Nervous...scared...anxious...
A friend in AZ...he has been clean & sober for 25 years or so. His wife and kid packed up, left in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. He had Hep C, which the VA was treating. He was on some sort of shots/pills. VA knew of his addiction problems and were giving him bottles of codeine. He would give the bottle to me and I would take them to the pharmacy I was using for disposal.
Bit concerned with getting off of the meds. But I will cross that bridge when I get there.
Any day above ground is a good day, Doug. When you are ready to take those steps, you will find that bridge is a bridge of faith. Meaning you must be ready to cross it without any assurance of what lies on the other side except that ultimately, it will lead to a better life. For yourself and everyone who truly cares about you.
Regarding the meds themselves...... I am not a doctor. If they are something that you must wean off of for medical reasons rather than put them down and quit cold turkey as I did...... Consult your doctor about that.
Only thing I can tell you is when you are ready to take those steps...... Do so. And understand that being clean and sober have no modifiers. There are no ifs, ands nor buts about it. It means
everything that is used to alter your perceptions including booze and pot and anything else such as that. No substituting one addiction for the other. It also means that you will have to stay away from certain people, places and things...... Folks who have a drink, smoke dope or who take mind altering substances of any kind...... And places where they go to do so.
And it means that you will have reached the point where you are more afraid of dying than withdrawal symptoms and living without whatever substances you are addicted to. And you are ready to do whatever it takes to live instead of dying. That is what is called your 'bottom'.
You will also find that its easier to quit than to stay quit. Find a program such as AA or based on AA principles such as Cenikor and you can do it if you really have the desire to change your life for the better. Stay away from places that claim to have miracle cures which don't involve working the 12 Steps based on AA. They will warehouse you, dry you out physically and take your insurance money until it runs out, then drop you like a stone without the tools you need to remain clean and sober.
Wish you all the best,
Harry
