Your right it is a crutch, but sometime we need a crutch to help us learn to walk again. If he is taking the amt Rx,d by his doctor and is following through with a program I think he is off to a grand start. That is only my opinion and I do know that the drug can be abused. Good vibes being sent your way.

My daughter tried to quit a couple of months ago but refused to do it without medication so I bought her Suboxone from her dealer (the things one will do for their child...). I wanted to know if she was using it to get high so I took the same dose she was taking to see, and guess what? I felt "high" Kind of zoned in and out, felt warm and fuzzy, talked more than normal. Crutch indeed!

I believe it should ONLY be taken with the supervision of his.medical Dr. methadone has been helpful for many people but only in with medical supervision.the right dose should not get the recipient high.

Thank you both of you. Hushpuppy, I'm not trying to argue, but maybe for her trying to get off another drug, it doesn't make her high? If that makes sense. Maybe all it does for her, is satisfy her cravings? I'm definitely no expert on this--please don't think I'm arguing with you-just a thought.
My son gets his from a clinic & has tapered. I just want him to be drug free.
Yes, the things we do for our children. It's hard to be strong. I feel like I'm falling.
Thanks both of you.

Here is a big suprise...I am not really so big on drugs to quit using drugs. I guess I am sort of like the old lady going on about how me and my friends had to walk miles to school in the cold, and didn't have computers and had to read a book.

JMO, not wanting to feel pain got you into the mess, it will be painful to get out. Life sucks. And I know more that one person who has gotten through a weak moment just considering how sick quitting feels.

Each person has to do what they can and get well, no doubt. But again, JMO, if you give a junkie the opportunity to dull some pain, they will. And if they can get high too, they definitely will. Best of all worlds, "in recovery", getting high, and everybody proud of them.

If you don't want a grown man and his wife in your house, you do not have to have them there or explain it or feel guilty.

Do what you feel is best and that will keep you safe and healthy.

thank you nikkifors for your reply. I also believe it's not helping taking suboxone or even methadone to get off oxy.It's a drug to get off a drug:(
I've never had an addiction problem so I have no idea what it feels like to try to quit.
If my d-i-l's mom won't let them stay there, they'll have to go somewhere to a homeless shelter, if there is room.
Thank you again.

lydia, if taken properly and with medical supervision, suboxone can be a life saver. my husband was heavily addicted to oxy's and perc's. he would shoot 25 with 3-4 hrs. suboxones satisy the need for the drug and really help with the withdrawls. if you have ever seem someone withdrawl from oxy's you know how painful and mindblowing it is for several days! i agree with cindy. sometimes we need a crutch to help us walk again. all i will say however is, sometimes addicts will use suboxones to help with the withdrawls until they can get more drugs. i know people that will take them everytime they are broke and cant afford drugs, and then when they get money they quit the suboxone and switch back to the drugs. also make sure your son takes them properly, have him call a dr ect... my husband shot one instead of putting it under his tounge and it almost ended him up in the hospital. his whole body went cold and he started shaking really bad. i hope this helps. you will be in my prayers. hugs...

I really know very little about it. I am just going by the experence my dear school friend had with methadone. she spent many many years addicted to H. We were neighbors for several years and I saw the progression of the addiction. Years later I met up with her and she was wonderful. she explained she had been on the methadone program and it worked for her. Now 20 years down the line she has contacted me through facebook and she is still clean helping other addicts. she turned her life around. I have no idea if she would have done it without the methadone but I am pleased to see her happy and healthy after many years being free of her addiction.

ive also heard good things about methadone. cindy, im glad it worked for your friend!

I think its all a racket. Have kicked heroin more times than I can count, and never needed anything for more than 3 to 5 days to get through the withdrawals and no opiates or similar drugs. Then its up to the person if they want to stay clean or not. I tried everything before doing what i needed to do ....feel and give my body a chance to heal. Its depressing, you cry a lot, get angry , can't sleep but I am soooo grateful for all of that, as I alway took the easier softer way, and I always used again. The difference this time was I stayed close to people that were clean and sober and working a program. If that meant 5 meetings a day that is what it took. My sponsor got many 3am calls, and she was always there for me as long as I did not drink or drug.

But I am no ones keeper, and can only say what worked for this recovering dope fiend.

Cindy or Rach, what is the length of time needed to be on suboxone to be totally free? He's been on them for over a year. Or do they ever get off the suboxone?
Is methadone & suboxone similar?
I'm glad for your friend & husband. Hugs to you both.

Again, sorry to be old school and political about it, but this has become a huge industry.

Methadone has helped some, and that is good.

But just me,and again, everyone is an individual, drugs are not the way to kick to drugs. Hard work is.JMO

Tinker, I'm so proud of you for getting clean the hard way. Can I ask how many times you had tried before this time? I agree it would be better to do it this way than use another drug to get off a drug.
Thank you for posting.

Lydia, my two oldest sons are recovering opiate addicts. They both took soboxone supervised by a medical doctor and participated in a drug program that included regular group meetings and medical evaluation. They have both been clean almost two years.

My oldest son was on soboxone a bit longer because of his length of addiction and severity. At a determined point, they were both weined off the soboxone gradually and still had minor withdrawal when stopped completely. My oldest son took soboxone for 15 months and my second son for 12. Because of the program they participated in, they were supervised through this and were very successful.

For both my sons, this has been a life saver. They had both tried to quit without it and failed. The goal of the program is to give them the support they need through teaching them new coping skills and exploring the root cause of their addictions. The soboxone helps eleviate the extreme craving caused by the wide open neurotransmitters in their brain. By taking the soboxone the neurotransmitters are allowed to slowly close (they will NEVER return to normal), so when they do finally stop the soboxone, their withdrawal is very tolerable.

I firmly believe a combination program is extremely important. Their is a "root" to all addiction and finding it, working through it, and learning coping skills is the best way to promise success. Success to me is learning a new way of coping and living and staying clean.

I will say this, the recovery is a process and different for everyone. There are variables like length or severity of addiction, lifestyle, support etc. It took some time for both of my sons to recover to the point that they regained their cognitive abilities, gained motivation, and found happiness and direction in their lives. It can get frustrating watching your child mope around, not work, not go to school, and sleep all day. My second son is working, back in college, and being productive in his life. I see my son back. My oldest son is not so fortunate. He is still trying to get his feet on the ground but his treatment started after my second sons so I expected it.

My oldest son is 25 and now living back at home. It is difficult having him here and there are days I feel helpless to help him. I know in my heart that this is helping him continue his recovery for now. I am willing to give him reasonable time to recover and at some point he will have to get back out on his own.

In summary, this program and soboxone has been extremely beneficial for both of my sons and has saved their lives. What works for one, doesnt work for another. I made sure I understood the treatment program and that it was well rounded and my sons were expected to adhere to it if they wanted my support. There is always a possibility of relapse but I believe the more they understand about their addiction and the more support they get, the more likely they are to be successful without relapse.

I wish you the best with your son, sorry for the lengthy post. xo

Lots of good thoughts and advice. Bottom line is that each person has to find the right way for themself, and if they are really ready to quit, whatever they choose will work.

All the very best to the OPer, and I hope that you will put your safety and health first. Just a thought, why not let your son find out all this and then just double check? If he has all the info, just see if what he has told you matches. You are not in charge of his program.. Just a thought.

Best wishes...but whatever he does, again, if you are not comfortable with him in your home, deal with that seperately.