Opioids How long did it take you to quit opiates (actually?)

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

I'm not sure where to begin. I've as of recent had an amazing streak and thought I was out of the opiate loop (mainly oxy), and returned again. It felt amazing and then my tolerance sky-rocketed like the old times. I am really frustrated. I've quit through kratom, cold turkey, etc. I always find ways to get back to it or it finds a way to get back to me even if I feel I've cut off all my options entirely. I've never faced anything this difficult in my life... not giving in but I find it so underwhelming to live without this incredible feeling and I can't be the only one who has struggled tremendously to quit and stay out.. Just when I think I'm in the clear a switch turns off and I'm back on it again. I am a PhD student and it has greatly reduced the stress of my masters and current degree program, thus it did have a purpose in my life other than pain relief. I do not even suffer from chronic pain.

I have my life together otherwise but I KNOW that if this escalates anymore I could lose everything I've worked for. The withdrawals absolutely suck and I've utilized most of my toolkits enough to the point that wd salvation comfort meds no longer work.. that's what point I'm at.


Usage: 40-60 mgs of oxy seemingly daily
Duration of addiction: 2.5 years
It might be useful to know that my mother's DoC when she was using was heroin. I think that may play a factor in my love of opiates.

I want to break free before my habits turn into 100mg/day or something like that to catch a buzz because I know where that route leads. Some advice/experience would be appreciated. I'd rather be addicted to oxycodone than something like cocaine or inhalants but this is horrifyingly addicting. I started dating someone amazing and I really do not want to blow this. At least my partner is aware of my problem and is highly supportive on the matter of quitting. I thought if I reached out to real people with real sobriety success stories on specifically opiates I could get a better grasp on what it means to stay clean. I really would appreciate any replies even from those who are currently fighting the same battle, and how it has/is affecting your life. Thank you

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

It took me 20 years.

 

[MDPV_Psychosis]

For me the struggle never seems to end. I've been able to get it to go into remission for a couple years here and there but then i always find my way back again.

 

[apocalypse_when]

I dunno...

I'll let you know when I do i suppose. Lol

Although actually I did quit after a few years CT but had a major accident recently and put back on... That's the real kicker though, you can quit and be off for years but break your leg or fuck yourself up badly in some way and you'll need the motherfuckers again... that's just the nature of the game I suppose.

 

[xivixive]

6 months in jail + 5 years of probation on my ass... only 53 months a 20 days to go

 

[Speed King]

If you have coverage and a hospital that uses ketamine for pain, super fast.

 

[chummy]

Here's a real answer. I started abusing oxy, and did that for a year until it became too expensive. I graduated to heroin. I did that daily for two years, snorting. I had something happen that forced me to at least try to quit, so I started suboxone. I stayed on subs for 1 year. I started at 4mg and over time slowly weaned down to about .1mg then just stopped. No withdrawals at all. I've been opiate free for four months. I think I'll stay clean but you never really know. The bottom line is it took me a year to completely quit.

 

[apocalypse_when]

If you have coverage and a hospital that uses ketamine for pain, super fast.

Sorry dude, were you talking to me there or someone else?

If you meant me then I'm British so coverage isn't an issue here with the NHS but I'm not aware of anywhere that does ketamine here.. I'm going to speak to my GP next week about how he plans to manage this pain if he wants me off my opioids (at at least severely reduced)..And see what he says. He doesnt seem to actually have a plan at all though lol

 

[Speed King]

Some pdoc has to feel for their patients. K does work wonders.

 

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

Here's a real answer. I started abusing oxy, and did that for a year until it became too expensive. I graduated to heroin. I did that daily for two years, snorting. I had something happen that forced me to at least try to quit, so I started suboxone. I stayed on subs for 1 year. I started at 4mg and over time slowly weaned down to about .1mg then just stopped. No withdrawals at all. I've been opiate free for four months. I think I'll stay clean but you never really know. The bottom line is it took me a year to completely quit.

Respect. I know how hard that is.

 

[cannablissss]

I was doing oxy for about 4 months before I moved on to heroin. But it only took me another 4 months of heroin usage to quit cold turkey basically so now my opiate use is really sporadic. I only take oxy or morphine on an "every now and then" basis.

