Endorsement of methadone

[youdontknow]

Ok so i know that methadone in itself, is addictive. I however, have never had a problem coming off of 40-50 mgs cold turkey, since it stores up in your liver, even when you stop cold turkey, your not really stopping.

But anyways i started a methadone clinic yesterday. People who arent addicts are always against methadone clinics. And i have to say that, until they experience being an addict, they need to shut there mouths, because there talking out of self-importance, not out of experience. Methadone IS going to save my life.

A day "in my shoes" before:

1. Wake up thinking about getting high. Especially if a drug dream happened. Usually cramps and the runs. Even if i really dont want to use, i know its the only thing that is going to make me function. WHICH.... leads to step 2.

2. Think of how to get money. Whatever i come up with, i know its not honest. But i am an addict. So i do said plan to get money, no matter what it is. (which leads to depression and anxiety after getting high, then need to get high to relieve depression and anxiety, viscious circle i know)

3. Worry about finding the opiates.

4. If opiates cannot be found from the usuall places then get on the phone and frantically try to find some.

5. If none can be found then as a last resort drive down to Grand (open air market).

6. Driving costs money, therefore i may have to do something messed up to get an extra 5.

7. Once the opiates are founf worry about what im going to say im doing when i go pick them up.

8. repeat one to 3 times thoughout the day.




A day in my shoes the last two days.

1. Wake up feeling pretty much ok.

2. Drive to clinic.

3 Go on with PRODUCTIVE day!


Addiction is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Your born with the genetics and once you trigger your addiction, its a very long process to get better. People always say that methadone clinics are "government drug pushers"

BULL SHIT, FUCK YOU. My life was hell. And now i finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Get your head out of your ass. You think i LIKE being an addict? You think i LIKE having to take methadone to feel ok? These people are the fucking self absorbed all knowing assholes that are ruining america.

DeadLegend added 2 Minutes and 13 Seconds later...

See itsw only been two days and already im not the pessimistic assholoe i was before. It help with physical AND mental health. Its really the best thing out there for the DISEASE of opiate addiction. And yes, it is a disease, dont get it wrong.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Go for it my friend!

[dyingtomorrow]

Methadone clinics work really well for some kinds of people. They definitely help a lot of people get their lives back together. The people against them like to point out the failures, as though if methadone clinics don't help ALL ADDICTS they are useless. Fortunately too, suboxone has come out and helps another percentage of different kinds of addicts.

SWIM has to say though, he and a lot of people go through a "honeymoon phase" with methadone clinics. The first time SWIM started at one he thought, holy shit this is great. After a month of having to find some way to get there between law school and work, and finding out it would be months before SWIM could start getting take homes and not having to spend 1-2 hours of EVERY DAY going to and from the methadone clinic - well SWIM still had money at this point, and it was much more time and frustration economical to just use heroin again, and that's what SWIM did.

SWIM could see how for people with a methadone clinic like, right next to work or something though, how it could be okay for the long term. SWIM hopes it works for you!

[youdontknow]

Yeah about the honeymoon thing. I know how it works, you get high fot the first week or two of using. (my honeymoons already over with it though becuase i have used it before and i do have a tolerance to it) But after that you really just feel normal. And also it only takes me about 10 mins to dose! There really quick! Im going to try and do what you were talking about and get a job really close to there.

[ScorpioSunshine]

Originally Posted by DeadLegend

Ok so i know that methadone in itself, is addictive. I however, have never had a problem coming off of 40-50 mgs cold turkey, since it stores up in your liver, even when you stop cold turkey, your not really stopping.

But anyways i started a methadone clinic yesterday. People who arent addicts are always against methadone clinics. And i have to say that, until they experience being an addict, they need to shut there mouths, because there talking out of self-importance, not out of experience. Methadone IS going to save my life.

A day "in my shoes" before:

1. Wake up thinking about getting high. Especially if a drug dream happened. Usually cramps and the runs. Even if i really dont want to use, i know its the only thing that is going to make me function. WHICH.... leads to step 2.

2. Think of how to get money. Whatever i come up with, i know its not honest. But i am an addict. So i do said plan to get money, no matter what it is. (which leads to depression and anxiety after getting high, then need to get high to relieve depression and anxiety, viscious circle i know)

3. Worry about finding the opiates.

4. If opiates cannot be found from the usuall places then get on the phone and frantically try to find some.

5. If none can be found then as a last resort drive down to Grand (open air market).

6. Driving costs money, therefore i may have to do something messed up to get an extra 5.

7. Once the opiates are founf worry about what im going to say im doing when i go pick them up.

8. repeat one to 3 times thoughout the day.




A day in my shoes the last two days.

