opiate use triples after becoming a professional gambler now its to late

[poker-faced-junkie]

The following is a story told in first person by a person named SWIM who handed me this note and asked me to put it up. I want to make it clear that I, the poster, am NOT this "SWIM" character who is telling the story. Maybe you can help him out? Here goes:

"First off, this is my very first post on these great forums! A buddy of mine showed me this site and immediately I was sunk into my computer chair reading all this great information and stories of people just like me all over the world. Fascinating how the internet can bring users together from all over the planet! I just want to say thanks to everyone that shares in these forums because every little bit helps.

Okay, now for a little about me. I started out smoking pot when I was roughly 13 years old and of course drinking was right in the mix. Then around 16 or so i started experimenting with cocaine. That led me to trying all sorts of different things ranging from; stimulants, anti-depressants, halluicangens(spelling), and "opiates" I believe ive tried every drug available in the continental united states, although ive never went as far as to bang anything. However, many of my so called friends have tried to talk me into doing just that over the years.

To try and make this post as little as possible and to the point, let me just say that, I used to only take pharmaceutical painkillers socially on the weekends. However, as everyone on here knows and now i know after severally sad years, that usually ends up with an addiction problem. For me it all went down hill after I tried oxycontin or as we call it in the virginia's "hill billy herion" Fortunately at the time though i wasnt as financially stable as I am now thanks to texas holdem. The fun I used to have with my buddies has now turned into an everyday nightmare, were I have to either have several OC's or methadone just to not go through withdrawls, and i mean BAD wd's. At this point in my addiction, hydrocodone and regular oxycodone (i.e percocet) only make the wd's mild. Heres how my day usually goes, wake up snort around 40 to 60 mg's of oc, around lunch repeat, before dinner repeat, and usually depending on how Im doing at the poker table Ill do even more. I do roughly around 150- 200 mg's a day and if oc's arent available I go with methadone.

So then I ask you this, should I give up my poker profession, so that my income decreases significantly to were I cant afford my habit? Or should I rather just quit my opiates abuse and continue playing becuase its a good cash flow intake? Ive been told from a few that If I quit poker that it will just cause me to find other ways of affording my poison and that these new ways might lead me to a nice new cosy bed in the big house, but am I capable of performing these jail induced crimes? I would hope not, but whos to say what an addiction could eventually lead too, not me..

Guys Im sick and tired of being sick and tired, what do i do..."

[Forthesevenlakes]

Before proceeding to post in these forums, you MUST first familiarize yourself with the rules here. Pay close attention to the rules regarding self-incrimination and learn to use SWIM (Someone Who Isn't Me) or equivalent. Proceeding without abiding by our rules can and will get you banned.

The rules can be found here:

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/ann...t.php?f=43&a=1

Thank you & Welcome.




My advice is this: don't give up the occupation, SWIY is going to need it later and if it makes money, well, why not? If SWIY gave it up, more likely addiction would just take over and lead to a life of crime. The key would be to give up the opiates first. Get a good stockpile of DXM, weed, loperamide, and some benzos. Maybe consider tapering off opiates with buprenorphine or kratom if SWIY has the abilities to do so. Set aside a week to quit, read up on quitting tips, and go for it. Quitting one's profession won't make them necessarily give up drugs. More likely they'd then turn to crime to pay for drugs that offset the depression and boredom of being unemployed.

[poker-faced-junkie]

"SWIM" tried to go back and edit his post, but SWIM doesnt have the power to do so. Thank SWIY for the advice for future posting. SWIM should have mentioned in his post that he is currently serving in the armed forces, and that poker is his side job until he gets out in 2 more years. So thats why its a complicated matter, because SWIM cant use; DXM, weed, or benzos. That would diffently get SWIM kicked out. SWIY is probally wondering how SWIM can get by with opiates, SWIM got hurt and hes prescribed the Oxycontin. Thats were It gets complicated.. does SWIM go ahead and tell his supervisor and commander his problem and seek help or does SWIM just try to quit on his own. Also be advised that if SWIM tells anyone that after the rehab SWIM will get court-martialed for being an addict. SWIM doesnt know what to do and needs real help...

[Forthesevenlakes]

Dont worry about the editing, I'll take care of it when I have time. That does make the situation a bit more difficult. SWIM knows people in the armed forces who did use dxm, but its not a very safe thing to do. SWIY is right though, these things would make it alot easier.

Although the military has gotten better with rehab, SWIY may want to try to quit to avoid the court martial that might come about. Quitting cold turkey might be easier since it doesnt involve the same type of self control as tapering, but in SWIY's situation tapering off might be easier. Start by taking half the recreational dose and work down from there over the course of weeks. Does SWIY currently see doctors for his condition? If so ask them what they have so say about opiate/opioid dependency, and ask if SWIY can switch to burprenorphine. This might work much better since it works as an antagonist when more opioids are taken, meaning SWIY wouldnt get high. But the pain control and ability to taper down would still be there.

