Step 2 – Deciding on a treatment plan

 

The second step you need to take to get clean, is to look at how you are going to do that. Rushing into detox without thinking it through rarely works. Very few people succeed in getting or staying clean with their first detox and this is usually because they didn’t prepare properly for it.

 

It is documented that only 25% of all patients attempting detox will complete it and 95% of these will relapse within six weeks. As you can see, there is a very high failure rate when it comes to getting clean.   Assess whether you think you are ready for detox, by scoring the chart below.

 

 

Pro’s

 

Con’s

 

Better quality of life

 

Withdrawal symptoms  

 

Improved relationships with family/friends  

 

Risk of relapse and failure  

 

More money  

 

Boredom  

 

Better health  

 

Losing contact with friends that use  

 

Less stress  

 

Missing the feeling of using  

 

Freedom from being controlled by drugs

 

Missing the routine of scoring  

 

Reduced risk of imprisonment  

 

Missing the routine of using  

 

Better sex drive  

 

Depression  

 

Career prospects  

 

Feeling ill initially after detox  

 

Able to move home  

 

Having to face reality  

 

Provide a better life for your children  

 

Loss of money made dealing  

 

 

 

Preparation

Now that you have decided that you want to get clean, you should prepare yourself for the detox that is in front of you. There is no other way to get off opiates, so you must resign yourself to the fact that it isn’t going to be the best week of your life. However, you will get through it and can look forward to a much better life afterwards.

 

Think about what problems you are going to encounter after your detox and make a list of these. Sort out anything you can beforehand or try to think of how you are going to sort it out once you are clean.

 

 

 

Look at things like:

 

  • Housing

  • Financial

  • Employment

  • Relationship

  • Legal issues

 

Think about what you are going to do after your detox. You will need to change your lifestyle in order to remain clean.  Make a list of these things too.

 

Look at things like:

 

  • Moving house

  • Getting a job

  • Making new friends

  • Triggers – think of what makes you use and what you can do to change it. Focus on what causes you to quit a detox.  

 

AREA TO LOOK AT

 

PROBLEMS

 

WHAT CAN BE DONE

 

HOUSING

 

 

 

 

MONEY

 

 

 

 

EMPLOYMENT

 

 

 

 

RELATIONSHIPS

 

 

 

 

LEGAL ISSUES

 

 

 

 

 

 

RELAPSE TRIGGERS

(i.e. Going into old neighbourhood, seeing certain friends, getting money)  

WHAT CAN BE DONE 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next you need to look at what type of detox you would like to do. A lot of this of course depends on what you can afford and whether you can get a place somewhere. If you are unable to get funding for a rehab program then you will need to look at whether your Dr will give you some medication for the detox at home. If this is a problem, don’t panic. It is possible to do a detox at home with some over the counter medications. Obviously it wont be as easy as going to a clinic and being medicated but it is possible and I personally think that if your detox is too easy, it is easier to relapse afterwards.

 

Get in touch with your local drug treatment center for an appointment to discuss your options and decide whether or not you would like some counselling before and after the detox. 

 

If you are unable to get medication from anywhere you could always try to buy it on the street. Don’t buy any opiate based medications. Instead try to source some sleeping tablets. These are the main things that you need for your detox, as sleep is the worst problem to overcome.

 

I would also speak to someone about Naltrexone at this point, as this is a very proven way to prevent against relapse. Naltrexone (often called ReVia in the USA) is non-addictive and blocks the opiate receptors in the brain. This means that even if you use opiates, you wont be able to feel the effects from them. It acts as a safety net and reduces the thoughts and cravings for opiates, as well as giving you time to break the habit of using.

 

You can also get a Naltrexone implant. The implant is inserted through a small incision in the abdomen and the procedure takes less than half an hour, under a local anaesthetic. Naltrexone implants come in varying strengths: 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 month or 12 months. However they are quite expensive and are only available privately, so you need the money up front.

 

If you are able to pay for and source an implant, I would highly recommend this as it was the only thing that worked for me. However, the tablets are available too and in the UK they are free from the drug treatment services.

 

YOU MUST BE CLEAN OF ALL OPIATES FOR A MINIMUM OF 3 DAYS BEFORE TAKING THESE, OR YOU WILL BE VERY ILL. 

 

Whatever you do, don’t take this if you have took heroin. I did once and believe me, it was a nightmare!! I was ill for 3 days and no matter how much heroin I took, it didn’t make me feel any better.   Don’t say you haven’t been warned!