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Post Info TOPIC: Frightened


Newbie

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Posts: 2
Date:
Frightened


Hello, I am looking for advice for the problem that I am finally acknowledging.  This is really hard for me and I am really scared...I started taking lortab about 5 years ago.  At first it was very controlled - I would only take one when I needed energy or had backaches and pains.  Sometimes only one per week.  I continued using them this way for 1-2 years.  The next 2-4 years I increased my usage to 1-2 per day (usually 7.5 mg's).  This year - something changed.  I had a "friend" who got a prescription and didn't want them.  So I took them and thought "well these will last me for a year".  Slowly but surely I increased my dosage to what I am at today.  Usually 5-6 per day, on bad days - I have taken 8 (usually weekends).  The ironic thing is that nobody knows...I am a good mother, and work really hard at my job as a software trainer.  The past several months - I have been disturbed at my dependence on these pills.  I also realized that the dose I am at is no longer satisfying me - but I don't want to increase it any higher than it already is.  I worry about how many I have left and how I will get more.  I worry about my dependence all the time.  I no longer get that "happy" feeling when I take them, or if I do, it is fleeting - usually lasting only an hour or two and then I feel deeply sad and anxious until I can take my next dose.  I started to wean myself off of the pills.  I took 5 yesterday  Today is the second day - I have taken 2 and plan on only 1 more so that I don't get sick.  I had to leave work early because I started sobbing uncontrollably.  I am so scared - I can't lose my job due to withdrawal - but I can't continue taking the pills and make the addiction worse than it already is.  My husband was a user and has successfully beaten his cocaine addiction, so I am too ashamed to talk to him - I am also afraid that he will relapse because of my failure.  I was always the strong one, the one who took care of everything.  I needed the pills to be the person who could do it all, take care of the kids, be the breadwinner, keep the house up - but I know that I will lose everything I love if I don't stop NOW.  I am looking for someone to help me emotionally, to advise me on the best way to beat this without losing my job.  I can't take time off from work, it's not an option.  At the most, I can call in sick tomorrow - but need to be back to the office on Friday.  I am afraid to see my physician, because I don't want anyone to know or take my kids away or tell my employer.  But I think I need medical help to get through this.  If anyone can offer any advice, it would be deeply, deeply appreciated.  Thank you so much.

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Senior Member

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Posts: 3718
Date:

Becky Hi and glad you came for some support welcome to the board.

Here is what I found for you. Sometimes our own best thinking isn't the one we should follow, you made a few comments about being afraid of certain things, I understand that but you may be in a situation where you can't stop this on your own self will and planning, we have a tendency to deceive ourselves sorry to say that, it's time to get really honest about your situation and it may be severe.

Here is what chapter 10 says about what your going thru

This is a program of total abstinence, however, there are times, such as in cases of health problems involving surgery and/or extreme physical injury, when medication may be valid. This does not constitute a license to use. There is no safe use of drugs for us. Our bodies don't know the difference between drugs prescribed by a physician for pain and drugs "prescribed by ourselves" to get high. As addicts our skill at self-deception will be at a peak in such a situation. Often our minds will even manufacture additional pain as an excuse to use. Turning it over to our Higher Power and getting the support of our sponsor and other members can help prevent us from being our own worst enemies. Being alone during such times would give our disease too much leeway to take over. Honest sharing can dispel our fears of relapse. Serious illness or surgery can present particular problems for us.

 Physicians should have specific knowledge of our addiction. Remember that we-not our doctor-are ultimately responsible for the risk we expose ourselves to. To minimize the danger there are a few specific options that we may consider. These are using local anesthesia, avoiding our drug of choice, if any, stopping while we are still hurting, and spending extra days in the hospital in case withdrawal occurs.

Heres the link to that
http://www.earthgroupna.org/literature/basictext/chapterten.htm

You should get honest with your spouse you are not responsible for him staying sober thats his job, your going to need support and need to make some meetings so he needs to watch the baby while you go out and get some help and support, he needs to know why and whats going on with you , not good keeping secrets from everybody, eventually if you dont get this handled it's not going to remain a secret anyhow.

This is a program of spiritual principles, Honesty, openmindedness and willingness, there are changes that have to be made come to terms with, and theres a loving higher power out there to help you thru this.

Thankyou for coming here for support and we really need you new comers it keeps us and others lives in perspective, sometimes we forget where we came from and what it was like.

Before I relapsed this last time which was about 6-1/2 months ago I had some years put together clean but when I quit using that time I had seizures for at least 3 days coming down off cocaine and alcohol, I was sick for a week, I wasn't well physically well for several months I nearly died, overdosed 3 times that year ended up in the hospital it was horrible it was hard at first but i knew i had no other choice available to me it was either clean up or die, glad you have chosen to live Becky now get to it do what needs to be done you can , I did others here have.




