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Stories of Recovery
Name: |
Tony |
Age: |
41 |
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| Drug of Choice: |
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Vicuprofen, Soma |
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| How did you become addicted? |
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I had a severe lower back injury in the gym when I was 23. I was not diagnosed, nor did I take any rx meds at that time, only tylenoll and advil.
Over the years, I would have periodic, severe relapse of pain,but never went to a doctor. I would simply take tylenol or ibuprofen.
My addiction began just after I got married. My wife's father was a family physician and even though I was just beginning my career in finance and had my own health insurance, I would go to see my Father in Law for various minor health issues.
One day I hurt my back so badly that I was in bed for four days with my wife helping me get out of bed and put no my socks, etc. She took me to her Father and he prescribed Darvon. That was the beginning of the end for me.
I have an addictive personality and alchohol addiction runs in my family.
I stopped getting the meds from my Father in Law (for fear of him finding out I had stolen gobs of the stuff frmo his family practice.
For the next 10 years, I easily got doctors to prescribe darvon, darvocet, fioricet,percocet,soma, robaxin, naprosyn,vicodin vicodin ES and my latest drug of choice, vicuprofen 10/200. I have gotten scripts even when my back did not hurt.
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| Your turning point? (What made you choose recovery?) |
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Chronic acute pain began to rule my life. Before law school, during times of no pain, I would take the medication only on weekends. It never seemded to be a problem. It made life feel great.
I got to the point where I added a week day or two, then once a day after work.
After ten years of this behavior (and until recently) I was taking 6 10/200 Vicuprofen right out of bed, six at lunch and six or seven (sometimes eight) at night along withn four of five soma to boot.
My wife eventually caught on and my wife five year old daughter began to be the focal point of my strange jeckyl hyde personality caused by the drug use.
I finally told my wife I needed to stop and cried and cried because I did not want to stop. It was like saying goodbye to a long time friend who would never come back to see me.
Nevertheless, I knew that I could lose my family, my job, my law license, my health and everything I had worked so hard for to be as successful as I had become.
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| Tell us about your recovery. |
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Just last Friday, I chose to not take any more meds, determined to cold turkey myself out of addiction. Friday at work was hell. I cried for most of the day with my door shut, dealing with the nasty physical symptoms.
I saw my doctor that afternoon and told him that I never wanted to take another pain med, but that I was a raging addict.
He was really sympathetic and has put me on a three week program which inlcudes ativan on a three times a day for the first week basis, twice a day for the second week and once a day as needed for the third week, together with 4-6 vicuprofen a day form the first week, 2-3 vic a day for the second week and 1/2 to 1 a day for the third week.
It has only been four days but I have not taken vic during the morning or afternoon for the past three days(first time in two years)and am even beginning to feel like I will be able to stop taking the vic in the evening pretty soon.
I am determined to be free by the end of the three weeks. With the help of my family, my friends whom I have told and God, I pray I will be free shortly. |
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| Your advice to others? |
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Never take it, ever, ever. It is addicting from the first time you put it in your system.
Deal with your pain in other ways, like I am now, i.e. P.T., lots of stretching, hot baths, Home TENS unit, massages, chiropractic, and anything else BUT the pain meds.
Good luck and may God bless you as he has blessed me to get to this point.
I want my life back. |
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