I am here to offer my support too. I don't post much in the last several months, but I am also lurking. I wanted to say that I totally agree with jifmoc, reading your post reminded me of the stress from when I was using, and how exhausting it all was, and I always feel a terrible sadness for anyone still stuck in that cycle. It was like the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders the day I got clean. No more lying, hiding, counting pills, and all the other sketchy behavior that goes along with it. I also felt jealous of people just living their lives somehow without pills, I didn't realize other people felt that way too! Lol. Now, I frequently marvel that I can take my kids to the movies without have to gear up with a handful of pills to be able to get through it. Everyone has given you great support, and you wouldn't be here lurking if you weren't trying to head in this direction, my friend. It's just a matter of when you are ready to make the jump, however that looks. These people are amazing, and we'll be here when you do.
Allison
Saying you are craving sobriety tells me you have the desire to quit. Keep reading and keep posting. Take what you need and leave the rest.
Just wanted to offer my support and remind you that you aren't alone.
I admire your courage to speak your truth.
Hi dede nice to meet you well I read your post and it was a lot like my life story with the pills you have relapsed many times for addicts like you and I we need to treat the disease addiction will not go away on its own even if you quit the pills your still a addict we think differently the the ''Normie'' you need to understand this disease is deadly.. for me I tried just about every thing as fare as aftercare but it was the rooms of N/A that worked it is free and one addict helping another is without Parallel your life does not need to be a rollercoster there is a life without pills and addictive behavior it is just up to you to take things in your own hands...''nothing changes if nothing changes'' we all want to see you get clean keep posting for support...................Gnarly...................................
Thank you so much for all your positive and supportive replies. It feels so good to know that I am not the only one who thinks and feels the way I do. We are all the same in so many ways. Amazing how a little pill can dictate your life. "Ok, I have to go grocery shopping at 2pm, so I will pop my pill at 1pm so I'm at my peak energy" or "I have to get ready for work at 6am, so I will get up at 5am and pop my pills so I will be able to take a shower and do my makeup". How sad is that? I have been living like this for a long time. I am getting tired of looking at everything through foggy glasses. I need to see clearly again. I have done it before, I can do it again.
I just got my refills for the month last week. I am going to try and do a slow taper and not get my refills next month. I know you are probably all yelling "Flush them!! Flush them!!" C'mon now, I'm an addict, I cannot bring myself to flush 210 Norco and 120 Percocet. Both of which I paid $10 for with my insurance. That is nuts. How do you stop taking something that (for me) is so cheap and easy to get?? This is going to be a challenge...
Once the realization that the benefits of sobriety outweigh the cost, that is when we quit, or seriously start trying anyway. Pills create the illusion that we function better, get more done, are more social, but it is an illusion. It's like when I took LSD as a teen. I was convinced I just wrote the best poem ever and had discovered new depths of reality. That is how it feels, but the poem was garbage and my discovery was a simple thought amplified by drugs. It's hard to see it when one is still using. We can't imagine doing things sober, because our sober memories are so far in the past. After being clean awhile, I honestly wonder how I functioned on drugs, that is harder to believe than how I function sober. So, realize the drugs are deceiving you. I mean, look how many sober people with time say it is easier and better, it's pure logic, of coarse it is. Logic goes out the window in addiction, that is what makes things so hard to believe.
One of the most amazing tools in my recovery has been other addicts. There is something so powerful in knowing you are not alone, we all felt this way. It was terrible, not knowing if I should make plans next week, because I wasn't sure what my pill situation would be by then. It was like being in prison for me. Give some thought to your aftercare, whatever that may be for you. For me, I went to outpatient and I also hit a lot of meetings and hearing from other addicts just somehow made it easier to stay the course. You will not regret it, I promise you. If you are able to taper, more power to you, I was never able to. If I had those pills, I was going to take them, and rationalize that I would take less tomorrow, etc. I am sure you have read this before, but once you really decide you want out of this nightmare (that's how it felt to me, lol) there are some things that are so important- Cut your sources, tell your secret, get aftercare. I am pulling for you!
Allison