wanttosucceed

I have been told by an outpatient treatment center that I would not be accepted as a patient. Because I take Ambien for sleep and they consider it a "mood altering substance". Took me aback because as an alcoholic, I love being high! And Ambien does not do anything for me but help me fall asleep. They said they would accept me into their program once I was not taking it anymore.

I called my Dr and she does not exactly agree with the treatment center, but said nonetheless it is a good idea to get off the Ambien. So I'm going to try to taper off and quit it. Anyone else have thoughts on this? Or take Ambien (zolpidem) or other sleep med and stay sober? Honestly it never occurred to me that I would not be considered sober for taking Ambien.

Dee74

never taken ambien wanttosuceed. Glad you've got your Dr involved tho

D

BackToSquareOne

I suppose the treatment center has a valid point, I used oxycodone after a surgery recently and it did rekindle the drinking feelings a little, I've used ambien in the past and it didn't do much of anything I could tell other than help sleep. I guess its a question of where you draw the line. Good that you got the Doctors opinion.

bookmaven

Ambien gave me hallucinations (not the fun laugh a lot acid kind, scary men in my bedroom with shotguns kind). I also would sleepwalk, make food, leave a whole mess out in the kitchen, and once I was found carrying a large kitchen knife down the hall to defend myself against the talking German Shepard that flew in through my window.

I have vivid memories of the hallucinations, but none of the walking around with weapons or possibly starting the house on fire and leaving food out to spoil.

Taking5

I agree with the treatment center. We use drugs way too often - including Ambien - in lieu of healthy habits. You'll sleep just fine in time, I'll wager. I'll also wager you've never tried sleeping without chemical assistance, that you got on Ambien in early sobriety or maybe while still drinking.

AncientHighway

ambien ≠ sober? Maybe so, maybe not...

While I agree that these days there is a trend towards over-medication and it might be worth considering getting off ambien if your doctor is recommending it, I'm not sure that I would consider your sobriety at stake if you continue to take ambien as prescribed. It does seem a little excessive that the treatment center would deny you for this. The other side of that coin is that where I live many people leave detoxes and treatment centers with scrips for seroquel and/or other medications for sleep, which also seems excessive. So while some centers are denying treatment to people taking meds for sleep, in other places they seem to be handing them out when you walk in the door.

Very true! Take hypertension for example. It's much easier to take a pill than it is to make the lifestyle changes that would help to control most cases of high blood-pressure. Same goes for sleep, anxiety and many, many other conditions.

zerothehero

So, I would assume you are taking Ambien because of insomnia, but I could be wrong. I take melatonin or valerian sometimes when I can't sleep, but even those substances are a slippery slope. I value my sleep, but sometimes I want to reach for the valerian before giving natural sleep a chance. It's because I like the fuzzy feeling as I'm drifting off. That's not a good sign. So, when my mind is racing in bed I use focused breathing to slow down my thought process. This can help sometimes. Sleep aids for me have become a last resort. The doc says you should maybe try getting off Ambien. I would consider it.