Addiction

Hi. Anyone out there with experience dealing with addiction? Particularly opioids.
Im after some advice on how to help support someone from afar, I'm not in the same country as them and they don't have access to any resources. Private hospitals won't accept anyone going through detox and the only "rehab centre" available can't provide medication. (They have been twice and had very bad experiences both times)
Thanks

Barb said:

Hi. Anyone out there with experience dealing with addiction? Particularly opioids.
Im after some advice on how to help support someone from afar, I'm not in the same country as them and they don't have access to any resources. Private hospitals won't accept anyone going through detox and the only "rehab centre" available can't provide medication. (They have been twice and had very bad experiences both times)
Thanks

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I would recommend finding Narcotics Anonymous meetings in their area, or if they’re not back up snd running face to face, find a list of Zoom NA meetings. It’s a 12-step programme that saved my life (although my experience is Alcoholics Anonymous). It’s a programme designed to change your way of living so that once your body is free from the substance, you think and deal with things differently and you need never use again.

That obviously won’t help with the medication side but if they have a Doctor, they could help with that?

I had a lot of good friends and a partner at the time who were where you are and did over and above what I did to get myself better. But the crux of it was, I had to be ready, I had to be hurting so bad that I was willing to do anything to stay sober. For your own peace of mind please always keep that in mind because I can only imagine how frustrating, devastating, annoying, worrying this is from your perspective - but you’ll never be able to make them go to any lengths, it has to be them.

I know a lot of my friends thought I was hopeless and one told me after they were waiting for the call to say I’d died. But the seed of AA was planted a good 15 months before I took my last drink so even if your friend isn’t instantly receptive to your help, it doesn’t mean they never will

Addiction is the worst - in the meetings I’ve heard it said many a time “it’s a disease your mind tells you you don’t have” - I didn’t want to drink but I didn’t know how not to drink. My body screamed for it physically and mentally I was so screwed up with it, I would drink to shut it up.

You sound like such a good friend but please don’t take all of this on your own shoulders. Good luck to you both.

There should be a community detox service through GP?

LennyBriscoe said:

I would recommend finding Narcotics Anonymous meetings in their area, or if they’re not back up snd running face to face, find a list of Zoom NA meetings. It’s a 12-step programme that saved my life (although my experience is Alcoholics Anonymous). It’s a programme designed to change your way of living so that once your body is free from the substance, you think and deal with things differently and you need never use again.

That obviously won’t help with the medication side but if they have a Doctor, they could help with that?

I had a lot of good friends and a partner at the time who were where you are and did over and above what I did to get myself better. But the crux of it was, I had to be ready, I had to be hurting so bad that I was willing to do anything to stay sober. For your own peace of mind please always keep that in mind because I can only imagine how frustrating, devastating, annoying, worrying this is from your perspective - but you’ll never be able to make them go to any lengths, it has to be them.

I know a lot of my friends thought I was hopeless and one told me after they were waiting for the call to say I’d died. But the seed of AA was planted a good 15 months before I took my last drink so even if your friend isn’t instantly receptive to your help, it doesn’t mean they never will

Addiction is the worst - in the meetings I’ve heard it said many a time “it’s a disease your mind tells you you don’t have” - I didn’t want to drink but I didn’t know how not to drink. My body screamed for it physically and mentally I was so screwed up with it, I would drink to shut it up.

You sound like such a good friend but please don’t take all of this on your own shoulders. Good luck to you both.

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Thank you so much for the reply, you sound really strong for overcoming your drinking. A post on Tattle is grasping for anything at this point, I've been scouring the internet for so long and it just feels so hopeless. It feels as though they have a terminal disease and I'm throwing aspirin at them for their pain.

OhMyGaad said:

There should be a community detox service through GP?

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Unfortunately not, they are sent to the local mental health hospital which is awful and there's no such thing as NA there either so no one who could sponsor them.

@Barb your friend is lucky to have you in their corner. It must be so tough to be so far away. Don’t underestimate what you are doing.

Thank you, it’s not an easy road but it’s just a day at a time (I’m aware I sound like a cheesy recovery pamphlet ) but that’s literally what it comes down to.

I’m keeping everything crossed your friend gets help soon x

Hello Barb, and i hope you are doing well?

I am addicted to opiods- it started off with the doctor prescribing me codeine for my chronic back ache, and at my worst i was taking heroin, morphine, otc opiates- anything at all to try and cope with my pain. I am now prescribed 30ml of methadone daily, and i have a named recovery worker who literally saved my life (i am not exaggerating when i say that, as i twice attempted suicide and without her support i wouldnt be here).

I know methadone is not for everyone. I know some people with long term addiction to heroin who refuse to touch methadone as the withdrawal from methadone is even worse than the withdrawal from heroin and other opiates. But it has been amazing for me, and i dont touch anything else. I dont know where your friend is from, im in the uk, but i would think methadone is accessible for most- given its prescribed by the proper channels. So maybe that is one route your friend could take?

Or subutex?

Clairer86 said:

Hello Barb, and i hope you are doing well?