It all depends on yourself and your environment. I lost my connect and had no choice but to quit.

 

[g0to]

From trying heroin to finally detoxing from self tapered IV bupe, ~5.5 years give or take. Approximately six months of that was enjoyable in any way, and only at the time. In hindsight I tore my life apart. The rest of that time was literally spent in misery or by substituting with other stuff like amphetamines/phenibut/alcohol combos. I'm glad every day that I've managed to quit for good and retain my health and sanity (I had neither for a good portion of that time spent in addiction)

 

[apocalypse_when]

I was in pain management for several years thanks to a wound. Ended up on fent thrn methadone tabs from the pain management clinic and carried on by my GP. She retired and my new doc was a cunt who cut me off a very high dose of methadone (180mg) so several years total. Cold Turkey'd off that and went through 6 - 8 months off hell. Stayed clean for over 2 years until my accident this summer put me back in fent. Currently tapering off that. Most if my opiate usage has been for actual pain but I did abuse my scripts by taking more thsn prescribed and having to withdrawl before getting my next script.... all this did was raised my tollerance through the roof and at one stage was doing nearly 1000mg of methadone in a weekend..crazy times.

So far on this bout I'm able to just use fent patches as prescribed (fingers crossed).

 

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

It all depends on yourself and your environment. I lost my connect and had no choice but to quit.

This is a good point. A definite factor on my end is that there is a family member legally addicted to opiates. She is most definitely a hardcore trigger for me and I cannot cut her out of my life--not good

 

[Hrubenstein]

Sounds like you need to make some real changes. Addiction will always lie to you and tell you things like it?s not that bad and you can quit from time to time but that?s the biggest lie. I recommend trying out some meetings in your area.

I started using opiates at 16, iv heroin at 19. Got arrested and sent to rehab at 21, relapsed 6 months in. Been clean and sober since September 19, 2011.

 

[g0to]

Sounds like you need to make some real changes. Addiction will always lie to you and tell you things like it?s not that bad and you can quit from time to time but that?s the biggest lie. I recommend trying out some meetings in your area.

I started using opiates at 16, iv heroin at 19. Got arrested and sent to rehab at 21, relapsed 6 months in. Been clean and sober since September 19, 2011.

That's good that it's been mostly straightforward for you, albeit using at such a young age has its repercussions. I wish I could say the same for myself. Never got the chance of rehab etc. Just had to mostly quit on my own if I wanted to in the first place. I even quit smoking. But alcohol is the one that brings me back. Diclazepam and etizolam PEG solutions looking more and more enticing day by day unless I drink. I guess I have always been self medicating for depression in the first place. What I do know though, is I don't have the means nor the want to go back on an opiate habit and all that entails. It's funny how we are all wired somewhat differently yet go back to the same type of habits time and time again. Really makes one wonder... Perhaps it's just me though, and I have overdone it thoroughly to a point where there's no help or relating with others, so to speak. Although one might say that is how it's always been. Part of me is like, did I hard wire my brain this way through the past years or is this how I was in the first place. I don't think it really matters TBH. As long as I handle my IRL responsibilities and follow a code of ethics that I maintain for myself and noone else, everything is fine. Because that's all we can do is control our actions and behavior, not that of others.

 

[Hrubenstein]

That's good that it's been mostly straightforward for you, albeit using at such a young age has its repercussions. I wish I could say the same for myself. Never got the chance of rehab etc. Just had to mostly quit on my own if I wanted to in the first place. I even quit smoking. But alcohol is the one that brings me back. Diclazepam and etizolam PEG solutions looking more and more enticing day by day unless I drink. I guess I have always been self medicating for depression in the first place. What I do know though, is I don't have the means nor the want to go back on an opiate habit and all that entails. It's funny how we are all wired somewhat differently yet go back to the same type of habits time and time again. Really makes one wonder... Perhaps it's just me though, and I have overdone it thoroughly to a point where there's no help or relating with others, so to speak. Although one might say that is how it's always been. Part of me is like, did I hard wire my brain this way through the past years or is this how I was in the first place. I don't think it really matters TBH. As long as I handle my IRL responsibilities and follow a code of ethics that I maintain for myself and noone else, everything is fine. Because that's all we can do is control our actions and behavior, not that of others.

