Welcome to the forum, Johnny!
You said this towards the end of your post:
"But I must say I'm a bit worried wondering if I just traded addictions and especially for one that, if it gets outta hand, a much bigger one..I know I shoulda just sucked it up and went thru withdrawals from the hydros and oxy's and be done with it but...I didn't and here I am..I was planning on trying Robert's plan but I started out on such a high dose(not by choice) can I still do it in basically the same way?"
So my question is, who is Robert and where did you read about "his plan"?
I am a recovering hydro addict....I foolishly and ignorantly succumbed to a suggestion by my PA to visit a suboxone clinic/psych. dr to get off the hydros I had been taking for years. I learned AFTER THE FACT that subs are MUCH stronger than hydros, have a much longer half life, are totally synthetic and stick to opiate receptors much differently than hydros. They accumulate in your fat cells, bones and tissues in a way that hydros do not. I also learned the equivalency of hydros to subs. Here's a chart for you (subs are "bupe" just in case you didn't know the lingo):
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/18499/Conversion-table-other-drugs-equivalent-to-sub
As you can see, 30 mg of hydro is equivalent to just 1.2 mg of bupe.
So if you are now being prescribed, monitored and expected to take 16 mg of subs/bupe a day that would be equivalent to approximately 480 mg of hydro!!!!! At only an 8 mg dose....that's still approximately 240 mg of hydro!
From what I read of your addiction journey above, you were burning thru 120 (10 mg)'s in two weeks. You supplemented from the street, I get that. But even at that, sounds like you were taking an average of about 80 to 100 mg of hydro/oxy.??? Is that an accurate calculation?
So you see....they put me on 16 mg of subs too. I only stayed on them a total of 28 days and I ignorantly jumped off that amount too. I'm still alive and didn't end up in a psych ward....but I didn't have a clue a forum like this one existed. I learned EVERYTHING about hydros to subs AFTER I already made that huge mistake. Subs have there purpose....yes they do. But from one hydro user to another, I'd reconsider this whole experience.
You are already exhibiting "addict behavior" by stashing part of your sub dose in your pocket. Are you required to go to outpatient treatment as part of this sub program? (and they too require some aftercare meetings usually).....yes, they UA you, but they also have a recovery program for addicts. Are you doing that too?
Lots to think about I know. I'm not trying to be critical of you....but you asked if we see you "trading addictions" and to a much bigger one that could get outta control. My short answer (without my long winded explanation above) is YES. There's no "easy" way to get off opiates.