Drug and Alcohol Addiction Help
August 12, 2007
I was rereading my previous post and realized that, with all my first-hand experience, I’m still inadequate to really help others overcome addiction. I don’t have enough technical knowledge in the way of rehabilitation to positively affect people. With that in mind, I went and scoured the web for really good addiction resources and have included links here in hopes that it will help anyone reading these posts.
Addict Help
Addiction HelpLine
And for any opiate dependent people I can strongly recommend looking into Suboxone. It has saved many of my friends lives who were addicted to OxyContin or any other opiate based drugs. It works by supressing the withdrawal feelings and making it impossible to get high from taking an opiate while your on it. And from the people I’ve spoken with it’s an absolute miracle. I even know people who can’t afford treatment that buy it off the street (an ode to our healthcare system…but that’s another rant).
I sincerely hope this helps anyone serious about overcoming addiction.
August 13, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Suboxone is a substitution, it does not remove opiate dependence. It is an opiate.
It may be preferable for someone to make this substitution, and I don’t dispute it, but it’s important not to be confused, it’s an alternative to Methadone.
August 13, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I think it is thought to be easier to get people to withdraw from some things than others, and the strategy seems to be to get people to substitute first and withdraw second.
With that said, I have no idea how addictive Suboxone actually is. Do you know anyone who withdrew from that or are they all on maintenance?
August 13, 2007 at 9:04 pm
A third point, if I may… It is preferable for doctors to be able to supervise patients maintained on an adequate supply of pain medication than for patients ever to have to go to the street for relief.
August 15, 2007 at 3:09 am
Well, I can tell you that Methadone and Suboxone aren’t even in the same ballpark. Methadone (Methadose, etc.) is HIGHLY addictive and as badly abused as any other opiate.(If not worse, because it’s almost freely obtained with minimal effort at a clinic)To say that Methadone is even an alternative is laughable. If people can’t get Oxy or heroin or what have you, most are just as happy to get Methadone.
Although one of Suboxone’s main ingredients {buprenorphine} is an opiate, the FDA has placed it at schedule III were Methadone and the like are schedule II. Also, the other active ingredient in Suboxone is naloxone which suppresses the effects of any other opiates taken and makes it impossible for intravenous abuse of Suboxone. In addition, Suboxone can also be prescribed from a physicians office (with a few limits as to how many patients said physician can have under his/her care} and the individual prescribed must register with the DEA providing additional safeguards.
If used properly, Suboxone will “ease you off” of an opioid addiction, with no withdrawals. That is what it’s meant to do, and it does it a hell of a lot better than it’s “alternative” Methadone.
I completely agree that it is preferable for a doctor to provide a proper pain regimen, but with the vast majority of people having, what doctors refer to as an “addictive personality” or “drug-chasing mentality” (usually attributed to the age of the individual in need not actual doctor knowledge of the individual)and not to mention lack of insurance, it is extremely hard for someone to receive proper treatment.
Suboxone is the single best choice for opiate dependent people. It’s relatively well regulated and it’s ability to make you “not sick” compared to Methadone which can make you “high as a kite” is the best thing we’ve seen in opiate rehabilitation medication to date.
With that said, there are always risks with these kinds of things and Suboxone is no different. It should always be taken as directed and not abused. And like anything else, there must be a genuine eagerness to overcome the addiction and go back to living a normal life. Once someone finds that eagerness and wanting, it’s my opinion that Suboxone will make the road back a lot easier to travel.
August 15, 2007 at 3:14 am
Thanks for the information about Suboxone. I agree that under proper physician care it can be used as part of a proper treatment for opiate addiction.
December 23, 2007 at 7:01 am
long term sub use is as bad or worse than methadone.
March 25, 2009 at 6:47 am
Methadone and suboxone are both infinitely better than living a life of active addiction. Say what you will about methadone, but it saves lives. What you say about people being just as happy to get methadone as to get heroin or oxy might be true while they are adjusting to their dose, but after being on it for a little while you simply feel normal after taking it.
There’s this idea that people go to the clinic and get their methadone dose to “get high,” and that’s just not true at all. Again, you adjust to taking it and once you are at a “therapeutic dose” it does nothing but make you feel normal.
Methadone has saved my life when suboxone failed me. I am grateful that both are available because it is vital to have choices when it comes to treatment for addiction. What works for one might not work for another. And it is a complex thing to understand if you haven’t been through it.
I ask that you try to have empathy and reserve judgment. You should try to be supportive of anyone who is seeking help, as difficult as that might be. It is the first, and most important, step.