A Million Thanks!

[u/Neither_Ad6425]

I wanted to take a minute and thank everyone on here who has helped me and those who have been so kind and thoughtful. I also really appreciate those of you who congratulated me on my year of sobriety. That means a lot! If you’re struggling with addiction, please feel free to reach out to me.

Again, thank y’all. I hope you’ve had a happy holiday!

[u/Holisticallyyours]

That's so awesome!! I'm on my own journey too!!

[u/Neither_Ad6425 → u/Holisticallyyours]

How is it going so far for you (if you don’t mind me asking)? I’m proud of you!

[u/Holisticallyyours → u/Neither_Ad6425]

Aww! Thank you! So...it's going?! No, actually it's been 2 & 1/2 months (since Oct. 8th) and I'm finally starting to feel like I'm more than existing, you know? I was so worried about, "Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome" (PAWS) but hope that since I'm finally starting to feel better, I might be ok? One thing I know I definitely need to do, is find a therapist. #2025goals !! I've been in therapy before and was actually discharged, I guess you could say. My therapist said I was doing so well, I could call her if I needed to. Then, I discovered opioids and well...unfortunately, she's no longer practicing but I know I need someone to help me with coping mechanisms. Even if it's short-term. By the way, I'm proud of you too!!

[u/Neither_Ad6425 → u/Holisticallyyours]

It’s definitely important to learn healthy coping mechanisms so we can change our behavior and responses when we encounter stressors. So, therapy is great for that.

Please also consider talking to an addiction doctor about getting on suboxone. My drug of choice was opioids (pain pills), and suboxone prevented me from going into withdrawals, has eliminated my cravings, and it’s been a huge aid in my recovery. I really consider it to be a life-saving medicine! Don’t let anyone tell you it’s cheating to use medications for treatment.

I’m an atheist/sometimes agnostic and AA did NOT resonate with me. I have a lot of religious trauma and it felt way too much like church for me. Given the fact that AA is rooted in evangelical Christianity, this makes sense. So I turned instead to Refuge Recovery, another support group option based on Buddhist principles, without being religious. I think RR encourages self-growth much more than AA.

Anyway, therapy, suboxone or methadone, and support groups should all be an important part of your journey! And in -patient is always another good option. That’s what I I did for 51 days, and just physically separating from the drugs and the environment was a tremendous help and a way for me to clear my head.

You got this!

[u/Holisticallyyours → u/Neither_Ad6425]

Oh my goodness!! Did you read my other comments? lol I am taking Suboxone! I didn't want to say anything about it because of the things some people say about it! In fact, it's horrible but I can not lie...I was one of those people. I was so judgemental! I was adamant that it was "trading one addiction for another". It wasn't an easy decision for me, however, I agree with you, it is a life-saving medication. I had an intake appt on Oct 7th, an appt with my provider on the 8th, and went to pick up my scripts that night. It's taken until very recently for me to feel better. Now that I'm good physically, I am definitely ready for therapy and/or meetings. There's been a few times when I was like, "ok, how do I deal with this?!! I have nothing to take!" I haven't felt that in weeks and I even made it through dinner with my family for my mom's birthday Dec 15th and Christmas, yay!! (I totally skipped Thanksgiving) I can't tell you how grateful I am for your support of medication! Even in the Suboxone subreddit, most of the people are tapering or want to taper, or talk about Subs ruining their teeth, their libido, etc, etc... I feel confident about my decision. Again, thanks so much for sharing and for your response! I appreciate it!