Drug Rehab Options Blog

I watched a clever fairy-tale movie last night with my kids. It's called Stardust, with Claire Danes? Anyway, at one point, the characters had a bottle of wine at a picnic and they'd not even finished their first glasses and they had to rush off somewhere. I'm not sure where because I found myself getting all anxious about these fictional characters leaving a perfectly good bottle of wine behind. In a movie.

I swear it was all I could do to say out loud, "Go back and get the wine!" I stopped myself just barely by realizing that it would sound so strange to my kids and husband.

Been sober for almost 10 months but an alcoholic through and through. Nothing like a little reminder.

A year ago, I came here, to this forum and poured my heart out to you. I spoke about my son, my beautiful then 19 year old boy, an alcoholic and cocaine addict. And oh yes - let's not forget the marijuana and all the other mind-altering substances. I spoke about the rampant stealing, lying and all the horrific behavior that ruined all of our lives for the previous six years. I had no hope. I was at the point that I had completely given up and believe me, that wasn't easy. Then one day, he was evicted from his apartment for non-payment of rent and we weren't there to bail him out. He wanted to come home and we said no. He begged us and we said, "We're sorry, son, you can't stay here anymore." This was the hardest thing my husband and I ever did in our lives. In the dead of winter, my son lived in his car, with no gas, no money and no food. His next phone call was to a rehab center.

Our son has now been sober for 10 months. He attends AA meetings faithfully, holds down 2 jobs and is one of the best people I have ever met in my life. I write this to let you know that if it can happen for us, it can happen for you. There's hope.

i have not been here in a while so heres the thing, i was clean almost 3 years
(two years 10 months) whent on a cruise with some family and drank i stoped again a few days after i returned. i told the people in my support group not (a.a) and did not drink again till halloween night and that weekend and have not drank again i have not been back to my group because i'm not sure how i feel or were im heading. at this point i know that i can not drink the way i like too so i need to just not drink easeier said then done. i'm embaresed to tell my group and i'm thinking i should just wait till after the holidays in case i slip again...i know it's crazy thinking but my mind is just not in the game i think it has not been since the cruies. any advice would help

I've been sober almost 10 months after 7 years of very heavy drinking. I went through a horrible 10 day medical detox, DT's, seizure (while on ativan), and then 30 day residental treatment. The entire time I never slept more than 2 or 3 hours a night, and after detox we weren't able to even take naps during the day because we were always in classes.

Anyway, It's been hard since January, and I still haven't got my sleep or appetite back yet. It hasn't even really improved at all. I am usually awake for 24-48 hours straight, then sleep for 6-8 hours, then I'm awake for another 24-48. It's been taking a major physical toll. I went to see my dr. while I was still employed and he gave me trazadone. It didn't phase me. Then I lost my insurance and can't even afford to see a dr., let alone fill a prescription.

Something I remember from recovery is HALT. Hurt, angry, lonely, and tired. I still struggle to not drink every day but each day my resolve becomes stronger. I know taking a drink will not help me only make things much worse.

I'm just, well, exhausted, all the time. All my other withdrawl symptoms are gone but this one. How long until my brain goes back to normal? Has anybody gone through this and have any advice to offer?

I've tried routines, herbal teas, melatonin, relaxation exercises... I don't know what to do.:praying

friends,

we leave tomorrow to drive to pick up my son on Wednesday Oct. 21. He will be leaving rehab after 10 months and proceeding to a halfway house (we take him) in Atlanta, Georgia. The environment seems to be very structured from all that I have read. He will need to go on five job interviews per day.
I am anxious but at the same time hopeful. I am proud that he has achieved being ten months clean. I want him to have a better life and hope that he will be able to find a job that will enable him to stay in the halfway house. We are willinging to pay for a period of time as long as he abides by the rules and tries to seek employment.
It has been a long journey for our family.........at time heart breaking. Please say a prayer for our family and my son that the transition will be something that he can handle. It will be a big step for him.
Thank you for any feedback. I am just thankful for all of you who have supported me.
Sincerely, dixied

My fiance of 6 years and father to my 10 months old is on his way home last night. Im shaking sweating heart pumping cant focus on anything knowing Im going to be lied to. I have developed this gift/curse I call "cokedar." I know froma 5 sec phone conversation whether I need to look for eveidence of a slip up..I cant even call it that anymore because you would have to be clean more than a week.So he comes home has 5 cigs in 15 mins (sure sign of use) Just tyhe way he was acting I culd tell and I actually refused to believe his lie. I told hiM i wish I could believe hime but I just am smarter than that, He still denies it. Even though he was up late and blowing his nose alot telling me I dont want u to think I did ****. CAlled me today I gave himn the coldest shoulder I could muster. and hes just trying to be nicey nice....GRRRR Ive been living this hell for along time. I wish I was ignnorant or blissfully unaware but no go. I torture myself. I love him. Ive done nothing but want to help him. I have a list of naranon meetings for myself but I cant seem to get myself to go. Mostly cause I have no one to watch my son and wont leave him alone with his father for an extened period of time...how sad is that. Weve on the "last time train" for about a year. But I am coming to my wits end. Its is physically and mentally hurting me and my son. I wont allow my son to grow up in a home like I did with an addict of a difdferent drug my father killed himself with alcohol when I was 12. My fiances father killed himself with coke by the time he was 3. I wish I could type more I have alot going on in this stressed out head. I am hurt and scared I have no where to go. I dont know how to handle this anymore.