I am addicted to opiods- it started off with the doctor prescribing me codeine for my chronic back ache, and at my worst i was taking heroin, morphine, otc opiates- anything at all to try and cope with my pain. I am now prescribed 30ml of methadone daily, and i have a named recovery worker who literally saved my life (i am not exaggerating when i say that, as i twice attempted suicide and without her support i wouldnt be here).

I know methadone is not for everyone. I know some people with long term addiction to heroin who refuse to touch methadone as the withdrawal from methadone is even worse than the withdrawal from heroin and other opiates. But it has been amazing for me, and i dont touch anything else. I dont know where your friend is from, im in the uk, but i would think methadone is accessible for most- given its prescribed by the proper channels. So maybe that is one route your friend could take?

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Hi, thank you so much for sharing. It gives me so much hope to hear from someone who's come out the other side, you must be incredibly strong! I wish they were in the UK I've sent all the nhs info I can find. There's one place that gives out M but it's an hour away and they don't have a car anymore. If you don't mind me asking, do you need to go and get a dose every day (as it seems to be there) Also, where you prescribed anything else to help with withdrawals? This seems to be the worst part

OhMyGaad said:

Or subutex?

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I'm going to ask about that, thanks.

Barb said:

Hi, thank you so much for sharing. It gives me so much hope to hear from someone who's come out the other side, you must be incredibly strong! I wish they were in the UK I've sent all the nhs info I can find. There's one place that gives out M but it's an hour away and they don't have a car anymore. If you don't mind me asking, do you need to go and get a dose every day (as it seems to be there) Also, where you prescribed anything else to help with withdrawals? This seems to be the worst part

I'm going to ask about that, thanks.

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Hi Barb, sorry its taken me a while to reply- it got lost among my notifications plus i havent been on here properly for a few days.

Thankyou for being so kind and telling me i am strong. Tbh Strong is not a word i use to describe myself, normally its stupid, silly, naive and gullible!

With my methadone, i just go to my local chemist every Saturday and pick up 7 days worth (already made up, and in individual bottles). But that is because i am completely clean- and this is evidenced by the clean drug tests i do, and my recovery worker and the prescriber at unity know i am currently stable, there is no danger of me selling my methadone, or abusing it, plus i engage and work with my recovery worker/dont miss appointments etc.

But when i first started on methadone i had to go into the chemist every single day and take it under the supervision of the pharmacist, that is just the policy of where i am. And once they were happy with my engagement with my worker/giving clean tests then it went down to me picking up every other day and then it went down again for me to pick up twice a week, and finally its at the point now that i just pick it up weekly.

I wasnt prescribed anything else to help with the withdrawl. Something my worker said has always stuck with me..." no one dies from opiate withdrawl, no matter how bad it feels". So that mindset does help, even though during the time its bloody horrible and i was literally fantasing about taking opiates! Also, Methadone is a slow releasing opiate so i find it helps both my addiction and my pain. I certainly dont feel the 'high' associated with other opiates, but it does help me. I am also aware i have swapped one addiction (opiate/heroin) for another addiction (methadone), but it is working well for me, and there is no pressure for me to reduce and come off methadone. That is obviously the long term plan, but at the moment i have no plans to reduce my daily 30 ml of methadone.

I hope both you and your friend are doing okay. Your friend is very lucky to have you as a friend

How’s your friend doing @Barb?

Thank you for your replies, sorry I've not been around, it's been a rollercoaster! They managed to find someone on a Facebook group that was close enough to be a sponsor to them. This person recommended a psychologist and another doctor with experience. They have really struggled but 6 days clean!!! I'm so proud and anxious and over the moon and terrified, ha.
It's expensive and I know early days but it feels like there's some hope.

It's a great quote that, I will definitely pass it on, they are convinced they will die without it so have been on drips for dehydration.

And you are definitely strong! Most people do stupid things in life, make impulse decisions etc but not everyone is susceptible to addiction. It's Russian roulette, you got yourself out of that, that's incredible. Don't sell yourself short.

If I livedhe States or any place where guns were legal I would not be here

Barb said:

Thank you for your replies, sorry I've not been around, it's been a rollercoaster! They managed to find someone on a Facebook group that was close enough to be a sponsor to them. This person recommended a psychologist and another doctor with experience. They have really struggled but 6 days clean!!! I'm so proud and anxious and over the moon and terrified, ha.
It's expensive and I know early days but it feels like there's some hope.

It's a great quote that, I will definitely pass it on, they are convinced they will die without it so have been on drips for dehydration.

And you are definitely strong! Most people do stupid things in life, make impulse decisions etc but not everyone is susceptible to addiction. It's Russian roulette, you got yourself out of that, that's incredible. Don't sell yourself short.

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6 days is amazing! One day at a time or sometimes it’s an hour or 10 minutes at a time but it’s taken that small step of accepting help and believing that you deserve to be clean snd sober

Your friend is lucky to have someone in their corner

zero_craic12 said:

If I livedhe States or any place where guns were legal I would not be here

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That's a horrible feeling, are you ok now?

Has anyone self weaned from codiene dependence? Looking for advice and reassurance really I’m in day 1 prev 580mg a day, it’s now 2pm and I’ve had 240 I only plan on having another 120 later today. I have no idea if this is the right way to go about it but cold turkey doesn't seem the best way either!