Trying to Kick Dope Habit

[dopelessdopefiend]

I know you've seen a million posts like this, but I'm just at a loss and need to have some dialogue with people who understand. I've struggled with opioid addiction for ten years now, but had a decent stretch of clean time until a couple months ago (well, sort of -- after relapsing last year, stopped doing dope and did a sort of kratom maintenance program until my latest relapse). I relapsed two months ago and have been using almost everyday with a couple breaks lasting a week or so -- the last month, it's been daily IV of 4-9 bags per day. I have three-and-a-half 8 mg suboxone strips and am thinking of doing a week-long home detox/taper with these. Before I do that, I'm going to try and get down to using only 4 bags a day for two or three days in a row so I'm not jumping from the higher end of my habit. I'm hoping this will make a significant difference in how effectively the subs alleviate withdrawal, since I've read many stories about people not getting sufficient relief from jumping off of habits that hover around a bundle/day. After the sub runs out, I'd like to see if I can just remain totally clean, but if I still feel like crap, I think I'll jump back on kratom in order to avoid picking up dope again.

I guess my question is -- if I jump from 4 bags/day from 2 or 3 days in a row of doing that, do you think the sub detox will leave me in a place of relative functionality/alleviation of most w/d symptoms? I'm really nervous about fucking up at work or other daily activities (not to mention that I'm dreading waiting out the 24 hours necessary to avoid precip. w/d). Again, sorry if this post is annoying or redundant, I just need to have some direct insight and communication. I'd appreciate any advice.

 

[herbavore]

I'm going to move this over to Sober Living for you. Don't worry about your post being redundant, that's what we are here for--to support everyone that needs support.

Good luck! I'm glad you made the decision to stop this before any more time goes on. Just remember that you did it before.

 

[Trabbamab]

I know exactly where you are and have been there several times myself. Unfortunately that really isn't a sufficient amount of Suboxone to do a very clean taper. Also, tapering the amount of heroin you use does not work very well because of the unknown purity of street heroin. If you worked down from 8 bags a day to 4, one day you may get some really strong stuff that is basically like 8 bags again and you wouldn't know it until you try it. Or you could get some really weak stuff and only get 1 bag worth out of 4, putting you into withdrawal and looking for more. Even if you feel that you get a pretty steady supply of dope, quality-wise, people are also eyeballing how much is in each bag and there will still be 10 - 20% variance in dope that appears in every other way to be the same.

Is it possible for you to find pharmaceuticals such as oxycodone or hydrocodone? These are much easier to manage a taper with. If you live with someone you can trust, you could give it to them to dole out to you on your taper schedule. If you live alone, you could try getting something like the Kitchen Safe that allows you to lock your pills up and set a timer on it before you can open it again. Yes, you can break them open if you accidentally set it for way too long or it accidentally closes, but just that extra action of needing to destroy the safe really gives you that extra second to pause and think about it and will likely keep you from doing it.

Another potential option is to go to a local methadone clinic and enroll for a detox rather than maintenance. Many people do not know this is even an option. They view methadone as "liquid handcuffs" that you stay on for years. But that is the maintenance program. You can enroll at most clinics for a detox. Basically, they will quickly home in on the minimum dose of opiate replacement drug that hold you. Then they begin to slowly decrease it. In this way you could have much more control over your taper and be almost assured of having minimum WDs that you could definitely go to work with and sleep with. Also, opiate replacement therapy (ORT) drugs (be it methadone or Suboxone) block other opiates from working pretty quickly once you start so there will be no slipping up. Bag after bag wouldn't touch you and would be a waste of money. Some people love this effect of ORT drugs so much that even after they taper off of ORT drugs they go for a once-a-month shot of Vivitrol to ensure that their body would be unable to relapse.

Let me know what you think.