addicted and scared
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Join Date: Sep 2014
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addicted and scared
I have no more pain pills left in the house of course i could buy some but I'm going to resist could someone explain the difference NA vs AA I'm also an alcoholic traded addictions I guesswhats the best way to get through the first few days I know its going to be rough thanks for the kindness you all show
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,966
Brain if you really want to do this now is the time while you have nothing on you....but you gotta get rid of your contacts! When the withdrawals start....especially days 2 thru 4 you are going to be mighty tempted to make that phone call.
I needed to get honest with my family plus join an iOP so that I had a little more accountability. Another person on this forum drove 100 miles away from their DOC just to do it. Another joined AA and got herself a sponsor.
I hate to be Debbie downer but I've never seen anyone successful while having access to their DOC....unless they went on naltrexone or suboxone/methadone where they could not take their DOC or risk getting very sick. The I'm "just going to resist" isn't going to cut it.
So if you are really serious you got to remove the source or block it in some way...by either being truthful to a family member, going to meetings, joining an IOP, going to rehab or whatever your creative addict mind can come up with.
I've learned that in order to be successful we need to chase recovery the way we chased our DOC.
The only difference between NA and AA is NA is for Drug addicts and AA is for Alcoholics. They may have a different feel so being that you are both....probably either one would be helpful for you. I've been to both and felt a little more support from AA than from NA. But that could have been due to the people that attended and area the meetings were. At the NA meeting I went to, there was a lot of 13 stepping going on....plus illegal selling of cigarettes in the parking lot. Made me wonder what else was being sold there. But that was only one meeting and it was located in the middle of a rough neighborhood in Queens....pretty much the hood...I felt very much out of place....so I really can't judge NA on that one meeting.
The best ways to get thru withdrawal are to drink plenty of water, preferably sports drinks. Take potassium supplements or eat banana's. yogurt with bananas was easy on my stomach. For hot and cold flashes and restless legs I Found hot baths with Epsom salts worked best.
Try to sleep thru the worst of it if you can....if not watch plenty of movies or comedy shoes. We can get pretty dark in our minds while going thru withdrawal.
Seeing your doctor is the best advice....he can monitor you plus prescribe comfort meds to help you along.
It's definitely doable. There are many of us who have come thru and gotten on the other side.
So good luck to you. Keep posting we are here with you...each step of the way!
I needed to get honest with my family plus join an iOP so that I had a little more accountability. Another person on this forum drove 100 miles away from their DOC just to do it. Another joined AA and got herself a sponsor.
I hate to be Debbie downer but I've never seen anyone successful while having access to their DOC....unless they went on naltrexone or suboxone/methadone where they could not take their DOC or risk getting very sick. The I'm "just going to resist" isn't going to cut it.
So if you are really serious you got to remove the source or block it in some way...by either being truthful to a family member, going to meetings, joining an IOP, going to rehab or whatever your creative addict mind can come up with.
I've learned that in order to be successful we need to chase recovery the way we chased our DOC.
The only difference between NA and AA is NA is for Drug addicts and AA is for Alcoholics. They may have a different feel so being that you are both....probably either one would be helpful for you. I've been to both and felt a little more support from AA than from NA. But that could have been due to the people that attended and area the meetings were. At the NA meeting I went to, there was a lot of 13 stepping going on....plus illegal selling of cigarettes in the parking lot. Made me wonder what else was being sold there. But that was only one meeting and it was located in the middle of a rough neighborhood in Queens....pretty much the hood...I felt very much out of place....so I really can't judge NA on that one meeting.
The best ways to get thru withdrawal are to drink plenty of water, preferably sports drinks. Take potassium supplements or eat banana's. yogurt with bananas was easy on my stomach. For hot and cold flashes and restless legs I Found hot baths with Epsom salts worked best.
Try to sleep thru the worst of it if you can....if not watch plenty of movies or comedy shoes. We can get pretty dark in our minds while going thru withdrawal.
Seeing your doctor is the best advice....he can monitor you plus prescribe comfort meds to help you along.
It's definitely doable. There are many of us who have come thru and gotten on the other side.
So good luck to you. Keep posting we are here with you...each step of the way!
Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 52
Originally Posted by brian810 
I have no more pain pills left in the house of course i could buy some but I'm going to resist could someone explain the difference NA vs AA I'm also an alcoholic traded addictions I guesswhats the best way to get through the first few days I know its going to be rough thanks for the kindness you all show
While typically people expect that Alcoholics Anonymous is strictly for recovery from alcohol abuse, I've found it equally helpful when discontinuing drugs. Especially in your case with a history of problems with both. Much depends on the make-up of the various groups active in your geographical area.
