Harm Reduction Reinforcing Bad Tendencies (Drug Use)

So as many of you know, I have been on suboxone for about five weeks now. Started off at eight mg, prescribed ten. Already down to two mg, and prescribed eight. anyways, this is important because i smoked my dope with a glass hooter, off foil. or my main ROA was chasing or smoking, whatever you wanna call it.

i prior to that addiction i had not used foil in that manner..... so today i tried my PK hash oil that way, with great success mind you.... i even used my glass hooter, a newer clear one, with a tad of dope res.

just wondering what you guys think about doing activities that reinforce bad habits or tendencies? i know that propably did, for me.....had not used that ROA since down.

harmful in a proper recovery? mind you i have my medicinal cannabis card, so i smoke oil and bud and budder all day, while using tinctures....

on the dope side, ive been clean, and opiate/opiod free for the whole time ive been on bupe.....

bad habits anyone???

Well technically you've been on bupe so not opioid-free but certainly full-agonist free so that's really great man.

Some people who have severe needle fixations find that they have difficulty transitioning to maintenance meds because they need that needle. Sometimes they will take bupe properly and then inject saline or water for a while after transitioning to calm that urge... this doesn't apply since you have successfully transitioned and didn't need to smoke off foil to do so.

Whether this is harmful or not comes down to you but I think for most people in similar situations, if they smoked frequently they will turn that act from being neutral in their mind to being a conditioned stimulus... something their mind will associate with the other act likely for a very long time/forever unless they actively break that connection.

Its very basic classical conditioning like Pavlov's dogs salivating at the sound of a bell. There is no way I can tell you if that act has become a conditioned stimulus for you or what effect that may have but it really sounds like it could be a trigger.

Perhaps even the fact that you thought of/wanted to do this is because you are subconsciously craving and wanted to do something you associate with your former activities.

In all the time I've spent studying addiction and addiction counseling, I would absolutely advise someone who is trying to recover to avoid that... to be fair, and I mean no offense, you aren't trying to recover, you're just trying to maintain on other drugs (bupe and cannabis).

Recovery, meaning how the field views it, requires abstinence from mind-altering chemicals. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what you're doing and if you think its working for you, I'm absolutely not shitting on it. Just saying from my training and studies on the recovery field, addiction professionals wouldn't consider this a 'proper recovery'. Just abstinence from ONE TYPE of drug.

fair, and true, great post...

also sober from.....

blow
benzos
and even alcohol for the most part

im also 11 months from being a drug counseller in vancouver......cool that someone here also is....

That's really great... I wasn't at all trying to discount what you've accomplished so I hope you didn't get that impression. I am just anal and wanted to use the proper nomenclature.

EDIT:

Oh yeah, drug counseling (how its spelled in the US)? That's really awesome. I'm headed on basically the same path and I'm a little further along in my studies... if you have any questions or just want to talk about that, feel free to PM me anytime.

not taken that way at all my friend.....

Do you foresee yourself continuing the cannabis and buprenorphine as a counselor? Where I am at, if I test positive for any drug once I'm a counselor its definite termination of your job and you could lose your license but likely will be on probation in the field for a considerable amount of time.

o wow man, im from Canada, my doc is will still give me my bupe if i test positive for pot....

i even have a beer every now or then....any job i have would be safe, and same with my drivers license........

^I meant license/certification to be a drug counselor, not drivers license.

we have very much derailed your thread and I apologize for that. Hopefully later in the day when its more 'peak' BL hours you'll get your responses to your original questions.

so, anyone of you blue lighters reinforce any bad habits?

As C2L mentioned above, I've shot up with water while on Methadone. I'm currently off of the Methadone, but my dope habit has substantially decreased from what it was previously. I guess my mind just associates the needle with that feeling, and sometimes I can almost feel the slightest bit of a warm, microscopic rush. It's purely placebo of course, but I guess it's just something I've gotten used to.

[Off-Topic]Oh, and good luck to both of you with the counseling. It seems like a great field to be in, where you'll be able to help a lot of people. [/Off-topic]

thanks ATlien!!! counseling is for sure a great field to be in.......

i have heard of shooting water, ive never been big on the needle really.... personally if i was not shooting drugs i would not be using a needle..... needle fixation is something i dont have....

^yeah I've never had a needle fixation either...

I just have a needle dick fascination. I don't shoot them or eat them or anything, I just like to watch them. They're adorable!

haha