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Suboxone both sides of the debate

Old 03-04-2018, 07:12 PM
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Suboxone both sides of the debate

Please be sure to read through to the end, the important information is located in the second half of this post!
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SUBOXONE, a medication that comes with mixed reviews. I hope to touch on both sides of the argument and also share what I feel leads to a successful SUBOXONE program.

I know numerous people that have successfully taken SUBOXONE and will share how they did it, but first a little debating on both the good and the bad of SUBOXONE.

This is a lengthy post, but I wanted to take the time to explain a bit as to some of the reasons behind some of the ideas.

If you are debating suboxone, currently using it, or are searching trying to save a loved one then I hope you take something from my experiences and knowledge.

Just a quick disclaimer:

*Not everyone that is prescribed SUBOXONE is/was a drug addict. Many people are put on a long term pain management plan involving opiates, because of a major accident or something beyond their control. These individuals are "opiate dependent" not addicted. There is a difference, I'll explain in greater detail in another post. If you fall into this category and have avoided suboxone because of its association with being a drug addict, it's time to get that thought out of your head. Just because you are prescribed suboxone does not mean you were once an addict!! Don't let a false stigma delay your happiness!*


**ANTI-SUBOXONE VIEWS**

Opponents of SUBOXONE start off with a pretty valid point. If someone is at the doctors asking for SUBOXONE they are confessing to being addicted to opiates, they are admitting that they are a drug addict. (Which is not always true as I stated above, addict/dependency are not the same)

What medical professional would give another narcotic aka drug to an individual that freely admits to not having any control over their opiate use, or may be a full blown heroin addict.

This individual may have stolen, committed fraud, or worse to feed their addiction, how can you now hand them a pile of drugs, collect their co-pay and send them on there way.

A normal beginning dose of SUBOXONE is 2 8mg pills/strips per day which equals 60 a month, SUBOXONE has a street value of $10-$15 avg (may vary by location obviously)

This licensed medical professional will hand this addict that he just met a piece of paper which he in turn will bring to a pharmacy, get handed 60 SUBOXONE, and then walk out the door over to a car with a couple guys he uses with.

5 minutes later he hops in his car with $500 cash, and the 10 subs he saved for himself to avoid any chance of withdrawals if he ever cannot score his dope. This guy picturing the gold mind he just had handed to him drives off, wondering why he didn't do this sooner as he heads to his dealer, buys $500 worth of dope, and is found dead the next day. ( a little extreme but trying to see both sides)

Besides the act of freely giving drugs to a drug addict, at the end of the day the only thing happening, even with someone successfully taking Subs, is they are replacing one addiction to another. Both still opiates, both addictive; with facing inevitable withdrawals as the only way out.

Matter of fact heroin and fast acting opiates have an acute withdrawal period of about 3-7 days. SUBOXONE on the other hand could keep them in a state of withdrawals for weeks if not months, and nobody could stand those feelings for that long, they would just end up using again to kill the pain.

The addict should just lock themselves away for a week and be done with it. If you felt like you were dying, like you were allergic to your own insides, and knew it was going to last for weeks, I can't imagine anyone coming of subs not making that phone call to instantly stop the pain.

Fact of the matter is most of them can't handle a few days of withdrawals. Fearing the withdrawals is one of the biggest things stopping many people from just stopping.

What sense does it make taking that already impossible week of suffering through withdrawels from heroin or perks, and quadrupling it after suboxone. It just doesn't seem like a good trade off.

At the end of the day a person addicted to drugs, life spiraling towards rock bottom, incapable of stopping on their own shouldn't be able to walk into an office say "they are done drugs," cross their heart and hope to die, and even toss in a pinky promise just so the doctor knows they are serious "this time," and then be handed a whole pile of drugs!

The temptation is too great for someone newly clean. The doctors are making money by moving these addicts (the sub successful ones) from one addiction to the other. At the end of the day these guys are still addicted to opiates, they are still dependent on their dealer, who just happens to be a doctor now. They are no closer to beating their addiction and are now extending it for God only knows how long..

