SeekingGrowth

Based on what I understand about Suboxone, I strongly doubt that your boyfriend has turned to this as his new drug of choice. Suboxone is a "partial" opioid agonist, which as a practical matter means there is a ceiling to its euphoric effect. An opiate addict who is actively using is not going to get high off it (at least not after the first couple strips), but switching to Suboxone will prevent withdrawals and pretty much eliminate cravings for the time he is using it. The idea with Suboxone (usually) is to offer a "step-down" from active opiate use and addiction. You stop using your DOC, switch to Suboxone, which presumably you're getting from a doctor, getting you out of the lifestyle, away from dealers and drug-using friends. You adopt a recovery program, get solidly into recovery, and THEN taper off the Suboxone - presumably now better able to withstand the cravings that will hit you because you have changed your life and surrounded yourself with recovery support.

Suboxone can certainly be, and often is, abused, which is why many rehab facilities no longer prescribe it for maintenance purposes. The abuse is not generally of the same type as with full opioid agonists like heroin, though - using more and more to get high - because as noted, Suboxone doesn't work like that. Instead, some addicts not committed to recovery may use Suboxone as a stop-gap measure, staving off withdrawals until they have the next opportunity to use their DOC.

Your boyfriend's explanation that he is using the Suboxone to help him get off the pills makes sense to me, but if he's buying them illegally off the streets, then he is still dealing with drug dealers, and if he is not adopting some type of recovery program, then I'm not sure what switching to Suboxone accomplishes for him. Suboxone is as physically addicting as any opiate, which means that he will go through withdrawals when (if?) he decides to stop, and while Suboxone withdrawals are not as intense as heroin withdrawals, they are not fun and they last about twice as long.

ShootingStar1

You might try reading the SoberRecoverry forum Friends and Family of Substance Abusers. There are lots of people there who have been and are in relationships with people who have addictions to drugs. They'll share what they've learned from the partner of an addict's perspective.

The bottom line when talking about someone else's addiction:

You didn't cause it
You can't control it
And you can't cure it

Good luck to you, there are also "sticky's" at the top of the Friends and Family of Substance Abusers forum that are permanent posts on topics of universal interest that might be helpful.

ShootingStar1

Nash1989

Thank you for all the information. I really appreciate it! He has been slowly tapering off Suboxone. He has had withdrawal symptoms that are all too familiar for him from when he was in rehab coming off heroine. Like you said, the symptoms aren't as bad but they do last much longer. He started taking Suboxone for two reasons. One being he wanted the peace of mind, knowing that with Suboxone he couldn't get high off any type of pain killer even if he wanted to ( he was never taking enough Suboxone to feel a high) and two because he wanted the cravings he was having for other narcotics to stop.

It worries me, even though he's done his research that he isn't tapering himself off properly. He has come home from work with dark circles under his eyes, his skin "crawling" so bad that when I touch him he jumps in pain, and the shakes and chills. He's doing this all on his own ( and probably with some advice from his drug dealer). I wish there was some time of Suboxone clinic that would AT LEAST set up a payment plan. All they want is their money upfront before they'll even talk to you. It's infuriating.