help me please - steps to overcome heroin addiction

[Mywayorthehighway]

I am new and wasn't sure where to post.

I have been smoking heroin for three months, and have reduced to one bag (Uk) a day, which I think is .1g
I am at breaking point, I am depressed beyond imagination and want to stop.

Can anyone advise me what happens if I refer myself to a local drugs project? How long would a subutex programme last? How long from first meeting to starting the programme?

I think my use is quite light, but if I can't get my fix within 12 hours I start withdrawing and it is excruciating.

Please someone give me hope.

 

[Ruby Slippers]

Hey l just wanted to say you have come to the right place for support! Many members here are in the process of quitting or have already successfully quit. I will leave your questions to someone who may be able to answer them better since l live across the pond. Hang in there!

 

[Moreaux]

I am new and wasn't sure where to post.

I have been smoking heroin for three months, and have reduced to one bag (Uk) a day, which I think is .1g
I am at breaking point, I am depressed beyond imagination and want to stop.

Can anyone advise me what happens if I refer myself to a local drugs project? How long would a subutex programme last? How long from first meeting to starting the programme?

I think my use is quite light, but if I can't get my fix within 12 hours I start withdrawing and it is excruciating.

Please someone give me hope.

Hi Mywayorthehighway -

I live over in the US so I am not familiar with the programs in the UK, though I have heard mixed reviews which I suspect is dependent on the individual clinic. Have you reached out to any clinics in your area as they can probably answer most of your questions. If they can't answer everything I recommend going to a twelve step meeting as someone there can probably give you a run down. When I was interested in getting into a recovery program my doctors weren't very knowledgable in my area, so I attended a few 12 step meetings to see what others did to kick start their recovery. I could be reading more into your post than you intended, but I sense that you may be hesitant to initiate contact for fear of how it will impact your future, but I promise you the impact will be less damaging than a full on addiction - again, if I am wrong I apologize.

If at all possible, see a therapist and try to determine what is driving you to use. If you can pinpoint the cause/motivation and resolve that, getting off of substance is a lot easier and you have a better chance of staying clean. Fortunately your usage is on the lighter side so withdrawal shouldn't be too bad and shouldn't last long (it's still not pleasant, but it could be a lot worse). Statistically, you're in a better place than most because you are catching it early on, and that in itself should give you hope

 

[herbavore]

Hi Mywayorthehighway -



If at all possible, see a therapist and try to determine what is driving you to use. If you can pinpoint the cause/motivation and resolve that, getting off of substance is a lot easier and you have a better chance of staying clean.

x_benzo_girl's advice is great but this part in particular gets overlooked sometimes and then the pain of stopping becomes temporary. Really try to dig into the reasons for your dissatisfaction or unhappiness within so that you can tackle those with a therapist. You will never regret doing so.

 

[herbavore]

Hi Mywayorthehighway -



If at all possible, see a therapist and try to determine what is driving you to use. If you can pinpoint the cause/motivation and resolve that, getting off of substance is a lot easier and you have a better chance of staying clean.

x_benzo_girl's advice is great but this part in particular gets overlooked sometimes and then the pain of stopping becomes temporary. Really try to dig into the reasons for your dissatisfaction or unhappiness within so that you can tackle those with a therapist. You will never regret doing so.

 

[My3sons]

Three months is really not long at all. You are o ly smoking one bag a day. Continue to wean. You could be done relatively painless in less than 2 weeks. Maintenance programs are designed for heavy users with a minimum of one years use. If you gi on maintenance you'll be making something you can nip in the bud into something much bigger than it has to be. Maybe even try a kratom detox. Tou haven't quite destroyed yourself yet and are in early stages. Save yourself now before you throw tour money, life and dignity away. You got this!sorry typos.. driving

 

[simco]

@MyWay...

Welcome to BL! Just thought I'd mention that like you I'm in the process of kicking what is considered a "small" habit. It's absolutely true, as others have said, that given the history you described, your acute withdrawal won't last long. But in my experience, the psychological dependency was much harder to break. In fact, I'm still working on it.

One question: you are very depressed. Were you depressed before you started using? If not, did the depression come on when you started trying to quit?

For me, a pre-existing depression got *much* worse when I stopped using. And that's what kept me relapsing over and over. It was an ugly cycle. Just got more depressed the harder I tried and the more times I failed to get clean.

What I wish someone had told me early on was to take my small habit as seriously as I needed to in order to quit. In other words, try to avoid that cycle. Do whatever it takes to put the dope behind you, even if it seems dramatic to folks on the outside.

Speaking of other folks: do you have a good group of people who can support you during this? One of the most important things I had to do before I made any real progress was to sever ties with friends/connects who were tightly bound up in my using. Again, it seemed melodramatic to some of them, but being really clear about getting bad (for you) people out of your life is crucial. It made a huge difference for me when I blocked several numbers from my phone.

So basically, as others have said, find a therapist or counselor who can help with the depression (and hopefully the addiction). Surround yourself with people who love you. Do *whatever* else you need to do to cut the habit off (e.g. medication, rehab, etc.). Lastly, keep asking questions on BL! People here are wonderful and eager to help.

Good luck!

 

[Mywayorthehighway]

A huge thank you for your kind words and support, really quite overwhelmed and grateful.

I wondered whether someone could advise me which particular strain or brand of Kratom to look out for?

Many thanks in advance