Dextromethorphan recovery
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Join Date: May 2012
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Dextromethorphan recovery
Hi,
Let me start with an apology if I'm not using the forum for it's intended purpose. I didn't see anything in the guidelines precluding this post and didn't see a more appropriate forum in the community. So, if I'm off base here, please let me know and if there's a more appropriate forum, will a moderator please move the thread.
I say all that because I'm not the person with a problem. A friend and business associate told me a short while ago that he is going into a recovery program today. This is how he put it: "I'm going to be checking myself in for a detox from this Dextromethorphan psychedelic cough syrup I've been drinking. I'm having some sort of psychotic break from reality, and need to get some treatment." It may be worth mentioning that he has a history as an alcoholic but has not had a drink for a long while.
As a friend I obviously want to be as supportive as possible. I have reason to believe that he might also be using LSD but can't be completely sure. I suspect that he did not mention that to his wife, but knowing him, I'm 100% certain that it will come out in detox counseling. As a friend with confidential information, I really do not want to mention this to his wife. Of course, ultimately his recovery is more important than the confidentiality, so could his wife having the info be useful to his recovery and am I obligated to mention it to her?
As a business associate I have a critical problem. My friend is the programmer for a start-up and without a programmer we cannot move forward. As a start-up, we are by definition financially fragile and cannot tolerate too many schedule hiccups without failure. I have an obligation both to investors and my family's financial future to do what's best for the company. However, I sure as hell do not want to do anything that would compromise my friend's recovery. We can handle some delay and I will stretch that as far as possible. But if there's going to be no company for him to return to, that doesn't help anybody. If I have to replace him, in the long-run I might be able to bring him back, but that would be after the start-up phase.
Does anyone have any opinions on
I suspect those are tough questions to answer because there's too many individual factors at play. However, any guidance would be appreciated.
It may be worth mentioning that in this thread (my post count is too low for links, so I reformatted the link) www dot soberrecovery dot com/forums/substance-abuse/180266-dextromethorphan-addiction dot html someone in a Dextromethorphan detox was eventually allowed wifi access. It seems that his problem was more intense than my friend's so the time-lines may not apply. Is getting wi-fi access typical? Even if he first gets back part-time, we'll probably be okay.
I also came across this on quitting Dextromethorphan. www dot erowid dot org/chemicals/dxm/faq/dxm_side_effects dot shtml#toc.6.8. It talks about depression that can be treatable with drugs such as SSRIs. Would a detox program likely use these kind of drugs?
Thanks for all help.
Steve
Let me start with an apology if I'm not using the forum for it's intended purpose. I didn't see anything in the guidelines precluding this post and didn't see a more appropriate forum in the community. So, if I'm off base here, please let me know and if there's a more appropriate forum, will a moderator please move the thread.
I say all that because I'm not the person with a problem. A friend and business associate told me a short while ago that he is going into a recovery program today. This is how he put it: "I'm going to be checking myself in for a detox from this Dextromethorphan psychedelic cough syrup I've been drinking. I'm having some sort of psychotic break from reality, and need to get some treatment." It may be worth mentioning that he has a history as an alcoholic but has not had a drink for a long while.
As a friend I obviously want to be as supportive as possible. I have reason to believe that he might also be using LSD but can't be completely sure. I suspect that he did not mention that to his wife, but knowing him, I'm 100% certain that it will come out in detox counseling. As a friend with confidential information, I really do not want to mention this to his wife. Of course, ultimately his recovery is more important than the confidentiality, so could his wife having the info be useful to his recovery and am I obligated to mention it to her?
As a business associate I have a critical problem. My friend is the programmer for a start-up and without a programmer we cannot move forward. As a start-up, we are by definition financially fragile and cannot tolerate too many schedule hiccups without failure. I have an obligation both to investors and my family's financial future to do what's best for the company. However, I sure as hell do not want to do anything that would compromise my friend's recovery. We can handle some delay and I will stretch that as far as possible. But if there's going to be no company for him to return to, that doesn't help anybody. If I have to replace him, in the long-run I might be able to bring him back, but that would be after the start-up phase.
Does anyone have any opinions on
- the range of time it is likely before he can work
- whether being thrown right into work will be good for him
- whether at that time he'll be raring-to-go (he is naturally enthusiastic) and productive, or likely to be too distracted and/or depressed to be effective
I suspect those are tough questions to answer because there's too many individual factors at play. However, any guidance would be appreciated.
It may be worth mentioning that in this thread (my post count is too low for links, so I reformatted the link) www dot soberrecovery dot com/forums/substance-abuse/180266-dextromethorphan-addiction dot html someone in a Dextromethorphan detox was eventually allowed wifi access. It seems that his problem was more intense than my friend's so the time-lines may not apply. Is getting wi-fi access typical? Even if he first gets back part-time, we'll probably be okay.
I also came across this on quitting Dextromethorphan. www dot erowid dot org/chemicals/dxm/faq/dxm_side_effects dot shtml#toc.6.8. It talks about depression that can be treatable with drugs such as SSRIs. Would a detox program likely use these kind of drugs?
Thanks for all help.
Steve
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4
A search on this site for "DXM" provided more info. (Thanks to Anna for that.) The first link says this: That answers question 2 pretty forcefully, but if anyone has reason to disagree, please chime-in.
An idle mind is a death sentence for an addict.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
Welcome...
...
Certainly this Forum is for you too...I hope you will get solid info.