For whatever reason, there appear to be many more AA meetings available compared to NA.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,375
Brian, alumni is right. How much hydro and how long makes a big difference. We have folks here that came off anywhere from 2 a day to 50 or more a day. I was in the 10-12 catagory but I was taking other things too. I had about 5 years in on the stuff.
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,375
That's not off the charts so you won't be in too severe a shape. It's going to suck but only for a few days on the physical side. Days 3-5 were my worst and it seemed to fade mostly away at two weeks.
Drink all the fluids you can, sweat outside if possible, and eat whatever you can get down. Sleep is usually a big problem for awhile. I just had to ride that out but some people got rx's.
Drink all the fluids you can, sweat outside if possible, and eat whatever you can get down. Sleep is usually a big problem for awhile. I just had to ride that out but some people got rx's.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 52
Originally Posted by brian810
Thanks so much 10 to 15 percs or vics a day at ten buck s clip stupid me right
Sounds to me like you are at a point now where cold-turkey is clearly your best option. Any way you can reach out to family, loved ones or a physician is an option you should pursue. Withdrawal is no picnic but doing it alone is usually an unnecessary complication. I've discovered that anyone in your current situation is much better off adopting an attitude of total honesty with everyone in your life. You will be amazed at the acceptance, support and understanding you'll find when you drop the bs and ask for help.
Sometimes it really does "take a village."
Hang in there and keep your focus on the light at the end of the tunnel.
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,966
Yes it doesn't matter what stupid thing you did in the past! Trust me....I did tons of stupid things too! Things I really regret! But the awesome thing is you don't have to do those stupid things anymore! Today you can turn your entire life around! You can make it into whatever you want it to be. You can put that would-be drug money in your bank account now instead of wasting it! Then at a year clean you can see how much money you saved! Gosh...I'll bet it really adds up!
You might be able to buy that car you always wanted....or a motorcycle...boat? Or go on a dream vacation! It's all up to you! All you have to do is wake-up each day and make the commitment that for today you are not going to use. If it helps...go to 90 in 90.... That's 90 meetings in 90 days. Only one meeting per day. That might be helpful to jump start your recovery. You can meet some sober friends that way too!
All right....remember you have the power within you to make your life look anyway you want it to look. It's really not that hard.
You might be able to buy that car you always wanted....or a motorcycle...boat? Or go on a dream vacation! It's all up to you! All you have to do is wake-up each day and make the commitment that for today you are not going to use. If it helps...go to 90 in 90.... That's 90 meetings in 90 days. Only one meeting per day. That might be helpful to jump start your recovery. You can meet some sober friends that way too!
All right....remember you have the power within you to make your life look anyway you want it to look. It's really not that hard.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Western NY
Posts: 1,209
Brian - you have your work cut out for you, but it is doable. Here are a few things that helped me:
1) Music Videos - it was great to watch these during the nights. The nights were the worst for me. Writhing in bed and trying to go to sleep was probably the worst part of everything. I eventually just gave up on sleep and accepted the fact that when I was tired enough I would go to sleep.
2) Force Yourself to Eat and Drink Water - even if you are nauseous and don't feel like it. Eat something anyway even if you are going to puke it back up. Peanut butter sandwiches were the best because they were solid food, and a little bit of it goes a long way.
3) Hot Bathes for RLS - the best thing I found for the restless legs / pain was a hot bath. Showers sucked because you have to remain standing.
4) Reduce Access - it is impossible to completely eliminate access, but I found that having immediate access made it impossible to stop. If you contact your dealer via phone then write down all of the numbers that you need to keep and drop it in the sink if you have to.
5) One on One Support - if there is someone near you that can help you get through it in person that can be helpful. I must say that if you ask someone to invest the time to come and sit with you through part of it don't expect your relationship with them to be the same if it doesn't work out. I was on the receiving end of that one, and even though I had personal experience with addiction it was very frustrating to have tried to help a close friend and to watch them fail.
6) Do Some Sort of Exercise - even if it is just walking around the block. People swear by aerobic exercise, but I just couldn't do it in the very beginning.
