lifeinchaos

Hi everyone.

I am sitting here confused with the addiction process. For those of you who have never read my posts, I am only 16 days sober from an addiction to xanax and vicodin. As I was cleaning this morning, I came across 1 xanax. I decided, at that point to leave it on the counter, as a reminder of where I used to be and where I'm at. I found myself thinking, it IS a prescribed medication, when taken as directed. I know that taking one would only lead to me wanting more because it is prescribed for anxiety and we ALL have that on a daily basis, right? Why are these thoughts still there? Becoming addicted to pres. drugs, will I need to question every medication I come across? Im going to get rid of it now. I thought I was strong enough in these last two weeks to have this "on hand", but realize I am not. Thank you for your response and your continued support.

flutter

I don't know much about prescription drug addiction. Good for you for getting rid of it, I always flushed alcohol, you can't find it again that way Even though 16 days is a huge chunk of time sober, it's still new for you, and I'm sure that cravings and triggers and all of that other stuff our brains do to us are going to lurk around awhile. Now it's up to you, and you're making a good choice!

As for the other medications, I'm not sure...I would imagine that you'd want to be careful with them. I know that I avoid anything with alcohol.. but that's easy (ingredient wise). I'm sure people with some experience in this area will be around to lend a hand

Anna

I have been sober a long time, but I still never keep alcohol in the house. I think it makes life much simpler. And, 16 days is still early in recovery, and the recovery process is a lifelong journey. Be patient with yourself, but be aware that this disease is relentless.

lifeinchaos

Thanks Anna. I guess thats the reason I decided to post this. I'm proud of my 16 days, and I am thankful Im aware, but this reminded me how fragile I still am.

mle-sober

You should be proud of your 16 days! Each and every one of them is an accomplishment. As is today.

And your awareness to your own fragility is also something to honor and protect.

As an alcoholic, I don't know much about perscription med addictions. But it's all addiction, in my mind. The same. And I have to keep a very watchful eye on myself all the time. As they say in AA, it's the first drink that gets you drunk. You can't give in to the thought that the one will be ok - because the one leads to 2, 3, 4, etc. If we were not addicted, it wouldn't be that way. But since we are, it will ALWAYS be that way. There's no way around it.

And it doesn't go away. Just because you have some days built up in your sobriety, doesn't mean your thoughts immediatly revert to healthy thoughts. I am in recovery but I will always be an alcoholic. And I feel like I have to prepare for the possibility that my alcoholism will always be a force in my body that I have to contend with.

Anyway, that's my experience. It's probably different for some. But if I were you I would surround myself with a buffer of "NO PILLS" for at least a while so that you don't have to fight the voice in your head telling you it will be fine and reasonable to take one.

Congrats again on your 16 days. Like I said, each one is something to be proud of. Good job!