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day 14!

2 weeks today off methadone!!  My appetite and energy are starting to come back, although I lost about 12 pounds so far.  Sleep patterns are getting a little better, but I'm still managing only about 4-5 hours a night, with vivid nightmares.  Every night I'm hopeful and every morning I'm disappointed and tired.  I use the L-tyrosine and B-vitamin complex in the morning (on an empty stomach) and that usually kick starts my energy level for the day.

I'm interested in things again, have more energy, and even quit smoking cold turkey with no issues.  I was one of those people who tried to quit smoking a billion times, only to relapse because it was "so hard."  I had a pretty hard reality check about REAL withdrawal, and didn't even think about cigarettes, which are 100% a mind game, not the real oh-my-gawd-I'm-DYING withdrawals I experienced w/the pills.

In fact, the day I stopped smoking altogether (about 4 or 5 days ago now), I felt MUCH better.  The cigs certainly weren't helping with the other withdrawal symptoms.  If anything I was smoking more during the withdrawal and I bet it made it much worse.  Weirdly enough, the horrible back pain I had been experiencing went away 100%, suddenly, the day I stopped smoking.  That was probably my worst withdrawal symptom from the methadone - I have no explanation for why quitting smoking would have taken care of this.

Looking forward to a month clean.  If you're reading this and you're where I was 2 weeks ago, HANG IN THERE.  Time seems to stop, but it does pass and it does get better.  I'm not out of the woods yet but I would have paid everything I have to feel this way 13 days ago.  It'll pass.
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495284 tn?1333894042
COMMUNITY LEADER
Congrats on 2 weeks!!  Keep it going.  Am glad to hear you will be seeing a substance abuse counselor.  That will help you a ton.  As pillfree said too exercise is good for you also as it gets your natural endorphins working again.      sara
Helpful - 0
1374653 tn?1289239473
Congratulations on making it 2 weeks, you are doing battle with a monster.  I jumped off methadone about 35 days ago and it is truly a process...it took me about 30 days to get past the hard physical WDs and now I am still not 100%, but getting better.  I think a rigid exercise program helped me a lot, inlcuding the amino acid therapy.

Hang in there and  I wish you the best with recovery.
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Avatar universal
Yeah, NA isn't for me.  I do have "safe" people in my life that I can talk to, and for once I was 100% honest with my husband about what I was doing and why.  That's been a giant step forward in being honest about my problem and keeping myself accountable - he helped me through the acute w/d, and he'll know that I'm using if I'm suddenly "doing much better."

I'm also headed to substance abuse counseling (one on one), which I'm hoping will help in the long term.  :)
Helpful - 0
271792 tn?1334979657
Have you considered some form of aftercare?

There was a post similar to this yesterday. For me, it is primarily the fellowship of NA (and often AA) that helps me. Having a sponsor and having friends in the fellowship keeps me accountable. Also, they are the people I lean on and when the cravings start or the mind games begin, I pick up the phone. Of course posting here helps but there is nothing that can replace that one on one.

Certainly if the fellowship is not for you then there are other means of support out there. I feel it is vital to have something to help with the mental battle that will be with you the rest of your days.
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Avatar universal
Also - like another poster today - I get the cravings.  I dream about the pills.  I have an event this weekend that I'm thinking, "Oh, I'd have so much more fun if...."

But I'll take the mind games any day over the physical symptoms.  It's a muuuuch longer battle, but I just keep reminding myself that I'm healing, and I don't have the choice of "just one."  It's nothing, or go back to my former level of use.  There's no in between.  I like where I am now.
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495284 tn?1333894042
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