Last night, my boyfriend of 10 months, a recovering heroin addict, relapsed after over 6 months of sobriety. I was mentally and emotionally prepared for this to happen. I recognize that it is part of recovery, and I know that he does better each time. However, he didn't just relapse last night; he overdosed and almost died. THAT I was not prepared for. He had gone to visit an old friend that he had frequently used with, convinced that he was strong enough to resist the temptation to indulge in old habits. They went to another friend's apartment, where they had heroin, needles, spoons... They said he could have whatever he wanted. I don't know a single addict who could turn an offer like that down. So he shot up, passed out and woke up with his two friends kneeling over him, screaming for him to breathe. He said it felt like a tank was parked on his chest, and that he was sure that he was going to die, right there on the floor of a drug dealer's sh***y apartment. They were able to revive him with narcan. If they hadn't had narcan, I don't doubt that he would have died. I hope he knows that every breath he takes from now on is a gift and a privelege.
It's impossible to know what to say to him. He came to my apartment directly from all of this. He still had drugs in his system, and he was acting strange. I knew within the first few minutes that he had relapsed. I'd noticed that he was trying not to cry, but was avoiding answering any questions about his mood. It wasn't until over an hour later that he told me about his relapse and overdose. Almost as soon as he told me what had happened, I wanted to cry, but I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and decided that I wouldn't shed a single tear. I knew that now was a time to be strong, and that's what I was.
Do I punish him for relapsing? Do I support his recovery? I don't know how to respond. I'm bewildered by everything that's happened in the past 24 hours. Last night was only the second time I'd ever seen him on drugs. We've known each other for five years, but somehow he always managed to keep his relationship with me basically separated from his drug use. He kept nodding out, trailing off in the middle of a sentence and closing his eyes. Then we were lying in bed and he was behind me with his arms around me, and I noticed he'd stopped breathing. It went on for maybe 10 or 15 second, then he took a sharp, deep breath. This kept happening throughout the night.
I'm as shaken up about this relapse as I am for one main reason - I was prepared for relapse, I realize that it was a very real possibility. But, I never really realized that he could relapse and perhaps die. This is a man I want to share my future with, who I want to marry, to raise children with, to grow old with. I'd be devastated if he was killed by his addiction. I'm very frightened.
Splitting up is a virtual impossibility. I love this man with my whole heart and soul. He is so smart, sensitive, capable, and compassionate. He treats me like a queen and loves me more deeply than I thought possible, in our ten months of dating, we have only had two mild fights, both of which were resolved within the day they happened. We work extremely well together and he makes me happier than anyone or anything ever has. But addiction is a dangerous and unpredictable thing; to get through this, I need some kind words and advice from other women dealing with addict boyfriends or husbands, and suggestions on how to respond to relapse. Any response is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Jasmine

Hi-I am desperate-I have joined your forum cos I live in spain and last night tried to email the samaritans cos im that desperate and you cant do it from here.....I have lost 30,000 on internet gambling in 10 months-that was to be my hubby and mines future...i cant even tell him...i just want to die to end the pain

I found SR very close to my sober day, in fact I was basically making my decision to stay sober during my first few days with the forum. I've spent almost all my time at SR in the New to Addiction and Recover section and I've benefited from some great support and tried to give some in return. On the last day I drank (July 12th 2008) I had my first black out after decades of binge drinking and it really got my attention. Things had been getting worse and worse over the last couple years, and especially the last 10 months or so before July. I'm not an AA person and I don't intend to go to AA meetings but I do see the value in much of the program.

As I'm approaching 90 days without alcohol it feels like I'm in newly dangerous territory so I'm opening this thread here because I think it will reach an audience that includes a variety of lengths of experience with sobriety. I'll also let my friends in the Class of July 2008 know of this thread.

Here's what's going on any given day lately. These don't all happen at the same time, but some of them do. Some are in conflict with each other.

1. I'm thinking that I'm good at this and maybe I don't have as bad of a problem as I thought I did.
2. Ninety days seems like a lot which makes me think of this long term, rather than one day at time.
3. Alcohol advertising is getting me irritated more often lately. Even worse, the movies and shows that have everyone turning to drink when times go bad or when they want to have fun.
4. There are way too many drinking/drug/party songs!!! Do you ever get to the point where you can enjoy them because they're otherwise good songs?

None of this is new ground to you or to me but it seems different/worse right now. I don't have strong urges to drink, and rarely even get medium urges, but....I don't know....it seems like I should be happier.

Is it common to hit this point in the road around 90 days? For those that hit this at 90 or at some other amount of time I'd appreciate knowing how you did it.

Thanks for reading this far down.

My name is nichole and my brother is a heroin addict, he is 21 yrs old and a wonderful guy with a heart of gold, he just has this horrible addiction that is pulling him under. He was using pills first for 10 months and then started with heroin for about 2 months, he went to detox, the rehab and then a halfway house where he relaspsed about 2 weeks ago and they kicked him out, he has only used that one time so he says and has been sleeping out on the street, i told him to come to my home until he can get into another place but im in another state about 2 hrs away and i guess thats just too far away from the girl he met in detox that he is seeing, shes a nice girl but he shouldnt be involved right now, and hes worrying about her instead of himself. this is killing me, im up all night, sick to my stomach, having panic attacks, and even not paying as much attention to my 8 month old son, i love my brother with all my heart but just dont know what to do, am i really helpless? How do i sit back and watch him destroy his life??????? On top of this he may go to jail tomorrow, he violated his probation awhile back and has a surrender hearing...........someone please talk to me, i need to talk and understand from others what i need to do.........thank you