Just quit, suck it up for a few days and move on with your life. Don't use this as a reason to continue doing drugs, just because it's from a doctor doesn't mean it's good. Your doctor makes more from you than your dealer ever did!! The SUBOXONE myth comes down to one thing... swapping!

Swapping perks/heroin bought on the street for suboxone bought from your medical dealer. Nothing has changed or improved. Legal drug dealing is all that is going on!



**PRO-SUBOXONE VIEW**

Most people are pretty clueless when it comes to dealing with opiate addiction. The people ridiculing the addicts have only heard about it, and even the doctors treating it have done no more than read about it!

There is no way to understand what an addict is going through unless you yourself have been in their shoes. The pain, suffering, depression, cravings, "voices" telling you everything you need to hear to use again... just an endless barrage of terribleness...

I will say right now that I do understand the person most likely put themselves in the situation, as people always say "nobody forced them to take that first pill." They just never expected to become addicted to something, most people don't realize they are addicted until it is to late. *Again people that originally were hooked by their doctor, and take their medication as prescribed are opiate dependent not drug addicts*. Unfortunately they both have the same fate, and have to fight the same battle in the end.

In regards to handing an admitted drug addict a pile of drugs and pushing them out the door... that just doesn't happen anymore. SUBOXONE is fairly new to the mainstream, when it first became popular people flocked to get it, doctors are in business for money and for some the money clouded their judgement.

Clinics popped up all over the place, addicts would walk in, pay $300 cash, get handed a script and walk out. The doctor was stuffing $300 in his pocket for every person he could funnel through his door, there was no treatment, or counseling. No drug tests or pill counts...

The doctor wanted as many people in that office he could get, offering rewards for referrals. People would show up in groups of 4, walk through the door and back out in less than 5 minutes, making that doctor $1,200 for 5 minutes of work.

This whole practice is what originally gave SUBOXONE a bad name. There were actual SUBOXONE programs being run by people that genuinely wanted to help addicts. But at the time they had required the patients to participate in the recovery, causing most of them to go to the revolving door offices.

As with all things to good to be true the money mill doctors offices were eventually shut down. The addicts showed up for their next script only to find an empty office. Having received no treatment, the addict was exactly where he was before entering the so called suboxone program.

Thankfully these places no longer exist. Today an addict that is ready to end his addiction will be accepted into a program to help them truly beat the addiction. They will focus on not only the drug and withdrawal issues but also the mental and behavioral issues that may have caused the addiction to begin with. They will attend weekly counseling sessions, sometimes monthly group sessions, they are held accountable with drug tests at each visit, occasional random tests, as well as pill counts.

SUBOXONE Programs no longer hand entire months prescriptions to patients just starting the program. They understand people may try and get the SUBOXONE for other reasons than recovery. To prevent this a new patient will usually only be given 1-3 pills/strips (1-3 days worth) They then have to see the doctor again, submit to a drug test and get another 1-3 days script.

Over time, trust will be built and more freedoms given. Eventually the patient will receive a full 30 day script, but will have to continue a recovery program, attending counseling monthly, drug tests, and pill counts.

These things are what help keep the patient honest, in a moment of hesitation the thought of being kick out of the program for failing a test or being caught selling some of your script is just not worth it to them, and they push the idea from their minds.

Obviously people with bad intentions will get into some programs. The tests, counts and counseling sessions always weed them out rather quickly. These doctors and counselors have heard it all and truly know when someone is following a successful program. These doctors and couselors truly want to help these addicts reclaim their lives..

Today's suboxone programs are filled with people that want to get better at all costs. They see the requirements as a means of keeping them honest and building trust; a coveted thing to an ex addict.

As time goes on these patients begin sharing their knowledge with people just starting a sub program, people who's shoes they once filled. The recovered addict feels like his time using is being transformed into something positive as he shares his wisdom, stories and advice with the recovering addict, further building a successful program for both.