7) Timing - so long as I was eating something and drinking enough water it would start easing up some by the 4th day. I had been daily for a long time (~8 years) when I went CT. That was comprised of OCs for the early years and then Opana near the end and H at the very end. It was pretty high doses over the whole period and very high over the last year. Going CT my symptoms peaked ~72 hours, but others I have known that used for short periods of time peaked sooner. I was clean for 1.5 years and then had about a 6 month run starting in the latter part of last year. I quit the H again in February of this year.
Those are a few thoughts on withdrawal that come to mind.
1) Music Videos - it was great to watch these during the nights. The nights were the worst for me. Writhing in bed and trying to go to sleep was probably the worst part of everything. I eventually just gave up on sleep and accepted the fact that when I was tired enough I would go to sleep.
2) Force Yourself to Eat and Drink Water - even if you are nauseous and don't feel like it. Eat something anyway even if you are going to puke it back up. Peanut butter sandwiches were the best because they were solid food, and a little bit of it goes a long way.
3) Hot Bathes for RLS - the best thing I found for the restless legs / pain was a hot bath. Showers sucked because you have to remain standing.
4) Reduce Access - it is impossible to completely eliminate access, but I found that having immediate access made it impossible to stop. If you contact your dealer via phone then write down all of the numbers that you need to keep and drop it in the sink if you have to.
5) One on One Support - if there is someone near you that can help you get through it in person that can be helpful. I must say that if you ask someone to invest the time to come and sit with you through part of it don't expect your relationship with them to be the same if it doesn't work out. I was on the receiving end of that one, and even though I had personal experience with addiction it was very frustrating to have tried to help a close friend and to watch them fail.
6) Do Some Sort of Exercise - even if it is just walking around the block. People swear by aerobic exercise, but I just couldn't do it in the very beginning.
7) Timing - so long as I was eating something and drinking enough water it would start easing up some by the 4th day. I had been daily for a long time (~8 years) when I went CT. That was comprised of OCs for the early years and then Opana near the end and H at the very end. It was pretty high doses over the whole period and very high over the last year. Going CT my symptoms peaked ~72 hours, but others I have known that used for short periods of time peaked sooner. I was clean for 1.5 years and then had about a 6 month run starting in the latter part of last year. I quit the H again in February of this year.
Those are a few thoughts on withdrawal that come to mind.
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 396
Hi brian and welcome to SR. You will find a ton of support here. So glad you reached out for help. I agree with what everyone has already told you. You must get rid of the dealers! I know I could never say NO to a text, even if I did have a moment of strength where I didn't respond, I would think about it all day and night till I eventually caved. Dealers want you hooked, they don't give a **** about you at all, they want your money to feed their own habit or pay their rent. Screw them! I've only been clean for 30 days from oxycodone 300mg) habit. I get sick thinking of the money wasted but we can't dwell on that or it will drive us bonkers. All we can do now is make better choices for our health and our future.
No one is so far gone that they can't change, you just have to want it bad enough, more than you want to get high.
What helps me is taking aimless drives with the music up, music sounds amazing once you're off pills. Nothing heavy or depressing though, that will make you a blubbering mess.
Baths or a sauna will do wonders or just sitting outside in the hot sun, just make sure you're drinking plenty of water or power aid. Multi vitamin, vitamin c and B are good too.
Eat something if you can, try to avoid too much caffeine and sugar, it helps for a moment but then you crash really hard and it feels terrible.
Funny movies are a must! Walking if you can will help you sleep at night.
You'll start to feel better at day 4 , that's usually the turning point.
I know time is going to stand still but just think, after 4 days you'll be on your way to feeling like a new person, a better person and a person with money in his pocket.
Keep posting, we're all here for you Brian.
No one is so far gone that they can't change, you just have to want it bad enough, more than you want to get high.
What helps me is taking aimless drives with the music up, music sounds amazing once you're off pills. Nothing heavy or depressing though, that will make you a blubbering mess.
Baths or a sauna will do wonders or just sitting outside in the hot sun, just make sure you're drinking plenty of water or power aid. Multi vitamin, vitamin c and B are good too.
Eat something if you can, try to avoid too much caffeine and sugar, it helps for a moment but then you crash really hard and it feels terrible.
Funny movies are a must! Walking if you can will help you sleep at night.
You'll start to feel better at day 4 , that's usually the turning point.
I know time is going to stand still but just think, after 4 days you'll be on your way to feeling like a new person, a better person and a person with money in his pocket.
Keep posting, we're all here for you Brian.
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