[poker-faced-junkie]

Is SWIY asking if SWIM has talked to a doctor about his addiction? If so then no he hasn't. SWIM does see doctors but its only for checkups and to see how the pain management is going. SWIM is affraid that if he mentions he is addicted the doctors will get in contact with his commander and he will be up shit creek without a paddle. Also SWIM wants to know what burprenorphine is/how it works/ and what its used for. Thanks a lot for trying to help SWIM out forthesevenlakes.

[Forthesevenlakes]

SWIM meant for his injury. Perhaps do not mention the presence of addiction, but that SWIY is concerned about its possibility. Many doctors will say that its impossible to get addicted when one is using them for pain control, SWIY may want to state that he has heard otherwise. SWIY is a poker player - don't show the cards to the doctors if they can have SWIY jailed.

Buprenorphine is an opiate agonist/antagonist. Its prescribed both for pain and for addiction/tapering off of opiates. Use the search engine for more, but basically it binds opiate receptors and won't get SWIY high (usually), but can control pain and keep SWIY from getting withdrawals. Its antagonist properties mean that it blocks other opiates from working, so even if SWIY tries, he cannot get high as long as the bupe is in his system.

[Paracelsus]

Doesn't doctor-patient-confidentiality exist in the military? If not, SWIY would have to beat his addiction by himself. And that would be a little more difficult. But if SWIY doesn't tell the doctor he abuses the oxys, just takes them as prescribed, and still feels like being addicted, the doctor would probably understand. From my experience, most doctors usually know that repeated opiate/amphetamine/barbiturate administration can and will lead to addiction, no matter if it is taken as prescribed or if it is abused.

Since DXM is an opioid (chemically, not pharmacologically), wouldn't it test positive only on an opiate test? I don't know what kind of tests they use in the military, but it seems possible to me that DXM would show up only on opiate tests. And if SWIY is prescribed Oxycontin ( => the opiate test is probably ignored), the chances of finding the DXM would be low. And even if they would find it, SWIY can claimhe took it as a cough suppressant, and there's nothing illegal about that.

[Forthesevenlakes]

What Paracelsus says is true about the cough suppressant...DXM is known to produce false positives for PCP on some but not all drug tests, and again, DXM is legal so positive tests would just result in a re-test, and SWIY hasn't done anything illegal (technically) although military rules may be different.

[poker-faced-junkie]

There is supposed to be doctor-patient-confidentiality in the military, however when the doctor downtown (meaning off base) does anything they have to call ur onbase doctor and tell them everything that went on and/or prescribed, because of prp(personal reliabilty program) for guarding nuclear missles for which SWIM does. So SWIM thinks that u could throw the confidentialty out the window. Also SWIM apologizes SWIY was right about the DXM you could infact do what you said and just say u took it for cough suppressant. Also just for shits and giggles SWIM thinks that military tests primarly for Cocaine, weed, and opiates/opiods. Dont quote SWIM on this however that he doesnt know that for sure, but at the same time thinks that is pretty accurate. Thanks a bunch.

[Forthesevenlakes]

sounds like the military uses a standard 5-factor test (alcohol and five classes of illegals, normally). this stands with what swim has heard from his friends in the air force and department of defense. in that case the test will look for

1. alcohol (not a big deal)
2. marijuana
3. amphetamines
4. pcp
5. opiates (heroin/morphine/codeine)
6. cocaine

but there may be more tested for. DXM would not show up save for a false positive for pcp, benzos not at all. DXM could be taken as a legit cough suppressant. for opiates SWIY's oxycontin would not show up on a screen for heroin/codeine/morphine since it is synthetic, but the test may evaluate synthetic opioids as well. tramadol (if swiy has access to it) may not be a bad option for tapering off...SWIM happens to know it doesnt show up in most standard drug tests.

The confidentiality thing sounds out the window here. Express to the Doctors SWIY's concern with a POSSIBLE addiction, and say SWIY has heard good things about buprenorphine.

[poker-faced-junkie]

SWIM hates to reply with just a simple question, however would methadone show up on a drug test the same as any other opiate/opiod? Also SWIM says thanks for all the great advice SWIY sounds like a very smart/experienced person just like SWIM. SWIM says he will also try to throw up that buprenorphine about how it would be a good substitute. Thanks

[MrG]

How about if SWIY went to his doctor and fessed up about overdoing the painkillers but didn't mention that he had taken to snorting them or using them for rec purposes? He could simply say that as the pain got worse he just shovelled them down his throat to make it go away and now he can't stop.