There is no doubt that I am incredibly lucky, people cared to help me when I didn?t care about myself.

I don?t mean to attack you personally but this is the problem with addiction. Your post is full of excuses, minimizations and justifications.

Doing drugs is just a manifestation of addiction I?ve seen it play out many ways. I have felt like crap about myself long before I started using so it was really only a matter of time
Before I started that I would fall in love.

We all have temptations. I am a physician assistant and I have my own prescription pad and DEA number, granted I would not be comfortable in that position if I was only a year or so clean. It just doesn?t tickle my brain like it used to. I still think about getting high from time to time but the fall at this point would be catastrophic. I would lose everything I?ve worked so hard for. I genuinely enjoy my life now.

I think for you and the OP is breaking the cycle of active addiction. I know some people are able to just head to a meeting and kick but I would never have been able to do that. I was in jail figuring how to get a fix. I think detox may be helpful. I know money may be an issue but when it comes to drugs addicts will always find a way.

I know AA/NA gets a bad rap. I still go to meetings and am very active. I am not religious or spiritual at all but I love the company and knowing that other people are in this with me.

It?s never too late to get clean. It doesn?t sound like it, but life is better on the otherside.

 

[LucidSDreamr]

I never quit even though i had been sober for months in between. Although it doesnt involve a needle anynore nor high toleramces to drugs like oxy.

I was a PhD student when i discovered my love affair with opiates. I can tell you that being a heavy user, while works as a phd student since yoymu can make your own hours and sleep all day or miss the whole day to chase opioids, as long as your research is working...this lifestyle does not work in the professional world.

 

[Keif' Richards]

I'm not really sure how this fits in with Harm Reduction. This just seems more like a novelty item to me than anything else. This is a problem that is addressed in the course of day to day life. There is no "answer". I'm not arguing with staff, but I feel that there are a lot of threads kicking around here in OD that really are not concerned with anybody's immediate need for Harm Reduction counseling.

Opinions?

 

[apocalypse_when]

A_W Original Post:

I'm not really sure how this fits in with Harm Reduction. This just seems more like a novelty item to me than anything else. This is a problem that is addressed in the course of day to day life. There is no "answer". I'm not arguing with staff, but I feel that there are a lot of threads kicking around here in OD that really are not concerned with anybody's immediate need for Harm Reduction counseling. Opinions?

It's asking about how long it took to quit opiates, I imagine from someone wishing to do so but requesting a time frame from others to go off.

Seriously, I don't know what it is with you obsessing over wanting to close every thread that you don't personally like..

No wonder the place is dead these days... why dont you just chill and let people post without feeling the constant need to censor everything.... might increase traffic a bit..Other moderators seem to be able to do that but not you


==========================

Keif's Inserted words:

Miscommunication can be a really big issue when communicating with folks through text. You see, I am a member of staff for this forum. When I signed up, part of the agreement was that I would do most anything in my power to do what myself and my colleagues agree in a semi-democratic fashion is okay. Secondly, I have now had the pleasure of interacting with you on a few recent occasions. I don't mean to be impolite, but I think you need to learn some manners my friend.

When someone who is a member of staff sees something that they feel is not totally jiving with our mission or our principles, we are going to act on it. The problem I have is that I did so in what I believe to be a completely fair and respectful way. I merely asked for opinions.

Your response to this was to label me as obsessed and to treat me in a way that I feel does not reflect the level of respect that we are meant to have for each other. I do not disrespect you, attach negative connotations to your beliefs or anything like that. Why would you treat me in such a way? It seems that you're angry. If you would like to have a constructive debate regarding why I close threads, I am here.

I've responded to your stated issue in a separate thread and have yet to receive any kind of response. As I've said previously, we are open to receive criticism. It's how things get better right? Nothing changes if nobody says anything. I merely ask that you respect the staff and community in the process. Does this sound like a fair avenue of progress?

Shit. I accidentally deleted your post. I'm technology retarded. I'm not going to put words in your mouth, but for the record, prior to deleting this post and replacing it with my own, the issue was in the belief that apocalypse has that I and perhaps other staff members close threads that do not deserve to be closed. Is that pretty much the gist guy?