My daughter is still free from heroin. She will be starting college in August and I'm so proud of her. We don't talk about it [heroin] anymore. She doesn't want to talk about it...she doesn't want to think about it. These days its like it never happened. Shes a very different person now.
Sometimes, I have to be very careful about what I say to her. For example, [I say, "wow I don't think you should be doing that because you might mess up] ..she immediately thinks I'm talking about heroin...I can tell by the way she looks at me...then I have to make myself clear. I'm just happy that she's not using heroin and hasn't used since February 2008.
I watched as she struggled to stay away from her friends that used....friends that still use. She told me that when she sees them driving around [they just nod]...she's no longer in the group. Sometimes she misses them but mainly she just stays away and they stay away from her. They know that she's clean and I think they wish they were but for some reason they just can't do it....I wonder if after a while you just give up, tell yourself you can't quit so you just stop trying. I just wish kids and adults would stop and think before they use heroin...its a horrible, horrible addiction.
I still think that she wouldn't be clean if it weren't for suboxone. I really believe that it was the key to her success along with other techniques like staying away from users, places, etc. and most importantly going to a counseler. She has been off the suboxone for about 6 months or longer...I can't remember now.
It took me a while to be able to relax....but now I'm relaxed but I'll never forget what happened to my teenager who made a horrible choice to use heroin. She has a diary about her addiction...of course, she doesn't read it. She'd like to publish it one day.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Daughter still free from heroin
Saturday, January 31, 2009
The New Face of Heroin Addiction
The New Face of Heroin has none of the normal signs of heroin addiction.
The New Face of Heroin can be 12 years old, stylish and smart. The New Face of Heroin addiction can be your son or your daughter. Be concerned. Be a parent. Learn everything you can about heroin. Knowledge is power.
The drugfreeworld.org has some fantastic literature about drugs. The Truth About Heroin brochure is very informative. The brochure describes heroin, origins of heroin, what it looks like, what it's called on the street, statistics, effects, long term effects, etc.
Remember the signs of heroin addiction have NEW FACES...one of those faces could be someone you love.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Real Side of Teen Heroin Addiction
This video is so real to me. It makes me want to cry because
it brings back so many memories. This brings it home.
The foundation for a drug free world has lots of information,
videos, etc. on their website.
Daughter Update
Good news. She's still not using heroin. YAY! She's still okay, actually better than okay. Seems to be adapting to life without heroin...and all the crap that goes with it. Funny, how some of the things I told her a long time ago she's recalling now. Like the definition of insanity; doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, Albert Einstein. I love that one. Anyway, things are going really well...and I have to admit that I'm really proud of her. How'd she break away from her love affair with heroin? Suboxone and lots of counseling by an addiction counselor...I don't think one works without the other.
Friday, January 2, 2009
About Suboxone-that little orange pill
A lot of you have emailed me asking about suboxone and how it works. This is what I observed from my daughter when she started taking it.
My daughter was 17 when I found out she'd been shooting heroin everyday in parking lots for a year. Yeah, she was an addict. One of her friends called me to let me know she was in trouble [addicted bad]. Luckily, she was already undergoing therapy for anger, anxiety and depression from a psychiatrist who also specialized in addiction therapy [seboxone].
She was really sick. I drove her to see her psychiatrist and he took one look at her, asked if she was sick and then gave her a 4mg seboxone. In about 20 minutes she was laughing and happy. That was the beginning of a year of seboxone use. Yep, she messed up twice within a two month period but other than that she took her seboxone regularly. If she didn't take it she was very, snappy and angry. I could always tell.
When she started taking the suboxone she was taking 8mg once a day. It made her very sleepy. So she broke it up and took 4mg in the morning and 4mg at night. Sometimes she would just take 8mg at night. She progressed to only needing 4mg a day...again she broke it in half and took 2mg in the morning and 2mg at night. At about the 9 month period she was taking 1mg in the morning and 1mg at night...at about 10 months she was taking 1/2mg...then reduced her dose to just a few crumbs each day....then to nothing. She was okay for the first couple of days and then started to experience slight flu-like symptoms, slight leg cramps, backache, headache....She didn't even realize she was going through withdrawals. She thought she had the flu. She's perfectly fine now. A happy, healthy 18 year old.
One important thing about suboxone is that its really important to take it everyday. I can't stress that enough. You may think you don't need it but you do. Don't stop taking it...honestly, I think it's your brain trying to sabatoge your recovery. My daughter went through the same thing at about month 4. She was convinced that she was fine and didn't need to take it any longer. Suboxone is also very nasty tasting and because you have to let it dissolve under your tongue...it's pretty bad. Her side effects ranged from hot flashes, some nausea and slight headaches. She took alot of advil and motrin. She seemed pretty happy with the suboxone as far as cravings were concerned. If you think your dosage needs adjusting talk to your doctor about it. Her doctor told her it was very important to make sure she was taking the right dose because every person is different. Some may need 16mg twice a day while others only need 8mg once a day....
There are many sites about suboxone. Here are a couple of places to start.
Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals website has a physician locator and loads of information
A non-profit organization formed to help people find treatment for opioid dependency with suboxone. They offer loads of information about seboxone and links to an online forum. They also have an online physician finder by State.
If you have specific questions about suboxone ask the Suboxone Doctor.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Heroin: Narco-Terroism
According to the December 23, 2008 Washington Post article.
Afghan Farmer Helps Convict Taliban Member in U.S. Court by Del Quentin Wilber
An Afghan farmer named Jaweed, first told US federal agents stationed in Afghanistan of a Taliban plot to attack the US air base with rockets. He later worked with them on an opium and heroin deal. He secretly recorded Khan Mohammed, a Taliban member more than 10 times. The farmer, Jaweed purchased 11 kilograms of opium and later 2 kilograms of heroin from Mohammed. He told him that his friend was sending the powder to the US and France, mostly to American cities. Mohammed said, "Good, may God turn all the infidels into dead corpses, whether it is by opium or by shooting, this is our common goal."
Jaweed said he decided to help the US because he was tired of the violence and he didn't want his country to be destroyed and his foreign friends harassed or bothered. Jaweed's undercover work led to Mohammed's arrest at a police check point and he was flown to the US in October 2006. Mohammed was convicted in May of drug trafficking and engaging in narco-terrorism. He was sentenced to life in prison on December 22, 2008.
This story justifies what I've thought all along. First, they hate the US and will try to harm us anyway possible even through narco-terroism. So the next time you buy heroin remember who you're funding.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year
Happy New Year Everyone!
I still have my Christmas Tree up...I'm leaving it up until Saturday. Is that wrong? My grandmother always said it was a sin to leave your tree up. What? No, really she said, "If you don't take your tree down before New Years Day the devil will knock it down." I think it was just an excuse to take it down because as a child I never wanted to take the tree down. I love the lights. I love looking at the lights. I put on as many lights as possible. It's very twinkly.
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