Me? I happen to be an AA recovered alcoholic...with zero experience
to share on this particular situation.
Hope all goes well for both of you...
...Certainly this Forum is for you too...I hope you will get solid info.
Me? I happen to be an AA recovered alcoholic...with zero experience
to share on this particular situation.
Hope all goes well for both of you...
Grateful to be free
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
there's a lot going on in your post!
First, welcome!
I don't think you are obligated to mention any suspicions to your friends wife.
It's HIS recovery, HIS relationship...up to him to be honest, and have all his substance abuse addressed. If he's not willing or able to address it himself, you saying anything won't make a difference.
As a business owner, I think you do what you need to do to take care of the business for the well being of your family and any other investors. Your friend can come back to his job if and when he's ready to. As you say, letting it go under won't help anyone.
Read and research all you want, but no matter what you read etc, your friend's experience will be unique so don't try to hold him or yourself to any sort of timetable or list of expectations. Recovery can uncover all sorts of other stuff that needs dealing with. There is no way to know what it's going to take, or how long for any particular person.
Best to all of you!~
First, welcome!
I don't think you are obligated to mention any suspicions to your friends wife.
It's HIS recovery, HIS relationship...up to him to be honest, and have all his substance abuse addressed. If he's not willing or able to address it himself, you saying anything won't make a difference.
As a business owner, I think you do what you need to do to take care of the business for the well being of your family and any other investors. Your friend can come back to his job if and when he's ready to. As you say, letting it go under won't help anyone.
Read and research all you want, but no matter what you read etc, your friend's experience will be unique so don't try to hold him or yourself to any sort of timetable or list of expectations. Recovery can uncover all sorts of other stuff that needs dealing with. There is no way to know what it's going to take, or how long for any particular person.
Best to all of you!~
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4
Thanks for the warm welcome CarolD, and Threshold, thanks for all of the feedback. It was pretty much what I expected.
The biggest wildcard is the likelihood of him getting Internet access while in recovery, and how fast. If him working (even part-time) and healing simultaneously is possible, it could be a major win-win.
With any luck I'll have a handle on that schedule in less than a week. It will take about 2-3 weeks to replace him anyway, so I have breathing room before being forced into the final decision.
Any other opinions and insights are certainly welcome.
Steve
The biggest wildcard is the likelihood of him getting Internet access while in recovery, and how fast. If him working (even part-time) and healing simultaneously is possible, it could be a major win-win.
With any luck I'll have a handle on that schedule in less than a week. It will take about 2-3 weeks to replace him anyway, so I have breathing room before being forced into the final decision.
Any other opinions and insights are certainly welcome.
Steve
Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 164
Hi Steveor,
I have been abusing DXM and LSD for the last 4-5 years. It took about two weeks before my brain felt functional enough to do any difficult mental tasks (programming would fall under this category). I did fight though a flood of emotions and depression, but since I knew it was a withdrawal symptom I convinced myself that I wasn't actually depressed and remained positive. Being thrown into work will help him, if he is serious about quitting (I actually think I may have written that quote, lol). Personally I liked the distraction of work and I think it continues to keep me sober.
Keep him on a short leash however. By being an addict he will be unpredictable and possibly unreliable. I hate to say it but since you have little room for error, he might end up causing some problems. Tread carefully.
I have been abusing DXM and LSD for the last 4-5 years. It took about two weeks before my brain felt functional enough to do any difficult mental tasks (programming would fall under this category). I did fight though a flood of emotions and depression, but since I knew it was a withdrawal symptom I convinced myself that I wasn't actually depressed and remained positive. Being thrown into work will help him, if he is serious about quitting (I actually think I may have written that quote, lol). Personally I liked the distraction of work and I think it continues to keep me sober.
Keep him on a short leash however. By being an addict he will be unpredictable and possibly unreliable. I hate to say it but since you have little room for error, he might end up causing some problems. Tread carefully.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4
Originally Posted by gordano 
Hi Steveor,
I have been abusing DXM and LSD for the last 4-5 years. It took about two weeks before my brain felt functional enough to do any difficult mental tasks (programming would fall under this category). I did fight though a flood of emotions and depression, but since I knew it was a withdrawal symptom I convinced myself that I wasn't actually depressed and remained positive. Being thrown into work will help him, if he is serious about quitting (I actually think I may have written that quote, lol). Personally I liked the distraction of work and I think it continues to keep me sober.
Keep him on a short leash however. By being an addict he will be unpredictable and possibly unreliable. I hate to say it but since you have little room for error, he might end up causing some problems. Tread carefully.
I have been abusing DXM and LSD for the last 4-5 years. It took about two weeks before my brain felt functional enough to do any difficult mental tasks (programming would fall under this category). I did fight though a flood of emotions and depression, but since I knew it was a withdrawal symptom I convinced myself that I wasn't actually depressed and remained positive. Being thrown into work will help him, if he is serious about quitting (I actually think I may have written that quote, lol). Personally I liked the distraction of work and I think it continues to keep me sober.
Keep him on a short leash however. By being an addict he will be unpredictable and possibly unreliable. I hate to say it but since you have little room for error, he might end up causing some problems. Tread carefully.
Steve
Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 164
If its only been a few months I would expect him to recover quicker, but it all depends on his dosage. I've unfortunately been addicted to many different drugs, but LSD and DXM were probably the least addictive and least destructive in my life. This was just for me however, someone else could be different.
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