Someone Please Help my friend. He really needs it.

[Cokeman1022]

Hello, I am totally new to this internet forum thing, so please take it easy on me. So my friend "jack" has a huge problem that he has been keeping to himself for a long time now. I am going to get straight to the point, and then give the history on his situation. His addiction to vicodin of any kind is unbelivable. My friend will go throughout 12+ 10/325 Norco's a day. HE NEEDS HELP ASAP. Now for the backstory.. He had back surgery for a extremely bulged disc two years ago and was prescribed the Norco 10/325 for the pain before the surgery. They worked wonderfully for the pain and made his life a lot easier. He then had the surgery, and the recovery went well (so be thinks). But when it came time for him to withdrawal from the Norco, he had a major problem. He then realized he was very addicted and could not stop. TO THIS DAY he has not stopped. A month or so after the surgery, of course his doctor stopped filling the Vicodin prescription, but that did not stop him. A lot of his hard earned money has been paid for him to get them for the past two years. Its so bad, he does not even know how well the surgery did for his back, because he has never went a day sober since before the surgery. It wasn't until about a year or so after the surgery, the pills stopped working for him. His tolerance was so high they did not seem to work at all anymore. As a desperate move, he started snorting them. He has snorted vicodin pretty much every day for almost a year straight. About 3 months ago, the pain in his back came back at full force. He says it was like someone flicked the switch and turned the pain on full throttle. My friend has since then went and seen the same spinal specialist, and had multiple tests done and found out the next disc up has bulged even worse than the first one. The Dr, not knowing my friends addiction, prescribed a very large amount of Norco's for the pain. He is in so much pain now because he really needs them, and his tolerance is through the roof, they are not working. If you are still reading Thanks, i REALLY REALLY want to get my friend help. He is so sick of living the way he does. He is so scared for his life. He talks everyday about after the surgery to fix the second disc, he is going to kick the pills and live a sober life. He finally realizes how they control his life. He no longer wants them to be in control. Here is a list of questions He would like some answers on..
1) When he finally makes it through the long withdrawal process, Will his life ever be the same? Will the natural energy ever return?
2) What is the best way to withdrawal from the pills he has been addicted to for years? Is there any secrets that i could share with him to make his life easier?
3) My friend is now scared of the long term damage he might have done to his body, and wants to know what if anything he should tell his family doctor about his horrible problem.

Like i said before, i am brand new to this whole online forum thing.. So please take it easy . I am only here to get some help for a lifetime best friend. I can not stand to see him the way he is anymore. If anyone could give me some answers, some support on what to do Im sure my friend would really really appreciate it. I am the only person he has EVER told about his problem, and i feel horrible for not reaching out sooner. I can not say thank you enough for the feedback in advance. I don't know where else to turn to get him help! THANKS AGAIN!

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Hey, I suspect you're talking about yourself, in which case just be honest you don't need to hide behind a pseudonym here and it will help people give you more personalised information (it's also really annoying). If you are indeed posting for your friend then kudos to you for supporting him, he is going to need people like you around him.

The quick answers to your questions are, in my opinion:

1.Yes
2. There is no best way everyone is different
3. Yes absolutely. Whilst admitting drug addiction to your doctor can be awkward and cause complications that need to be considered, you can't possibly hope to be given the care you need by your doctor unless they know all the facts about you.

The answers to those questions you need to be of real use are much deeper than that though, just quickly qualify whether you are actually posting for your friend or whether it's for yourself and I'll try to give you some more detailed info. If it is for you I would STRONGLY encourage you to be honest though, there's loads of people with loads of experience here that can give you good information personalised to yourself.