Having a drug problem, what to do?

Question

Since i gave birth to my son a year ago i have had a closet pain pill addiction. It started after i had my c-section and then a few weeks later i had my wisdom teeth pulled so it was like 2 months straight on pain medication. When i went back to work for my dad i started taking his pain medication. He 71 with many health problems and he gets so many pain pills that he never noticed that i was taking them.Everyday before i would come into work i would tell myself that i would not take any, but everyday i would end up taking some. I knew i had a problem but did not realize the problem was so bad until my dad went into the hospital and He took his medication with him and i was unable to get to it. I went through serious withdrawals and i realized that this needed to stop. When he got out of the hospital i went right back to then meds. I finally told my husband and he and i are trying to beat this together.other than rehab, any advice?

Answer 1

You sound as if you are a wise person, who realizes what has happened in your system. You doctor can help you to wean yourself off these pain pills, if you really take only what your dr. prescribes. Withdrawal is hard business, without a doctor's help. You already know what happens to your head, your body without your doctor's help.......but, do you know that your doctor can really get you off the drugs, for good, by just easily lessening the amount you take, and by, possibly, prescribing something else while you are 'coming off' the drugs you have been taking? Please, for your own peace of mind, and for your body's sake, talk to a doctor about this as soon as you can. It sounds as though you have a back you up, person, and that is really wonderful for you. It is easy to get hooked on pain pills, as you have found........but, getting off of them can be SO much easier with a doctor who understands your situation. Don't try this alone, when the help is right there for you..............I'm glad you are honest with yourself, and I really want for you to take the easiest path out of this problem. Go for it! See your doctor, ask for help, and be as honest with your doctor as you are in this writing.

Answer 2

You didnt really say what pills they were im assuming : oxy contin, percocet, demoral, oxycodone, tramal, vicodin, diudrine opiate or synthetic opiate based stuff. Sometimes pharmacueticals are harder to stop than street drugs. If you have nothing to hide from your husband, then you could try going to the doctors and getting a withdrawl drug like oxyconadine which you can gradually wein off them.You may be able to get some nitrazepam and temazepam to help knock you out or atleast down you for a while. I happen to be addicted to tramal and valium and im gonna run out this week and i cant get any more so im not looking forward to it. Drs and counsellors are there to help so use them. I know it's hard cause you just crave that releiving opium feeling and nothing else can give you that euphoria. But it will end up ruining you in the end , something i'll have to learn soon.

Answer 3

I'd look into some books about recovery from addiction, I hear that Dr. Phil's books are pretty good. And one common piece of advice about breaking an addiction is not just stopping the habit, but replacing it with something else. So when you're feeling the urge to go back to the pills, do something that will help keep your mind occupied. And it's great that your husband is helping you through it, because it's especially hard to tackle something this big on your own. Good luck!

Answer 4

I wonder if you can beat this with your mind. You are no longer in pain right. Stop drink lots of cranberry juice. Pray to God to take the desire away from you sincerely. Thank God for your husband and baby. I not sure about rehab, but you say you are have withdrawals--Problem. Take good care of your dad too. I feel you seem overwhelm. Do not let the devil kill u with evil tactics. Be strong in the Lord! Stop! Beat that demon, because if you really do not want to stop if you do go to rehab you might go back. You can stop on your own. Now.
Resist the devil and he will flee from u. Take it one day at a time.

Answer 5

Here is two very good sites to help you. If
you need to , do not be ashamed to seek help. These sites offers ways to do it on your own though.
http://www.spine-health.com/topics/conserv/painkiller/painkiller01.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50318
PS: When you use any sort of pain medicine (opiates) your natural opiates in your body tend to shut down as your body is depending on the medicine now. An example would be if you stub your toe then your natural opiates will kick in and take care of it. In addiction and coming off the medicine, pain is due to these natural opiates being in a sleep so to speak. This is why your in pain when you come off them. Given time your natural opiates will work again but not if you keep taking the drugs. The natural opiates cannot do the work if the drugs is doing it instead. You can quit them. It will be hard but you can do it. Make sure you take vitamins, drink plenty of water and do not drink alcohol. Eat healthy too as you are going through this so that you can get through it faster.
PSS: And drink lots of cranberry juice too.

Answer 6

This is a serious problem. My sister went through the same thing. She ended up going to many different dr.'s under many different names. She finally had to deal with it when arrested at a pharmacy for fraud. She wound up on methadone a medicine usually reserved for heroin addicts. I'm sorry to say that as much as you would like to deal with it behind closed doors it's close to impossible. the physical withdrawl can be really terrible and make you very sick leading to an almost frenzied state to get more. My suggestion is to go to your family dr. and ask what road he or she suggests. there are out of clinic rehabs so that you can stay at home. Good Luck and bravo for being ready to deal with it.

Answer 7

Maybe counseling. I know where i live there are many small programs that offer support and advice. To be honest with you rehab works well for people who really want to quit. And being an addict is haard not only on yourself but on those you love. You need to ask for help. Look for a local counselor or drug center.

Answer 8

Up to this point you have received 16 answers and though I think my answer is the best,really digest my answer and you will see that it IS the best.
UNLESS you are SERIOUS,nothing is going to work so you need to REALLY WANT this more than life it'self and you NEED to be willing to do anything to stay clean! ! ! !
Depending on the level of your addiction will depend on whether you need rehab or not because not only do rehab's help with beginning a 12step program it will also help you get through detox. . . withdrawals.
It is possible to go to your family Dr and talk FRANKLY with them and see if they will put you in the hospital to go through detox. . .usually 72hrs etc but time can vary.
Hospitals and Rehabs will ease you through this period.
AS SOON and I mean AS SOON as you get through this period,RUN don't walk to the nearest NA club or AA club.
My AA club allows NA members as we believe a drug is a drug whether it is alcohol or drugs.
To NOT get to a NA place ASAP will allow the drug craving to raise it's ugly head and convince you that you are OK and that you don't need to go.
Start the suggested program of recovery from drugs/alcohol. . . . .Make 90 meetings in 90 days. Sit in those meetings and don't judge those drug users that you will see that had serious street drug problems just see them for who they are and realize that had you not gotten there when you did,you could have ended up like them.
Get your sponsor,a person you will call when you face problems and don't worry about calling them at weird hours because this is what we do and we had people there for us when we needed them.
Get involved in "recovery",changing things about yourself and making your life better and the life of those you love gets better too.
Your husband will have to understand that as those pills consumed your life and time,so will NA for a while until you get strong enough.
There are family functions in NA and AA. . . volleyball,bowling,picnics,dances so your husband can join in and meet some of the people that are helping you to stay clean.
I drank up my children's lives and had alot of wreckage to clean up. . . . .PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't let this happen as well. If you have a chance to give your child a better life than I gave mine, DO IT! ! ! !
Making my first AA meeting 10yrs and 6 months ago was the best thing I ever did and I have some of the greatest friends and I have my children's respect again.
RUN don't walk to get the help you need.

Answer 9

Read up on addictions. The support of your husband may very well be enough for you. In many cases additional treatments are necessary depending on your substance abuse. From a personal experience I have an abusive personality but not an addictive personality and have been fortunate to see when a drug was beginning to control or ruin my life and quit. For me it is enough to just not have it around. Once it is in front of me then I know I am in trouble so I ask for support to keep substances away.

Answer 10

It's good you recognize your problem. If you don't want to go to rehab. Try taking a vitamin instead of a pain medication. Or tell your doctor about your problem, and he may actuallyprescribe you the medication you are addicted to, and slowly reduce your intake to sort of wean you off of it. You just have to control yourself enought to only take what's prescribed