1. Wake up feeling pretty much ok.

2. Drive to clinic.

3 Go on with PRODUCTIVE day!


Addiction is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Your born with the genetics and once you trigger your addiction, its a very long process to get better. People always say that methadone clinics are "government drug pushers"

BULL SHIT, FUCK YOU. My life was hell. And now i finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Get your head out of your ass. You think i LIKE being an addict? You think i LIKE having to take methadone to feel ok? These people are the fucking self absorbed all knowing assholes that are ruining america.

DeadLegend added 2 Minutes and 13 Seconds later...

See itsw only been two days and already im not the pessimistic assholoe i was before. It help with physical AND mental health. Its really the best thing out there for the DISEASE of opiate addiction. And yes, it is a disease, dont get it wrong.

Good for swiy! Swim hopes it keeps up and only gets better from here.

[Gappa]

You Go Legend! Feels good to have some sense of normality huh? After being on it it for a length of lime you may start to feel it's "drag". As SWIM was on it for a long period he could feel it start to slow him down and hold me back. But it's deff a good thing, it will keep SWIY off the dope and that crazy cycle. It's a lot cheaper too.lol That is a long way to drive tho.. SUBS are great in that respect you can take a months supply, but are usually not as "satisfying" as done at first at least.

[AvidFan]

Patient X holds his hat off to DL, and wishes him all the best in his continued progress

[moda00]

Just wanted to chime in and say congrats on getting on the methadone and starting swiy's recovery. Swim has been on methadone for wow almost three years? Cannot believe how long it has been. Can relate to a lot of swiy's (we use swim/swiy, remove pronouns altogether, or other strategies to prevent self-incrimination here- click my sig for more info) post.

There's a really cool short video called "Finding Normal" that dispels some of the myths of methadone maintenance and speaks to the shift that occurs from active addiction to a normal and stable life in treatment.. I'll add it to DF video section if it's not up already, but in the meantime you can scroogle it if you are interested. I know how frustrating it can be when people try to say that the treatment that has saved your life is "just switching addictions" or "not really recovery," but swim has also been through that shift, and it's night and day!

She likens it to any other chemical imbalance in the brain or body- it's not something to be ashamed of to take a medication to keep one's brain/body running smoothly. People with depression, theorized to be caused by, or linked to, low serotonin, can take SSRIs and live normal lives in some cases- some people need them for a short time, some people need them for a lifetime, some people are not helped by them or find non-drug methods, or other types of drugs better- but there is no moral hierarchy there, simply addressing a problem and treating it to enable one to live healthy and happy.

Or take diabetes- if you have type I, you need insulin every day for your lifetime. No one would suggest that you should be able to go without. Yet, there are people with type 2 who can control their diabetes with diet and exercise. I know that swim would be dead if not for methadone, and I also know that she tried everything else beforehand. When it comes to that, why not give someone a treatment that works when nothing else does to allow them some normalcy? It makes me sad to see people dying and struggling for longer than they have to because of the stigma of methadone or the difficulty getting on it in some cases.

I think it's great that some can get clean without it, but it in no way changes the fact that some people cannot. I also truly believe that there are people who need it for a lifetime (possibly due to an endorphin deficiency or another chemical imbalance) and some who can use it as a bridge or tool to getting off all opiate drugs and medications- again, no moral issue, just different approaches for individuals who have different brains, bodies, and needs.

Swim thinks she'll try to come off it when she is ready, but if she finds she needs to stay on it, she will continue to do so.. of course, swiy is just getting started, so it's too early to be thinking about all that.. Just take it a day at a time, focus on getting stabilized and listen to your body.

I know that some of the concerns about methadone, from those who have been on it, relate to the clinic system. I feel that pharmacologically it is an ideal treatment for many people, but I do agree that there are many flaws in the current system that hinder its effectiveness. If swiy is ever interested in some advocacy stuff I can give you some info/links. There definitely need to be changes in the way methadone is approached in order to make it a more helpful and effective option, but it takes time, and there are people out there working for those changes. One thing many mention is that the clinic attendance is a hassle or interferes with living a normal life. Swim agrees- one big change that should be addressed imho is that we need to move towards a more medically-managed, office based system of maintenance- take the private and government finance and interest out of the equation and put in its place a normal doctor-patient relationship and prescription system. This has been found to be equally effective in maintaining abstinence while increasing patient satisfaction with treatment outcomes (when transitioned to such a model after an initial 6-12 months in a clinic). But, even within the clinic system one can earn phases- swim currently goes once a week. Her advice to swiy is to definitely work hard at swiy's program and take advantage of the phases- it feels good to earn more privileges, and makes it so one doesn't have to structure their life around the clinic so much as one gets more time in recovery. Overall, swim thinks the pros outweigh the cons- as swiy's post said, it takes 10 minutes in the morning to dose, and then swiy has a whole day ahead where one doesn't have to think about getting money and drugs, deal with the ups and downs of highs and withdrawals, etc. One can go about their day like a normal person, without the addiction eating up all their time and energy.

Wishing you success, and keep us posted!!

Reputation Comments on this post:

Great, great points in your post