Alraihani

Hey guys I'm primarily an alcoholic. Alcohol was my first love and the one im in most denial about. But along with my addiction to alcohol im also addicted to opiates (heroin, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and fentynal). My doctor has been trying to get me on suboxone maintenance for years. I've always declined opting for just enough suboxone to detox. After relapsing on heroin and jack daniels in August and unable to stay longer than a week clean and sobee I've decided to take his recommendation.

Suboxone saved my life. I was on the verge of death. Even though I was sober and clean I felt uncomfortable going to meetings and claiming I was sober when I was taking 18 mgs of suboxone daily. I'm now getting off of everything and my last dose of sub was the day of my bday 1 31 14

Anyways I feel like crap ane I'm getting of suboxone faster than my doctor likes. I'm scared I'm going to relapse and everyone from my family to my doctor to my friends think I should stay on suboxone.

Since AA is about alcohol and im just as much of an alcoholic as a heroin addict. As long as I am sober but still take suboxone as prescribed can I consider my self a sober member of AA and do step work and service work etc..

Bottom line am I a sober member of AA if I take suboxone everyday.

awuh1

Here is the official AA position on this. Hope it helps.
http://www.aa.org/pdf/products/p-11_...ersMedDrug.pdf

TigerLili

You're not drinking and actively working on getting clean under a doctor's care. Sounds sober to me.

You don't owe anyone an explanation or justification.

Say you're abstinent from alcohol and working on a drug taper programme with your doctor if you want to be specific.

I've been tapering off Xanax for some months now and today is my first day 'clean'. I absolutely consider myself a sober member of AA with 36 days abstinent from alcohol.

In a few years, maybe I'll split hairs and set a new joint clean/sober date. For now, I'll have a sobriety date and a clean date.

dsmaxis10

Hell yeah your sober listen to your doctor and family

Riverbird

Personally I think it's up to you. A friend of mine recently went through a rapid detox program for suboxone because she didn't like the way it was making her sick and keeping her from really living the life she wanted to. She did a rapid detox program from suboxone and chose to change her sobriety date after that. The treatment center she went to made it very clear that there was no reason for her to change her sobriety date because she'd been taking it as prescribed by a doctor, had not been drinking, etc. However to her it was important because the misery she felt during the detox (as well as the expense and everything else) was what made her really commit to sobriety, working the steps, etc. For her it was important to mark that day as her new beginning.

Obviously I don't speak for AA, but I think this is one of those things where you go with what's right for you. You said yourself that you're not drinking, working the steps, taking meds as prescribed, etc. Sounds to me like you're sober. I take psych meds every day that I have no plans of getting off, and I consider myself sober. Talk it over with your sponsor but otherwise there's no reason for anyone in AA to even know about it. I don't bring up my meds at meetings because I get tired of people telling me that I need to trust my higher power rather than taking pills. They're not going to change my mind I just also don't feel the need to defend myself to them. My sponsor supports what I'm doing medically (and gets very grumpy with me if I don't take meds! lol) and really that's all that's important to me.

Sorry for the mini tangent...hope that helps a bit.

Alraihani

But for me I don't like getting involved in AA while I'm on suboxone. It's just a softer version of methadone

Alraihani

I've decided to get off suboxone and get on the vivitrol shot. BTW I get baffled when people in AA or treatment at against vivitrol or antabuse. I get it it's not a cure but it can only help

Taking5

Don't let these people bother you. They are a vocal minority. Also, your meds are between you and your Dr.

DesertArizona

There is a honeymoon period where Suboxone makes you feel fantastic and like you have your life back, hence the nickname "miracle-drug." But I'm here to tell you that if you stay on it, you'll never get off. Its very, very potent, and it becomes just another drug to catch a buzz from. Because it has such weird mechanisms-of-action, the withdrawal is very drawn-out and painful. Once the honeymoon ends, you find yourself sapped of all motivation, libido, and spark. I have to get off it soon after 5 years and knowing what I'm in for makes me feel like I'm counting the days until I die.

Alraihani

I know the half life is super long which is why I'm getting off it after three months. That was my plan from the beginning. Go on suboxone for three months when I fiend hardest than switch to vivitrol for a year. I still don't understand why the AA street is so against vivitrol.

As long as you know it's not a cure... All it is, is a very effective tool. If the only thing that I seem to use against my will is heroin and I love AA... as my doctor says... I'm the perfect candidate fo r vivitrol

Grungehead

I was on it back in 05-06 for an opiate addiction. After being on a regular dose for 6 months it took me another 6 months to taper off of it, and even at that pace it was a real PITA jumping off of it at the end. I know NA does not consider someone on a maintenance drug like sub or methadone as clean. I wouldn't have a problem calling myself sober in AA if I was on sub and making an honest effort to taper off of it, but that is JMO.
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Hang in there TigerLili! I was on benzo's for about 10 years. At about 2-3 months sober (yes I considered myself sober) I tapered off of them (under psychiatrist's care) and was off of them about 3 months later. I never abused the benzos, but I was on them for so long my psychiatrist recommended not stopping cold turkey.