Clean?

[sweetsugar]

Swim is starting to feel quite positive and is celebrating 4 wks of sobriety. Although Swim took 10ml methadone over the weekend. Swim done her (hopefully) final kick with the help of methadone for 4 days. Swim has 30ml left, but doesnt think she needs it now the chills andd irregular heartbeat and temp is back to normal.

Does anyone know how long methadone stays in ones system?

"once a junkie, always a junkie" ...is this true?

(as a newbie to this forum & not being vigilant, i posted this same thread elsewhere - i appologise!)

[sjonnygee]

"once a junkie, always a junkie" ...is this true?
Hi. No it's not true, swim has seen hardcore addicts recover, some into 7/8 years abstinence now - swim has reduced to 3mg Subutex after 20 years Heroin & Methadone use, you have to want to stop - that's the main requirement ! If someone is feeling 'ok' after 4/5 days without Methadone or any other opiate then they've definitely got through the worst and it will get easier.

Methadone is out of the system after 30hrs but this has little meaning when actually withdrawing off it.
Take Care

[sweetsugar]

Thankyou very much for your reply, Sjonnygee. Certainly made swim feel positive even more so.

Swim has heard so much negative things, such as one would never be completely free from heroin addiction.

Swim totaly agrees that it comes down to actually wanting to quit, willpower and determination.

When using methadone once a week at the very least, is it possible to build a tolerence and become addicted ?

Swim congrats swiy for what looks to be quite a leap from 20yrs of H & meph use to 3mg subutex!

[sjonnygee]

Hi, First of all, nice one ! well done !! swiy 'may' find it difficult on her own though, if swiy has support around her then she would be wise to use it, it can get very lonely (swim isn't patronizing swiy, he's been there himself and knows how difficult it can be & how feelings flood back as I'm sure you do) - it could be knowing other people getting clean, a local service or NA.... whatever works for you.

It really is a myth about never getting clean, swim used to think that before he met other people recovering and many do recover for life though swim does believe ex users have to be on their guard all the time.

Swim also thinks opiates and sedatives (benzodiazepines etc.) are the nastiest drugs to come off although he agrees that addiction is one disease/syndrome whatever the addict uses.

Swim has kicked methadone many times (and relapsed, until now !) and knows how long it takes for the withdrawals to begin & end so he is certain one can get truly addicted using it 'only' once a week.

Thanks for the congrats, swim has a way to go - That last little bit of Subutex has to be kicked, then the work of staying clean begins but I'm focused & optimistic.
Hope swiy carries on doing so well, Take care ....

[azrael2600]

Originally Posted by sweetsugar

Thankyou very much for your reply, Sjonnygee. Certainly made swim feel positive even more so.

Swim has heard so much negative things, such as one would never be completely free from heroin addiction.

Swim totaly agrees that it comes down to actually wanting to quit, willpower and determination.

When using methadone once a week at the very least, is it possible to build a tolerence and become addicted ?

Swim congrats swiy for what looks to be quite a leap from 20yrs of H & meph use to 3mg subutex!

swim wishes you the the best of luck,, swim is talking from experience of a bad benzo/ heroin addiction,,, although when swim kicked H swim did it cold turkey. (swim went through absolute physical hell) but with the benzo's swim had to tapper swim's dose slowly (swim told the doc swim wanted to quit cold turkey but swim's doc was worried that swim would have a grand mal siezure.)
but all in all swim wishes the best of luck in road to recovery.

[sweetsugar]

swim has done many cold turkeys(in hope to never go back 2 H after being/feeling so damn 'ill'.) but couldnt face doing it again, this time when swim couldnt afford to be 'ill'.. and so swim had it all planned & prepared! swim has been taking drugs most of her adult life ( H, the last 2) and loves to get high, swim is having a 'benzo binge' atm, and is fully aware of the terrible withdrawals from them, also after having had 1 addiction, one would be extreamly carefull not to gain another! thankyou for your replies, appreciated very much so! and take care x

[hippie_lain]

in swims opinion once a junkie always a junkie means that you can fall back into very very easy. its just like saying once an alcoholic always an alcoholic meaning once drink can lead you back into that type of lifestyle

[imyourlittlebare]

I believe its hard work to stay sober. I hope for both of us we have a chance. Its been 1 month and 3 days now. I need to go to an NA meeting. However, the best advice I can give you. Its cliche but "Take it day by day.....hour by hour if you have to" The cravings will pass. The urge will leave. Remember that. Think about small increments and always take time to do something nice for yourself because in all honesty, one quitting always deserves it to help ones self out whether its icecream or just calling off a day of work (thats what swim used to do all the time when he was sick with WD before he could score, why cant he just take off one day now to ease his mind.) Its a tough ordeal but I believe managable. Always remember this too. The 7th hit isnt the worst. Nor is the 13th or 29th. its the 1st. So always avoid it day by day, hour by hour. Also, this is what screwed swim the past few times. Alcohol. Swim uses and gets hungie for delicious yum yums. The thing is, alcohols main reinforcing effect is through the opiate receptors (on top of dopamine release in the NA and GABA release). But opiates are the ones we have to watch out for. One can find himself drinking gallons of whiskey due to trying to activate the receptors more and more. So swim would urge all those in recovery, abstain from alcohol too because it will just hurt you in the end.

[Metomni]

Congrats!! SWIM believes that the "once a junkie..." saying means a number of things. To SWIY it might mean, "It will always be difficult." It doesn't mean SWIY will always be a junkie, it just means they need to stay on top of things and make sure not to relapse or anything like that. Simply because SWIY is off the drug, that doesn't mean addiction can't come roaring back full force.

Another thing to keep in mind is the people SWIY interacts with on a daily basis. If SWIY is in a situation where the drugs are still around them all day and every day, then that is an almost impossible circumstance to recover from. Make sure SWIY's environment is as clean as their system.

May SWIY still be clean in years to come.

[imyourlittlebare]

Oh very much. However, swims addiction was a very lonely one so coming back to family is easy considering he used alone. May all of us, through whatever higher power we believe in, stay strong and sober. Things are so much better sober. Its not worth trading a lifetime of happyness for a second of intense pleasure and what will seem like another eternity of pain.

[Micutzul]

Congratulations to everybody who manages to stay clean . I'll just disagree on the " life is great sober " part . Life can be really hard if you're sober too . But that would require an entirely diferent thread .

[sweetsugar]

Originally Posted by Metomni

If SWIY is in a situation where the drugs are still around them all day and every day, then that is an almost impossible circumstance to recover from. Make sure SWIY's environment is as clean as their system.

May SWIY still be clean in years to come.

Swim had an old friend visit (a friend who has been off drugs for a long while) who said he'd like to sit in the spare room - which once was the adult play room, and while seated said he needed to have a little smoke and went ahead and did so. To cut a long story short swim had a one line (after over a month clean) then handed it back saying swim really didnt want to go back down this road ..again. But Swim is really dissapointed in herself, and angry at the fact she likes it.

Swim is determind to stay clean, and will take the advise, swim knows this is obvious, but sometimes a bit tricky, although most ppl swim knows (or that knew she had an adiction) know im now clean form H.