Congrats bud!!!
I knew that you would get to the point where you were seeing the light once you nixed the alcohol!
Im so happy for you and Jay!
Keep us posted to your progress! Before you know it you will be counting in months!
:-)
Henry
El, Dude,
In answer to your question, my goal is to do what kept me clean (social alcohol only, no drugs) for twentyfive years. Workout/Train, get absorbed in my work (when I get same) and continue aftercare with my shrink. This is what I'll do differenty from what happend recently. Shrink is brand new to the mix. She has helped me a great deal w/addiction and PTSD issues I hope that works for ya.
In the meantime, no offense intended, I was 15 yrs. old when you were still Dead. Please lighten up a bit? Thanks for your concern.
Wolf, I just read your response and it looks like you didn't answer me. What are you going to do differently THIS TIME that you didn't do before?
You mention that you're looking for work and are in contact with your martial-arts instructor... that's AWESOME. Working-out has a way of sapping the energy right out of you, not leaving much time & energy for drinking & drugging! And you're right about getting drug-tested. Eventually it's going to happen, and you don't want to have to pass up a job just because you were a dumbA$$ and drank & used the night before!!!
I applaud your effort o get clean dude, but please don't try and do it like you did 30-years ago. Beers & occasional recreational-use on the weekends is not being clean, and if you delude yourself into believing that, you'll fail.
Clean is not taking ANYTHING of a mind-altering nature into your body... PERIOD. Even just 'catching a buzz' every once and a while, or drinking beers on the weekends only, isn't being clean & sober. Thinking to yourself, "Well, I'll just get a buzz every once-and-a-while. You can't expect me not to ever drink a beer again or get a buzz ever again" is dooming you to failure. Miserable failure.
I think you know this stuff though, as you've been at this for a long time.
Once again, congratulations on deciding to kick your habit.
LMNO
*And please answer my question, as you didn't... What are you going to do differently?
IB: Sometimes it IS the oncoming Train. HA!
Gnarly and el em, I was clean for 30 years sans drinking Beers on the Weekend and before this one sneaked up on me from recreational use. Prior to that I had a Heavy double Heroin/Methadone habit that I was forced to kick. I'm STUPID to have picked the Evil stuff up again. Martial Arts, working out regularly and my carreer kept me clean for that long. My 20 years of service to one company after developing a technology that most people use every day was met with a two week severance check and a restricive non compete/confidentiality agreement. All the plants that I worked with across the Nation were shut down and moved to China. Putrid place. I've ben there and could not get back to Texas quick enough.
I have an ongoing dialouge going now with my Grand Master and Master instrructors to return when I'm able. It's tough to use and work out that hard as well as I'm looking for work and will get tested at some unknown point Howzat?
Thank you all for your support and posts. I damn sure needed it. Don't forget, Thursday is Veterans Day. Please show your respect for them even it's give a handshake, look them in the eye and say "Appreciate Ya"
What are you going to do differently THIS TIME that you didn't do before?
As addicts, you know it's impossible to 'control' our drinking & druging, right? If you try and control anything, you'll fail... I promise you that. Many of us have tried an easier, softer way and tried to control our use. The easier, softer way DOES NOT work.
Sobriety is not easy. It takes work and a lot of effort. But I promise you this... your life will be better for it once it's out of your system.
So tell me what you're going to do differently...
Hey Wolf im so happy to here you set the bottle down....it is so ez to become cross addicted when detoxing...living substance free takes some getting use to but in the end it very rewarding im glad the sub finely let go of you that is some stuff theres no rhyme to reason
with it for some thay walk away with little or no withdrawals for others like you its the grind of a lifetime to get free from....im happy you made it .....I wish you all the best in your recovery
plug into some form of aftercare and work it good luck and God bless......Gnarly
My apologies in the response delay, regrettably I havent been able to hang around here as often as I would like or should have, but I received Vicki's message. (Thanks as always Vicki!)
Im in Kuwait right now, on my way out the door to the airport to head back to the US tonight, so Ive got to try and make this short... But I will be sure to check in and post back when I get back home tomorrow.
Sub is a real bear to kick, and unfortunately you are finding out right now just how much this is to be true. The tricky thing about it, which is most often misunderstood is that the degree of withdrawals experience is directly correlated to the severity of your previous active addiction (DOC, Frequency of use, and number of previous attempts to quit)
When we begin sub treatment it pretty much stops withdrawals in their tracks, and while it is true that it has its own set of withdrawals, there are studies in the works to show that the vast majority of what you are feeling now is a rebound withdrawal.
Theres some bad news and some good news here.
The bad news is... you may be in for a few more rough weeks. This is such a personal and individual experience that its hard to guage exactly how long.
I was on sub for 2.5 years at 16mgs. When I jumped off, my final dose was 3mgs, and my withdrawal process peaked at 10 days, layed steady for another week, and then VERY slowly got easier over the course of another 2 weeks. By the 4 week period I was able to sleep in 5-6 hour increments uninterrupted, and only had short bouts of that "Ants under the skin feeling"
About 1.5 months after I was feeling as good as new, so the good news is, it shouldnt get any worse, and most certainly will get better!!! Today I have been off Suboxone for 163 days, and I am loving every minute of it!
The meds that your new doc prescribed will help quite a bit, just be sure to take them as directed.
As far as the alcohol.... indeed it is a bad idea. Your brain is a storm of neuro chemicals all trying to balance themselves out, and adding a Central nervous system depressant into the mix certainly wont make things easier in the long run.
I've gotta jet (Literally) You are doing amazingly well! Hang in there and keep relying on that awesome wife you have there for support. Shes your strongest weapon combined with yourself in your recovery arsenal!!!
I'll be back here later on!
HenryS