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@heyjoe415 My real name is Virginia and my mom and everyone called me Ginny. Yes, I am completely off of Bup since 11/5/17. Struggled with addiction since the age of 14 years old. I am 55 now. I was on Bup for about 6+ years. I was still drinking though it seemed to help me control that a little (a pint instead of a 1/5th which is ridiculous if I think about saying it). So, I have had a couple of times when I have had to use a narcotic. I was given Tramadol a couple of times and I could feel it instantly. I know that feeling well. That is the down and up side to Buprenorphine. 72 hour half life and if you have pain, well, nothing works. Maybe more Buprenorphine. I know that it got rid of my migraines when I was taking it. I have never had Ketamine, although I did think about having it for therapy, but I did so many psychedelics when I was younger, I feared I might snap and never come back.
If there is no reason to get off it and it helps, I know that people stay on it. I am an impulsive person and as a drunk, I just decided I was tired of taking it. I did not take into account that it would make me so sick...but that led to my now being sober. Life is hard and crazy. I am essentially a 55 year old with the mind of a person in their late twenties, if you ascribe to emotional maturity stopping at the time of first use of drugs and alcohol. I have had periods of being sober. I was in treatment at 14, then 19, then 30 but never have I been completely sober. It will be 8 years 12/16! AA and a lot of help from other places as well as just a day at a time has worked for me so far. I appreciate your kind words, Joe. So cool your mom was a Virginia "Ginny" also.
Ginny
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Thanks for sharing all of this Ginny, it truly helps.
My preferred drug of choice was alcohol, for 30 years plus. It was cheap and easy to get (no Rx!). I believe I inherited the disease of addiction from my father. Excessive drinking, alcoholism really, is present in My Mom's and Dad's family.
I got sober in 2003 at age 48. I made it to 4.5 years and then relapsed. Please don't ask me why, there is never a good reason. It took me many years to get back to AA for real. I've been sober now since May 2011.
I was prescribed opiates after different medical procedures. I think the first was when I had my wisdom teeth removed. I loved the feeling opiates gave me. They are listed as pain relievers, but have no analgesic properties. I still felt pain while on opiates, I just didn't care. And that's the problem with opiates. Your troubles all go away, until they don't.
I managed to game Drs and get Rxs for every pill I ever took, so my opiate addiction, fortunately, didn't get very far. But it was bad enough that my Dr prescribed Subx. He did not mention how hard it would be to stop. I asked him about it, and knowing me well, he thought it best if I stay on Subx for the rest of my life.
That doesn't work so well after joint replacement surgeries, or in my case, a dislocated hip. But I have been able to manage post-op pain with drugs like Toradol (a very effective NSAID that can't be taken for more than 5 days at a time, and diclofenac).
Good for you for taking ownership of your life and saving yourself. People still thank me for helping them get sober, and I always remind them that my help would be useless without their desire to quit, and to admit they needed help. We all save ourselves, with a lot of help.
Congrats on your upcoming sobriety birthday. 8 years is a long time. As you say, take it a day at a time.
Thanks so much Ginny!
Joe