This lady blew me away with her story because she has been one of my most compliant with methadone therapy. One day, she volunteered to help others who may be struggling with addiction and recovery. I begged her to share her story.
At 14 years old, in 1988, I started smoking weed. At 16 years old, in 1990, I tripped on acid about three times. At 18 years old, in 1992, I started snorting cocaine for 6 months and once I mixed heroin with the cocaine together and snorted it. I almost OD'd and it scared me to where I went to a religious sobriety program called Victory Outreach for about 3 weeks.
At 27 years old, in 2002, I started snorting cocaine again, smoking weed, and drinking. At 28 years old, in 2003, I went to a 7-day detox program. When I completed the detox program, I went home, partied on GHB, and did too much. I almost died. I stayed clean for about 2 months but then started smoking cocaine daily again.
At around 30 years old, in 2005, I went to a 7-day detox and a 30-day program and graduated the program. But sadly, the same day I went home, I relapsed and started smoking cocaine daily again. At 34 years old, in 2009, I was drinking vodka and rum on a daily basis and smoking cocaine daily as well, so I decided to go to a 7-day detox and 30-day program. I stayed sober for about 1 year.
At 35 years old, in 2010, I relapsed and started smoking cocaine daily again, but then I switched from cocaine to meth. At 36 years old, in 2012, I started smoking meth daily. At 40 years old, in 2015, I started taking lortabs and Percocets on a daily basis due to neck and back pain and smoking meth daily.
At 43 years old, in 2018, I started shooting roxy 30s intravenously for my back and neck pain and smoking meth on a daily basis. I also took 19 Flexeril cuz I did not have any roxie 30s and was hurting really bad and was trying to go to sleep because I was going through withdrawals. I was hospitalized for two or three days due to the Flexeril turning into lsd in my brain.
At 44 years old, I started shooting heroin intravenously because the roxy 30s were too expensive and I was smoking meth on a daily basis. At 45 years old, in 2020, I had scared myself from dying numerous times while I was shooting heroin. Plus, my veins in my arms had collapsed and were not working anymore, so I had to start shooting in my neck.
At 45 years old, in July 2020, I decided to go to a methadone clinic to get off the heroin. I was prescribed 65 mg of liquid methadone 7 days a week, which is phase 1, and I had to do three contacts a week which included group meetings and counseling sessions. I still smoked meth for about 6 months into the program. I finally decided that I had to choose either quit the meth or take a chance of getting kicked out of the program and having to get back on heroin again.
At 46 years old, in 2021, I quit smoking meth and continued my methadone program. Three years later, at 49 years old, in 2024, I am still in the methadone program on phase 6, and I am prescribed 57 mg of methadone daily and two counseling sessions a week. At 49 years old, in 2024, I am 3 years clean off of meth and 4 years clean off of heroin. I feel like the methadone has chemically balanced my brain.
For the past four years that I've been in this methadone program, I have not relapsed at all. The desire to get high is completely gone. I still experience pain in my neck and back on a daily basis. I no longer use illegal drugs or abuse prescription drugs. The methadone that I am prescribed helps me with my pain a little, although I still experience extreme neck and back pain on a daily basis. The desire to get high and abuse drugs and drink alcohol is completely gone for the first time in 30 years.
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