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Gary had chronic back pain and was prescribed Vicodin by his physician to help him cope with his pain after going through surgery. Stella began taking pills with her boyfriend. They began to use heroin together. Michael was ordering Hydrocodone off the internet for an injury because he didn’t have health insurance to see a doctor. Whether physician prescribed or self-medicating, you can become physically dependent on opiates. The use of opiates over time leads to chemical changes in your brain. These changes are actually driving you to use more of the drugs. Opioid dependence is a chronic disease that carries the stigma of addiction. If you try to stop taking the medication or reduce the dose, you become sick and have withdrawal symptoms. What options are available in order to get your life back? Cold turkey withdrawals, methadone maintenance, treatment and 12-step meetings are traditional options. They all work. A lesser known, but viable option, would be taking Suboxone. There are many reasons why Suboxone would be an alternative. This could include personal or professional concerns, difficulty going to a methadone clinic on a daily basis or the privacy of taking the medication at home. It helps you to feel normal, relieve the cravings, regain control of your life and have clarity. You physically feel better. Your body begins to function normally again, waking up and going through the day is manageable. Consider the amount of time spent thinking about the drug, using the drug and recovering from the effects of the drug. With Suboxone you can get your life together again and begin to make plans for the future. Suboxone is a medication that is taken for treating opioid dependence that can be prescribed by a physician. I have seen Suboxone work with good results where nothing else does. When you make the choice to get treatment, you are taking the first step toward regaining control over your life again. Only physicians that have received a certificate to dispense Suboxone are able to do so. Suboxone is a tablet that is placed under your tongue and dissolved. Your doctor will encourage having support while taking Suboxone. This could include counseling, 12-step meetings or supportive family members. Part of the protocol for taking Suboxone is receiving counseling. The research shows that counseling along with being medically managed by a physician is more likely to succeed with continued recovery and to avoid relapse. You are making an investment in yourself. Counseling will help get to the roots of problems and begin to relieve burdens that have been carried for a long time. Self-care is part of healthy lifestyle choices and you will be able to develop coping skills and boundaries while on Suboxone. Making a change like this is scary. You might be afraid that others will judge you as being weak, a moral failure or having a character flaw. Admitting you are dependent on drugs could be embarrassing and shameful. As your dependence progressed, you pulled back from the people you loved in order to avoid disappointment and more pain. The choice, however, to do something different than you are currently doing takes bravery. Addiction is a disease. You do not need to make this change alone or to treat it by yourself. There are many ways to get support. In order to truly make the change, you need to be willing to do the opposite of what you did while using the drug. That means being honest with yourself first, avoiding isolation and seeking support. Counseling along with taking Suboxone is a way to regain control of your actions and choices. You will have contact with a doctor, able to take the medication at home and work with a counselor. Some people continue to use Suboxone long term for medical management and others work hard to decrease their dose on a regular basis to become medication free. How long you choose to stay on Suboxone is between you and your doctor. The most important part is being able to feel normal again and regain control of your life.
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