The suboxone clinic is now a valid place to seek treatment, those there for the right reasons will have no problem rebuilding everything, as they work a successful program, those there hoping to fool everyone will be weeded out quickly.

In response to the argument of "it's just swapping one addiction for another"; in a broad sense suboxone is most definitely just switching from one thing to another, and yes suboxone will cause withdrawals and they can last longer but if you do things right you will get through them and your chance of long term sobriety will increase dramatically.

Let me explain:

There is a difference in addiction and dependency, you enter the program addicted to an opiate; which means you will do anything you can to get more; lie, cheat, steal, etc. Your entire day is focused on finding money, finding drugs, doing drugs then starting the cycle all over again. You spend so much time seeking and using and being high that you lose your job, your own family turns their backs to you and heroin (or whatever other opiate) has become your life.

When you "swap one addiction for another" you are in reality eliminating the addiction and allowing yourself to become dependent on suboxone. You are following a program, and are receiving the medicine from a doctor. You no longer have to break the law to find ways of getting more. You are not constantly craving more, your days aren't filled with chasing a drug, you are no longer a prisoner in your own body.


Over time the thoughts and cravings grow weaker and I know this sounds impossible but there will come a time that you no longer have them at all. I never thought that would be possible but I sit here today without having experienced a craving in years... it's an amazing feeling so much space is freed in your mind for other things, happier things.


Having this new found time, and being able to function normally will allow you to eventually get back into the work force. So now you are working the program, earning an income, and all the people that lost faith in you and had their trust betrayed will begin to notice.


Deep down they still care, (they always had, just couldn't sit and watch you kill your self) and when they see you finally turning things around your loved ones will become your biggest cheering squad.


Eventually you will earn back the trust of all those around you, family and friends will welcome you back into their lives. Making your successes in recovery a part of their lives as well, you will find yourselves celebrating with those you felt gave up all hope in you!


> Back up a bit... when you are actively using and decide to quit the withdrawals come and go, you begin racking up time; hours, minutes, days. This whole time you still have the intense cravings, your mind is still focused on that one thing, nothing has had time to replace it. You still have contact with others that are actively using seeing it was just the other day you were using together. You still are sleeping in a shelter, you still have no family support. Your entire life is still wrapped around your addiction for the first few months of recovery. The people, places, and behaviors are all built upon a foundation of actively using.


You sit there fighting with all you have and one day you run into a buddy, he said he just scored some of the best **** ever. You tell him you have 28 days clean and are all done, 28 days is a long time to start over from. You explain that you can't wait to go get your first 30 day pin at NA. He congratulates you, and then says "you don't have to start over if you don't want to.. just skip today! Make tomorrow your 29th day, nobody will know the difference."


That ridiculous comment was the only thing your mind needed to drop its walls and stop fighting. As you drove to his house to shoot up you say "worst case in only 28 days I'll be right back to this day," 6 months later you look back and nothing has changed, you are back to just trying to get that first day clean...


Being able to stop using for even a day is a huge success but that's just the beginning of the war.


The above individual had successfully stopped using, winning that battle, but that's just the beginning of the war. They had not changed anything in their life, using did nothing besides erase their clean days. Nothing has drastically improved, there was no new happiness that pushed the cravings out of their mind. They were exactly the same person, with nothing to lose. This cycle of gettting a few days clean here and there continued on and on all because you were told SUBOXONE is just swapping one addiction for another, and you didn't want to do that, your way was working great right?


**Now let's change it up a bit**...


You've been on SUBOXONE for the past 4 years. The cravings disappeared about 6 months into recovery, and it's been years since the thought of heroin entered your mind.


You were hired at the local bank 3 months into your program and just recently were promoted to Branch Manager, can you imagine people actually trusted you with all that money.


You had met a girl at work 3 years ago, recently got married, had a baby, and purchased your dream home. You realized you couldn't ask for anything more.


You have your entire family over every Sunday for family dinners, and your mother even asks you to house sit when she goes away, the same woman that would have you arrested if you ever entered her home in the past.