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It's all about spirituality...


Senior Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 186
Date:

Welcome Becky
This is a program that only works if we are honest. Your Dr. is going to have to be told because it can be very dangerous to come off prescription drugs with out his help. Whats more important to you , the threat of loosing your kids if someone finds out what you are doing or the thought of your kids loosing there mother if this disease kills you. You are welcome to share your pain and struggles here with us, we have all been where you are.
congratulations for wanting a way out.
Sandra

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SANDRA together WE CAN recover


Veteran Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 34
Date:

Hi Becky, welcome to MIP, a place that has so many people with so much experience and strength to share with you, you have found your way here for a good reason. I can't even believe how many people share our problem, addiction is such a cunning disease, but I am looking in the mirror when I read your story. You are not alone, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Opiates, especially when offered to you by a doctor, paid for by insurance, delivered by a sterile pharmacist, and offered with no real warnning of addiction from you doctor are probably the biggest and most decieving addiction of hard working over achieving, great mothers who carry a humungus (sp) load and can't get everything done without a little help. 6 years ago I started at 5/500 then moved to 7.5/750, always 1-2 a day, and then onto 10-15 10/325 a day. The more I tride to control it, the more it presented itself to me. My partner is a junky more to the magnitude of 200$ heroin habit per day, so after struggling with his addiction in our family, holding it all together, wearing my look good mask and harboring many resentments, I was not able to be pacified by my pill availability and I ran out and felt sick withdrawal and insane I started hunting down remnants of lol my arch enemy heroin. Got a little of that into my system, 1 use and knew I was skimming the brink of self destruction. I am a scientist and well respected at my kids school, considered one of those people who is a strong goddess who can juggle a million things with ease, while the truth is I was insane, depressed, consumed by the micromanagement of those f@%#*in pills, in denial, becoming spiritualy devoid and hiding from the world more and more. I think, and I don't know if your husband is working a program, but there is no one who can understand more the suffering of an addict than someone who has experienced it themself, another addict. I have been honest with my doctors, friends, partner who is currently in a sober living house and didn't relapse w/ the news. What scares the shit out of me is I am in debilatating pain from progressed fybromyalgia, so even my pain specialist who is all for my recovery and knows it is a major component of my physical healing, offers me opiates for pain, although he wants to do it with a very rigid safety net involved. Yesterday when I had the appointment I have waited for forever and was again told there was no emmediate relief in times of flare ups other than opiates, I came home with 11 days clean for the 4th time, curled in a ball of agony and cried until I fell asleep. I do have hope though, I have enough NA in me that I will never go back to where I was before I admited the extent of my disease. I feel as long as I am first honest with myself and then with my support group, I can somehow do this, and going to meetingsand praying gives me relief everyday from compulsive thougts, having a sponsor ensures that I never have to make a decision alone if I don't trust myself, and working the steps is revealing to me who I truly am and how I fool myself. You will get through this if you truly want it, so I send you my blessings and I am glad you are here. Hang in there, this hard time will pass.

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We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience


Newbie

Status: Offline
Posts: 2
Date:

Thank you to the 3 of you who posted for me.  I really appreciate it.  All of the advice was great, especially Jenny - thank you for sharing your similar experience with me.  I am proud to say that I went to my physician and told him what was going on.  He wasn't suprised and said that most doc's hand them out like candy - and this is a huge problem...He gave me a schedule to wean myself off and told me to follow it for 10 days.  I have a follow up appointment on March 5th.  He also switched my anti-depressant medication, and unfortunately it is making me very sick...I'm not sure if he did that on purpose.  I was on Lexapro 10 mg a day for chronic anxiety/depression - he put me on 20 mg of Paxil and I feel like hell right now.  I don't think it is from the lortab withdrawal - because the weaning is so gradual - it can't be...He did tell me that the ideal would be to go to detox - but I can't - because of my job situation.  I left my last job (7 years) for this new one (3 months) and I am still on probation.  They would definately fire me if they knew. 

I also told my husband.  He was so supportive that I couldn't believe it.  We spent the whole day talking about it and just cuddling on the couch.  I am so GLAD.  I even told my best friend.  She is straight as an arrow - and I thought for sure she would think I was an idiot, but she didn't!!! 

YOU were ALL right - HONESTY is definately the way to go.

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Member

Status: Offline
Posts: 2406
Date:

Thanks Becky, for sharing your pain with us. Welcome to Miracles In Progess Group. Stay with us, we all need each other here, and together we can do what we cannot do alone...

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"If we do an honest examination of exactly what we are giving, we are better able to evaluate the results we are getting." Chapter 10 - Emotional Pain - NA Way of Life.
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