SadRN29

On Monday I found out my husband (of only a few months) has been abusing Norco... For approximately 3 years. It has been as bad as him taking 30 pills some days and using cold water extraction to take out the Tylenol (when he had time). This came as a complete shock to me... Finding out about the lies and the thousands of dollars he had spend especially over the last 2 months (approximately 10k) was heartbreaking. He finally came to me and told me he wanted to stop... He was out of money and he knew his problem was becoming way out of control. He told me he wanted to taper off the pills he had left and that he needed my help. He told me he tried to quit a few times before but he could never make it past day 4.

So here are my questions... Is tapering really the best way to go? He is taking 2 pills in the morning and 4 pills at night at this point and we were planning on tapering him down from there for a little less then 2 weeks.

I also have Librium and Xanax (if he needs it) but I am worried he will become addicted to that too.

And here is the kicker... He just landed his dream job a few months back and has to be there Mon - Fri... No questions about it... He does have a 3 day weekend this weekend however and I really feel like if he stops cold turkey Friday morning that he will be able to make it through Friday until he is off work and then will start to feel better on Tuesday when he goes back.

Since I have received the news I have been researching everything I can. We are using advice from The Tomas Recipe too.

Mainly I want to know... Keep tapering or quit cold turkey? Will the tapering just prolong his discomfort and should I give him Librium at night if he can't sleep? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

suki44883

This is something you should discuss with a doctor. We cannot give any kind of medical advice.

IOAA2

Hi and sorry for the situation. Please remember that this is a very good forum BUT realy has NO professional advice to offer for the most part. I'd get him to a doctor or detox specialist. BE WELL and GOOD LUCK

least

to SR! None of us are medical professionals and even if we were we couldn't diagnose or treat over the net. I too would suggest getting him to a doctor for proper treatment. I'm glad he wants to quit tho. And your support will be very good for him.

whiskeyman

go to the Dr.
If something bad happens during detox, can you live with yourself

He should not be worried about the dream job, he should go to rehab.
The job canwait.

He should be worried about a dream life

Anna

I agree with all of the above.

And, I would gently caution you to remember that this is your husband's recovery and he is the one who should be researching and seeking support, if he does indeed want to stop.

Dee74

I'm sorry for your situation SadRN.
I know nothing about Norcos, but if it was my partner I think I'd want professional advice?

D

SadRN29

Thank you all for your quick responses...

I am deathly afraid that if he loses his job it will only make things worse. Is it really possible for him to do this on his own (with my help) or am I living in a dream world?

ReadyAtLast

The thing is if he continues to abuse pills it will get worse and he's likely to lose his job as a result of it anyway. Does he want to stop? Suggest he sees his doc and discuss tapering etc. Has he looked at SR? No matter how much you want him to stop it has to come from him.

SadRN29

Yes... He told me he wants to stop. He has tried to stop on his own in the past but can't seem to get past day 4. He has read a lot and wants to be free of his addiction but he thinks he can do it on his own (with my help only).

He has given me access to all of his accounts along with his debit card, his credit card, and all of his cash. He knows he can't have access to any of this if he is going to get through this.

Anna

Yes, it might make things worse if he loses his job, but that's not something you can control.

All you can control is how you act and react in this situation.

Taking5

IMHO, going to a Dr is the ONLY way to start this. Good luck.

Leana

I know this is not what you want to hear but forget about the dream job and work on the addiction. I resisted this advice with my daughter and regret it. He needs professional help getting through this, chances are if he is using he will lose the job anyway. My daughter threw away a lot but she is now sober 64 days and looks and feels better than she has in a long time. Another dream job will come along but relapse, legal trouble, psychiatric trouble, or worse death are all real possibilities if you guys try to do this alone. Spending 10k on norco is a major addiction.

Please read this forum, specifically about enabling. Good luck.

JaylaaKent

Tapering is just a way to keep using - I agree with Ann - he needs to figure it out, there is a level of professional help that is needed - you are not an addiction specialist. None of us are. I have found that trying to hold that Titanic together with toothpicks and duct tape only prolongs it.