Nothing is safe. Nothing. Why people don't take medicine more seriously and only take what their doctor prescribes them is a mystery to me. There is no comfort-giving substance on Earth that is not potentially addictive.
Agreed. I was on Lortabs for 6 years, off & on, due to back issues. I was able to put them down with no side effects and no urges when I needed to. Again, but by the grace of God, there go I.
Congratulations J because the odds are not in your favor and it takes a strong will to do what you have done. My family is dealing with this right now. My sister is an alcoholic and she has been since her late teenage years. She used to be the "passed out" drunk, but that has evolved into a more functional alcoholism that, if you didn't know her, you really wouldn't notice it. It is affecting her health in a serious manner. There have been many intervention attempts but we've given up at this point and it's up to her. My cousin has overdosed twice on Oxy and is currently in a residential treatment facility (her third time) for six months to get clean. This last time, I had to go get her from a drug house in Nashville. We didn't think we were going to be able to find her but a friend finally told us where she was. She has no real sense of self worth because she doesn't have anything in her life that she values more than the next high so I'm not optimistic that it will change. Addiction is prevalent in my life and truly applaud those who have the will to overcome.
I just steer clear. My dads uncle was a full blown alcoholic, my pap was a drinker til he proposed to my grandma. My moms dad was a drinker. My moms brother is a waste. Started with pain pills and we don't know what he uses now. Maybe huffing gas, meth, we aren't sure. He was hospitalized and had syphilis about a year n half ago. Not sure my mom n aunt realize how/why he got it. That being said, I don't take my chances.
Congrats on quitting. Dipping is a [itch bay] to quit. I've not had one going on three years, but I still get a craving every once in a while.
I never felt that I HAD to have it & only took as needed. It's weird, but I never had an addiction & I don't think I did. It was about being able to function only. JAllen is the guy that deserves praise. What he's overcome is awesome. Yku have a sounding board here to help JAllen. Use it, bro.
My bad ... I was actually directing that post to JAllen. That said, Lortabs are one of the most abused pain pills in existence and for you to be able to use them correctly and quit is also a testament to your will power. Either that or the steel melugeon metabolism of yours.
Congratulations on your sobriety. Making that decision and carrying through on your own indicates a lot of fortitude. I also come from a family riddled with alcoholism. I was absolutely terrified to drink for many years, but I suppose I am fortunate in that I can drink in moderation without issue. Like others have mentioned, I'm very mindful of it and will not overindulge.
I've had some relatively small problems, moreso with judgement as opposed to addiction, but have had several family members destroy their lives with painkillers. The accessibility and the idea that its okay for you since its legal is horrible. There's lots of options available for help, and they aren't one size fits all. Check out some groups, I go to one every Tuesday,its just a maintenance group for guys who've had problems and are recovering, it's not as religious as AA/NA, more a place to just talk with people who've been down the same road as I have. As corny as I thought the idea was at first, I've actually come to enjoy and appreciate it
I currently have a family member addicted to painkillers. This is someone that showed absolutely zero addictive qualities before this. As I've talked about before, I do have a history of alcoholism in the family, but this person was on the "sober" side. I guess the answer for someone in constant pain is to try to suck it up. Otherwise you will never know if you are really in pain or if withdrawal is the problem. It has to be one of the biggest problems facing society today. Btw it was quite an accomplishment to go cold turkey, but that can be extremely dangerous. If god forbid you find yourself in this situation again find help.
I have a friend since HS who I've encouraged to find a maintenance type group or something and he just won't do it.
Pain is a two way street. There are as many addicted to pain pills to deal with emotional pain, as are to deal with physical pain, IMO.
I know a few people who've had addiction problems. Some family and some friends. One of them relapsed on a regular basis and is now in jail because he was stealing to cover the costs. With most of them, it took hitting rock bottom for some clarity and reality to set in. For a few, even that wasn't enough. Interventions were tried on a few occasions. On the outside they appeared to work but the reality is you can't force someone to change...they have to want to. It's very uncomfortable and hard to forgive/trust someone who has flat out lied to your face regarding something like this. The best advice I could give you is find a group that meets regularly. Avoid triggers if you can. Hell, one of my inlaws had back surgery and refused pain medicine following it because he had previously fought addiction. Congratulations and stay strong JAllen.
First of all, I want to thank all of you for the support. Having friends and family to support me as I've gone through this is truly what kept me alive. And even though I don't know any of you personally, your support really means a lot to me. This forum truly feels like a family. More so than VN ever did. I never thought I'd be someone to be an addict (never drink, never smoke, never even tried smoking weed), but once it got a hold on me I just couldn't stop. I can't speak for the cost of other addictions. I never drank, cause I hated the taste. I never touched a cigarette because my entire family smoked. I imagine Lortabs and stronger narcotics (Tramadol is actually a non-narcotic) cost quite a bit more, but anyway... As for the cost of the pills I was taking though... if you went through an online doctor and got a "legitimate" prescription (these guys must really be scumbags.), for 90 pills it was around $120-150. For 180, it was nearly $200, so obviously that was the better deal. As I said in the OP, I got to a point where I was taking 24 a day so you can imagine the cost. I decided that route was no longer an option financially so I found an overseas site that sold generics (hundreds of these sites, but you have to be lucky to find a site where you don't get or counterfeit drugs or sugar/salt pills, etc.). This guy was selling 400 pills for $145, and he also had a "special" for 1000 pills for $400, so I was really in business then. Once I got a letter from customs saying the DEA had seized drugs that had been addressed to me, I never ordered overseas again. I was addicted, but I wasn't about to risk going to jail. I maxed 4 credit cards during my addiction, to the tune of about $8000, and considering I make $9.50 an hour, it was/is a really bad situation. But I'm thankful to be alive, and with the support of my family I'm staying clean and paying down my debt little by little. By November, my car will be paid off, freeing up $300 a month to help knock down the debt. At this time last year, I couldn't imagine I'd be making as much progress as I am now. Again, thank you all.
