I’m 13 days clean from Oxycodone and Hydromorphone. I’m now on Suboxone and it’s been working great for the physical withdrawal symptoms, but I’m starting to get the craving to take my DOC again.
just wondering if anyone has any advice about how to manage cravings. I’m so close to two weeks clean and I don’t want to mess that up. But my brain is saying use again. My friend has a saying, “your brain wants you dead but it will settle for drunk or stoned”. Today my brain is not on my side lol.
I have anxiety meds that I can take, and I did take one this morning to help me settle.
Old this be a sign that I need a dose increase on my Suboxone? I’m at 16mg right now and it’s been working but the cravings are strong today.
Any advice is greatly appreciated, And I understand that none of it is medical advice; I see my doctor again on Monday.
Good morning Jordan. Congrats on day 13. Alcoholic here! I cannot imagine what you are going through.
Try checking out the search engine on the top right here. Where the magnifying glass is. I know plenty of people here that have gone through what you’re going through. You might find so good reads.
I did and still do tons of gratitude work for my sobriety and it definitely helps battle my anxiety. Come on over if you’re willing and join us.
My advice to managing cravings is to work a program. I prefer a 12 step program but there are many others out there to choose from. I was told early on that I only had to change one thing and that’s everything about my life.
There is no magic pill (or film in this case) that’s going to cure us. Suboxone is excellent for withdrawals but increasing to avoid cravings will only prolong the inevitable of having to work on making lifestyle changes.
Revisit your “why’s” for getting clean, keep busy, and ride out those cravings like a storm. Cravings never killed anyone, but the alternative has.
Congrats on the 13 days, I understand what you are taking now does help with those cravings, glad you are strictly following medical advice. I have found 12 step programs work.
I went to an NA meeting with a friend this evening and got a lot of support. I’m going to start the 12 step program to try and help make sense of all of this and get the support I’m needing.
Thanks for the recommendations, I appreciate the help
Tomorrow is two weeks clean and I’m happy about that.
Thats fantastic Jordan! So glad u got to a meeting!! Having a strong support system is crucial for recovery. We cant do this alone! Im excited about ur 2 weeks tomorrow I will be looking for ur check in!
One of the things that really helped me stay away was thinking about how miserable I was from the withdrawals. How I felt like I was dying, how I couldn’t even sleep, eat, drink, function at all. I’d tell myself “do you really want to go through that again?” Sometimes that helped once I was past the withdrawals.
Another thing that helped me during the time I struggled with pills was smarties. Careful though, some things work better for some than others. For me the action of doing something without actually doing the bad thing worked. For others it can be triggering. So make sure to really evaluate yourself before doing any of these, maybe it’s something you do later in your recovery.
But crunching on smarties helped me because I used to just chew and eat my pills a lot of the time. So that crunch helped me. Plus the sugar released a few pleasant chemicals in my brain too. For a while i would fill up an allergy pill bottle with them. It helped me transition of the drug while still doing a physical action that felt mechanical. I dont do it anymore but keeping the muscle memory of action until I was past it really helped.
Same thing with drinking. I couldn’t do the non alchs at first it was too triggering but I’d pour grape juice into a wine glass after a hard day and it helped.
When i quit vaping I taped 4 short simtring straws together to be the size of my Juul and could breath through it and chew on it.
Sometimes things like that can really help, but again these can be triggering for others.
Don’t give up your fight. I promise you it’s not worth it. Especially with pills. The first time I relapsed I almost died. My tolerance wasn’t the same and I really fucked myself up. Remember to come here. Seek out your community. You’ll find a ton of support and a ton of ideas you never even thought to try. If you need anything please feel free to dm
Sounds great. There are a lot of people who use them too. You don’t have to do this alone. Come. Stay. And get connected. Grab some of those phone numbers, and? use them.
is. I know plenty of people here that have gone through what you’re going through. You might find so good reads.
