There are some people in my meetings who went through inpatient detox to get off whatever drugs they were on. And there are others who "detoxed at home." In both cases, some people were able to keep moving forward without relapsing & others did end up relapsing (including those who were in an inpatient program first).
A man in my meeting yesterday said that he went to NA meetings prior to going to detox and it didn't help him. It wasn't until after he was released from an inpatient detox program that NA meetings were beneficial for him. However, he also admitted to not being ready or WANTING help that "first time" (when he began going to meetings without going through detox first).
I was just curious as to who here went through inpatient detox prior to NA and who didn't? I definitely think that, either way, you have to WANT the help. Whether it's meetings or inpatient treatment, if you don't WANT to get better, you're not going to.
I DID want to check into a detox program but, due to lack of insurance, I've been unable to find one (and I certainly can't afford to pay for it out of my pocket). I keep hearing how people at my meetings have stayed clean since they were in "detox" (and that does kinda make me feel like the minority as I didn't go through an inpatient treatment).
Some people might say "DEFINITELY do inpatient treatment" while others might say you can get & stay clean with outpatient treatment & by attending NA meetings if you have the DESIRE to do so. (Well, I HAVE heard from some people who DID go through inpatient detox and also relapsed because, again, they just didn't WANT the help for themselves at that time).
I've also heard some people say that they detoxed themselves at home and they feel it was actually "better" for them that way. Although they got through it & got better, the withdrawal symptoms were so bad that they don't even have a single thought in their mind to use (because they don't wanna go through that yet a second time). Even though it was hell for them physically & mentally, they're actually glad they went through it (because it was kinda like a wake-up call) - and the thought of going through that again keeps them from relapsing.
Whether someone goes through detox or not, either way, I think it does depend on the individual - and, of course, the person has to WANT to stop. If the person doesn't WANT help, then neither meetings OR detox will work for them. But if the person DOES want help & DOES want to stop, they CAN stop (again, either by inpatient treatment or an outpatient program including NA meetings). I personally don't know if one process is "better" than the other (and, again, that's another thing that may depend on a person). But am I wrong to think that if an addict TRULY wants to quit, he/she CAN quit by working the NA program without being in a detox center first?
H Kris, I can only speak from my own experience. I went to an inpatient detox. I detoxed in a medical setting. I tried to do it at home, but it became too dangerous as I was very sick. In detox, I went through all of the pain and illness that I was going through at home but my blood reassure and heart rate were being mnitored by nurses and doctors. I can say at 30 days clean that the pain that I went through was bad enough that I would not want to go back. I can also say that I have seen myself do some pretty fucked up things despite knowing what the outome would be. That being said, I believe that how a person stops using is not really the point. It is the desire to stop using that will be the deciding factor in any addicts recovery. After that, there is the job of recovery and re building the spirit that will keep an addict clean. As our addictions were destroying our lives in different ways, how we come to stop will be different. What you will find the same is the feelings behind the descision to stop that are alike. As they say, look away from the differences and look more towards the simularities and then you will find your path to recovery.
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Yes, I bought a ticket on the crazy train.....Good thing it was a return ticket.
Outpatient here. Primarily with Suboxone. Closely monitored to make sure suboxone didn't become my drug of choice. Then after that week of the dog days of rehab, then to groups, etc. I'm a rookie for my own issues but can tell you most folks would say can't really do recovery and still be taking the drugs. Gotta get them out of your system and your brain. May take months for your brain chemistry to stabilize off the drugs. But we know for sure it will NEVER stabilize on the drugs. The drugs keep you from thinking in reality. They lie and we believe the lie, want to believe the lie, need to believe the lie. You can't recover and lie. Honesty, integrity, etc., are all needed.
There is no right way. Just do it. If you've been on high dose for long time of certain drugs you NEED inpatient. If low doses, not so long a time, which is me, then outpatient is very doable. Whichever works for you, go go go......
I've never been in a detox. but I have stayed at a few Holiday Inns Seriously, I think that you're overthinking this really. If you're not using now, then there is no need to go to detox or rehab. Most of them have meetings inside the facility, so if you want to go there for the meetings (so that you won't feel cheated ) then go. If you like to read, you can learn a lot from books about neuro transmitters and receptor sites, endorphines, dopemine etc... The main thing is to get to meetings daily, get a sponsor, read the literature, and start working the steps. Nothing new in this message, but you're going to hear it alot
Done many detox's and treatment programs to numerous for me to even remember them all.
I started getting clean and sober when I started taking responsibility for my addictions and became willing to work a program of recovery and spiritual principles in my life but first an foremost I had to have the desire, it has all taken me awhile to get it all working together.
What works for one person may not work for the next theres no argument to be had here theres no one way of getting and doing this, theres a basic outline we can all go by and a lot of suggestions and theres even a few musts in there some where.
Hi Kris, Guess I might as well share my experience as well. Vini is right about there not being a "correct" way, or even a "best" way to do this. First of all, I'm pretty sure the need for detox is determined, at least in part, by the type of drugs used. I believe only those which create a physical dependence require a medically supervised detox. I personally believe treatment centers and rehabs primarily do three things:
1. Medically supervise detox 2. Provide a first class education on the "disease concept" of addiction 3. Introduce the patient to the 12 Fellowships in the area
Of the three, by far the most important is the 12 step fellowships. This is where an addict is going to get the identification, encouragement, support, and sponsorship that make ongoing recovery possible. They have us for 30 days, the Fellowship is with us for life. Many people I know detoxed at home from any number of different opiates, barbituates, heroin, etc. and never saw the inside of a treatment center. But they came to meetings. And they continue to come to meetings. For me, buying in to Narcotics Anonymous as a way of life was what it took. It didn't happen right out of treatment, either. It took me almost two years to surrender to the program. But my surrender, when it did come, was complete. Today I have 5 1/2 years clean, and I can't imagine living any other way than the NA way. Good Luck, Keep growing, Keep learning.
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"With a sweet tongue of kindness, you can drag an elephant by a hair." ~Persian Proverb
hey kiddo i think you just need to work your program and do what you have to do to stay clean i have done it both ways and have relapsed in most cases spectacularlydo what works for you what works for all get a sponsor work the steps surrender and get to meetings and pray all the time you will get what you need to be clean (((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))
god bless rocky
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some of us win some of us lose with god and this program i will be a winner
Though I never went to an institution, many in my home group have done so.
As for whether they work or are needed, I have NO OPINION on them, and consider them an outside issue that each addict needs to deal with personally...
) then go. If you like to read, you can learn a lot from books about 
