him to get his lazy ass a job?" Unfortunately, it isn't that simple. We live in Michigan and anyone from this state can tell you that when you do get a job, you hold onto it with your life. That's the whole reason he had to go away last year was to find work. Furthermore, finding a job willing to work around a clinic that is open from 6 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. is proving to be harder than first thought. Believe me when I tell you that he definitely hasn't just been sitting around all day, he has actively been looking for work since long before his unemployment ran out. I've been helping him as much as I can and things on the job horizon are beginning to look better but, in the mean time, each weak is just another ticking clock in which he struggles to come up with the $80 to ensure him another week in the clinic. I am helping him with that as much as I can but I am married with two kids and cannot afford much, nor does he want me to.
They had mentioned something about medicaid, however, he seems to have found that there is no chance of that until at least the middle of January, this is something I have yet to check into for him though. Has anyone on here experienced anything similar to this situation? We really need to just buy him a little more time until he can find himself any job possible for now. If you could know his past and the steps he has taken to change his life, you would understand why I want to help him so badly. He is definitely one of those friends that you keep for life, an uncle to my children, he just went down a bad road. What's important is how much he has done to bring himself back from that but I am afraid he is going to lose the clinic at what looks to me to be the most difinitive point of his life. I know it sounds pretty dramatic, especially when I look at it just typed right out, I guess you would kind of have to know him and see what I have seen.
I do believe having this scare of losing the clinic has been a necessary part of him moving on because he has realized just how much he took it for granted. All of this has definitely been important in his recovery and I have watched someone I've known for quite a while finally get things figured out, someone who has been through more things with and knows more about me than anyone else besides my own wife. Getting into the clinic was the most important first step but almost losing it has been the all important last step, for my friend anyways. Unfortunately, the means needed to bring us to this necessary step are the one thing that may completely undo the last year, and I KNOW that wont be the worst part. Do I think He would ever go back to sticking a needle in his arm? No, I believe he does know better than that and he is also aware of the beating (because he is like a brother to me, really, it's ok) he would get from me. I would beat him up and down the street, yes, but after that I would take care of him. I don't think that would ever be a problem anymore but I do think if he lost the clinic, he would definitely go back to the street drugs, something I have experienced enough to somewhat understand how it could lead to needles. I am terrified of them so there was/will never be one in me He he would be stuck back in that vicious cycle. Even if he never went back to the needle, he would lose the best chance he has to come out on top for the first time in over a decade and start his 30s out the right way.
Wow, I am sorry for such the long post, I joined as a last thought and definitely a last ditch effort to help him through this. I guess I got a little carried away in explaining things but I am afraid some people won't understand the situation. I am going to put my head together with his and get him any form of decently steady income from any job we can find but that really has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. I guess what I would like have help with is figuring out if he understood the medicaid correctly (if he did, is it possible to get it now?), and does anyone on here have any suggestions, really any ideas at all. Even if it seems like the smallest advice I would greatly appreciate it. I just really want to help him stay in the clinic until he can find any kind of steady paycheck.