Your mind is flooded with happiness, a beautiful wife and child, an amazing job, and your dream home to raise your children in.

You began lowering your dose preparing for jumping off subs for good about 6 months ago. You went slowly but steadily; the tapering off went flawlessly, never bothering you at all.

You pick up that last piece of SUBOXONE, something you have taken every day for 4 years.

Something that allowed you to rebuild your life, to give you things to be happy and thankful for. It took awhile for people to really believe it would work, they all heard bad things about suboxone, but overtime they all turned into believers. As you take that last tiny piece, instead of being flooded with fear- you smile. You know there won't be any relapses, that life of addiction doesn't even seem real to you anymore.


Over about 5 weeks you felt like you had the flu off and on, sometimes bad, insomnia and mild depression being the worst. But the thought of the amazing life you built kept you strong. Instead of craving a drug during withdrawels you had your family by your side taking care of you...


You used every happy thought you have experienced over the past years in recovery to help you through the hardest days, you even laughed at one point when you realized it had been so long you wouldn't even know where to find it anymore. About 4-5 weeks after that last dose you wake up and feel better than you have in your life. You are free from it all!

Welcome to your new life, a life suboxone gave you the chance to build.

SUBOXONE allowed you to rebuild everything, it allows you time to replace cravings with happiness, to steal the life back that addiction had taken. Yes you were dependent on suboxone but look at what it allowed you to accomplish..

The End!

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Sorry about the story, just was a better way to show what it can do. As with just about anything there are good and bad sides to suboxone.. and if a person is not truly ready to give up the drugs then suboxone may just well be another means for them to feed their cravings. On the other hand if someone is sick and tired of being sick and tired, SUBOXONE can allow them to start rebuilding their lives as soon as Day 1.

Suboxone was designed for someone that has hit their rock bottom, someone that is truly done...not someone that wants to be done. If you truly are sick and tired of this life and know nothing will pull you back then suboxone will provide all you need to rebuild your life. It was designed for those that know deep down there is no going back.

If an addict is getting on suboxone to please a family member, or just to give it a shot then they most defiantly may go right back to using. Suboxone wasn't designed for those still not completely finished with their addiction.

All the bad stigmas attached to it, and the "non-success" stories are a result of those addicts just trying another means of deceiving concerned family members or even themselves.

It does offer a crutch and they do have a street value that could just aid in continued using. But for the individual that truly hit "their rock bottom", suboxone can have them on the road to a new life the first day they are on it.

You will face absolutely no discomfort/withdrawals until you have put the life of addiction so far behind you that the only thing you crave during that brief period of withdrawals is to have your loved ones by your side.

The voice constantly thinking of and begging to use drugs truly does go away!

I'll close this lengthy post by saying suboxone does carry with it quite a temptation; but if you know someone, or you yourself has reached a point that you just can't do it anymore, if you've reached whatever your rock bottom is. If you know in your heart that it is time, then suboxone can be an amazing tool.

I know this was supposed to explain both sides of the story and I apologize for digressing on the stance I obviously take on the issue. It is because I owe my life to suboxone, my therapist that believed in me when nobody else would, and the doctor we worked with in the program.

I spent years trying to quit, wouldn't ever get more than 30 days clean before I used again, I attended NA, I tried countless methods and told myself countless lies.

A few times I found myself looking up the number to suboxone doctors on my phone, but never making the call... a single phrase echoed in my mind every time, a single phrase that makes me only have 4 years clean rather than 6, you may be telling yourself this same thing..

> "I could do it on my own, why just get myself hooked on something else?"

And my addict mind believed it and caused me to use for 2 more years before I made one of the best calls of my life!

So there you have it, if you are ready to be done tomorrow and know in your heart you are done, make the call.. everyday you wait is one more day. But don't lie to yourself, deep down you know if it's time, and if it's not don't give up, your time will come.

It worked great for me, but I also witnessed numerous people come and go in the program, they just weren't ready......

> Are you?
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