I told my parents that I am a drug addict

[blacklight29]

Day 10. All is well I guess. For the most part, I am past the physical withdrawal symptoms but I know that the mental part is where the rubber hits the road. I have been attending NA meetings every day, and plan to continue going every day as it does help. I am buying into the program because I believe it is my only shot at complete recovery. I have tried to quit on my own but have failed over and over again. I think by telling the people closest to me about my addiction and going to the meetings daily, it will keep me grounded enough to stay away from oxy once and for all. My only concern is that the program preaches complete abstinence from alcohol as well. If I'm being honest with myself, which I realize is the most important part of staying clean, I know that I will not be able to abstain from alcohol for the rest of my life, nor do I have any intentions of doing so. Most addicts I have talked to think that staying away from alcohol is the only way to go if I really want to commit to staying away from oxy, and that scares me. Do you think I am lying to myself by thinking I can beat my oxy addiction and still drink alcohol in moderation?

 

[herbavore]

In my opinion when you are trying to give up a habit--no matter what the substance is--you do need a period of complete abstinence. How long this period is depends on the individual and the circumstances but no matter who you are or what drug you were using to escape yourself, it's the escaping that you need to change. Waking up every single day knowing that you can develop your own strategies for living, for being comfortable with who you are and the life you are leading, calls for a clear head and an open heart. Drugs, including legal ones like alcohol, cloud the issue. It's too easy to just replace one problem with another. However, I disagree with NA/AA that you have to do that for the rest of your life. Maybe and then again, maybe not. The important thing is to give yourself the time and space necessary to develop emotional maturity and grit.

So try not to think about the "forever" part. Just think about now. Right now you are on a mission. You have the power and the right to reassess over and over again throughout your life.

 

[cj]

I have known a bunch of people who went from being opiate addicts to full fledge alcoholics. Take that for what its worth. I don't think you have to be sober from every drug forever though. I think herbavores suggestion makes the most sense. Try 30 days of complete sobriety to give your brain a chance to reset.

 

[blacklight29]

My therapist recommended taking the shot Vivitrol once a month to alleviate the cravings. Does anyone have an opinion or experience with this? I quit cold turkey 10 days ago and haven't used anything but Advil and I'm doing okay, but my mind won't stop thinking about oxy.

 

[simco]

Two things (quickly bc I'm on my phone).

First, regarding total abstinence an your recovery...this is one time when "one day at a time" is likely to be extra good advice. No need to decide now what you're gonna do in the future. Just laser focus on today and what will help you get well.

Second, I don't take vivitrol, but I do take oral naltrexone (pill version of the same med). If you're really committed to quitting, I think naltrexone can be great. Personally, it's been a godsend for me. But you'll surely hear about many bad experiences. Shoot me a PM if you'd like to chat about details.

You're doing great!

 

[cj]

My therapist recommended taking the shot Vivitrol once a month to alleviate the cravings. Does anyone have an opinion or experience with this? I quit cold turkey 10 days ago and haven't used anything but Advil and I'm doing okay, but my mind won't stop thinking about oxy.

It doesn't alleviate cravings for most people. There have been so many threads all over other drugs of people asking how to break through the shot. It wont let you get high for a month it doesn't magically stop you from craving opiates. Now it does seem like there is a personality type it helps because they believe since they cant high they don't obsess over getting high. The other problem is that when you do come off the shot your tolerance is going to be scary low so if you have a slip up odds are it will be fatal. For my money methadone or suboxone are the gold standard for pharmacological opiate treatment

 

[Jabberwocky]

My therapist recommended taking the shot Vivitrol once a month to alleviate the cravings. Does anyone have an opinion or experience with this? I quit cold turkey 10 days ago and haven't used anything but Advil and I'm doing okay, but my mind won't stop thinking about oxy.

Compared to a placebo, Vivitrol doesn't do much to address cravings, if it does anything at all. There is essentially no evidence to support any statements like it "alleviates cravings," though it may prevent some from getting high when they attempt to use opioids.

I suggest trying oral naltrexone before the injection, just to see how it affect you. Remember that this stuff costs money though, and requires care. If you are struggling with cravings, you're going to need a lot more than an opioid antagonist. I suggest looking into alternatives to naltrexone - the naltrexone will still be there is you find nothing else that would be helpful.