Most doctors would see that kind of addiction admission sympatheticaly and will help SWIY quit.

[poorleno]

Good luck that person. I'd say to that person you described to definitely don't jack in the money-making while it's working for them. Deal with one problem at a time, bit by bit and don't overload yourself. Plan it through and set a schedule and I'm pretty sure that they will be OK.

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by poker-faced-junkie

SWIM hates to reply with just a simple question, however would methadone show up on a drug test the same as any other opiate/opiod? Also SWIM says thanks for all the great advice SWIY sounds like a very smart/experienced person just like SWIM. SWIM says he will also try to throw up that buprenorphine about how it would be a good substitute. Thanks

methodone shouldnt show up on the most basic drug tests, and even if a more comprehensive test is used, it would still just show the presence of an opioid. It would not distinguish between that and oxycontin. A more expensive and rare gas chromotography test could distinguish methodone from oxycontin most likely, but these tests are usually only used to determine a possible "false positive" on an earlier drug test. SWIY is probably not in any danger from the methodone being distinguished, however. Definitely mention that buprenorphine (suboxone, subutex) to the doctors and state that SWIY doesnt want to be on painkillers forever, is worried about the potential for addiction, etc. SWIM has seen lab rats use buprenorphine for both tapering and pain control purposes and they find it very effective for these means. One lab rat even mentioned that in two months he was able to drastically reduce his opiate intake to a quarter of what it was before (somewhere around 180+ mg morphine a day to 8 mg buprenorphine) and is feeling better than he has in a long time. good luck to you and SWIM is glad he can be of some help.

[Micklemouse]

With regards testing, standard National Health Service in-patient tests have shown methadone, buprenorphine & tramadol (Oxycontin & hydromorphone are I believe rarely prescribed over here) as separate entities from generic opiates/oids for some time, without being specified by the requesting doctor. On an unrelated (to this thread at least) note they have also shown MDA, MDE & MDMA as separate from generic amphetamines.

[Forthesevenlakes]

Originally Posted by Micklemouse

With regards testing, standard National Health Service in-patient tests have shown methadone, buprenorphine & tramadol (Oxycontin & hydromorphone are I believe rarely prescribed over here) as separate entities from generic opiates/oids for some time, without being specified by the requesting doctor. On an unrelated (to this thread at least) note they have also shown MDA, MDE & MDMA as separate from generic amphetamines.

This is exellent to know! I was going by the 5 and 10 panel tests that are used by many places across the pond. In the five panel tests SWIM tells me that hydrocodone, oxycodone, tramadol, and others don't even show up, and in the other tests they simply show up as "opioids". Wonder if the NHS tests distinguishes oxycontin from methadone though? That was probably the OP's concern. Granted, the U.S. Military might use different tests than most employers or even government agencies, SWIM is going to ask around and see what he can find out. But that is valuable information to have, SWIM was under the impression that many tests did not even look for buprenorphine or tramadol, honestly.


With regards to the methadone, as well: after a week of not using it, urine tests shouldnt detect it unless use has been extremely heavy. Most opiates/opioids clear out of the system in 2-3 days, methadone has a longer half life than most so SWIM says to give it some more time.

[Micklemouse]

Methadone shows up as a separate entity. Tramadol amongst 'Other drugs found'. I would imagine Oxycontin would also, as a synthetic opioid, although it may show up as an opiate/oid; however as stated Oxycontin is rarely prescribed here to the best of my knowledge & A Certain Mouse has never seen it crop up. U.K. prescribing seems to favour the codeine based meds.

[poker-faced-junkie]

just to through it out there SWIM has a friend who he served with in 2002 when we first went over there... anyhow we he came back on leave he did oxcontin, cocaine, crack, xanax, and pot. And I do mean heavely. Funny thing about it is, the military drug test only showed the cocaine and marijuana with him doing the same amounts as all the drugs listed soooo... it kinda makes me favor the idea that military only tests for marijuana and cocaine and ampetamines (spelling)

[Forthesevenlakes]

Keep in mind though that different branches and departments of the military may test for or care about different things. For example, the US Air Force tests for amphetamines, but a lab rat SWIM knows is occasionally given amphetamines for long missions. Consequently he will test positive for amphetamines but this is tacitly ignored when he is tested. So the military MAY have tested SWIY's friend for more drugs, but ignored the ones that were legal or that he could have conceivably been prescribed, or that they figured the illegal drugs would be enough to bust him so they didn't mention the prescription ones. So use caution, still.

SWIM reccomends the buprenorphine and hopes that SWIY asks his doctor about it if he does not want to go cold turkey. If one is committed to kicking opiates altogether they can reduce their dosage quickly. Take care and let us know how SWIY is doing.