It Is Possible To Stop Using Opioids?
Seeing a life outside of addiction as a possibility is the first step toward recovery from opiate addiction.
Most of us have seen endless terrifying headlines about opiate addiction, as well as morbidly graphic images of the crisis's toll: ruined lives, overdose, and death. This is where the crisis is covered by the media. When the conversation veers away from the slew of tragic stories and statistics, it tends to lean toward punitive solutions, such as changing laws and catching drug dealers.
People who are struggling with opiate addiction may not have easy access to motivation and role models who have successfully recovered. This is especially true for those who require non-cold turkey alternatives such as methadone or Suboxone on a long-term basis. Seeing opiate addiction as a possibility is the first step toward recovery. The next step is to determine one's own path, which will differ from person to person.
The following are just a few examples of people in recovery who have made their stories public.
1.Ryan O'Callaghan suboxone near me
Ryan O'Callaghan, a former NFL player, just went public with his story. He revealed using Vicodin to cover his fears of being secretly gay in a Washington Post interview, and how he nearly killed himself. When he started coming out to his family and friends, he found that they were supportive.
2.Nikki Sixx suboxone near me
Mötley Crüe was co-founded by Nikki Sixx. He authored a memoir and a soundtrack about overcoming heroin addiction, which he attributes to having a supportive family and 12-step group, as well as access to good healthcare.
He has been an outspoken champion for improved solutions to the opioid issue, including increased funding for addiction research and access to the overdose-reversing medicine naloxone. He is also the founder of the website The Heroin Diaries, which was recently highlighted in the LA Times.
"No one chooses to be a junkie," he says emphatically. And no junkie is hopeless. Addiction is not a problem that can be handled behind closed doors. It's a disease, a societal issue, and a systemic failing. Individuals are accountable for their own rehabilitation, but we often struggle and suffer in silence and secrecy, just as we do when we sin. Silence and secrecy are not conducive to finding solutions. As a result, I'm speaking up. You should, too. Because today another 142 individuals will perish."
3.Elizabeth Brico suboxone near me
Elizabeth Brico is a freelance writer who writes about addiction and life after trauma on her blog Betty's Battleground, which was just named one of the top 75 PTSD blogs by Feedspot. She's a Workit contributor who shares her own experiences with Suboxone and methadone in a refreshingly frank and straightforward manner. Vox, Vice, The Fix, Talk Poverty, Ozy, Racked, Stat, and The Establishment have all published her work on addiction, mental illness, and injustice.
4.Ivana Grahovac suboxone near me
At Facing Addiction, Ivana Grahovac is the director of advancement. She has been in long-term recovery from heroin addiction and eating disorders, and she has a proven track record of success in both treatment centers and university recovery programs. "Society doesn't believe individuals like me can get better...and doesn't believe heroin addicts deserve a better life after they get sober," she says. And all of those unreasonable beliefs are a hallmark of the heroin addict's experience." (On Facebook, you may hear her narrative in her own words.)
5.Kali Lux suboxone near me
Kali Lux is the Community Lead at Workit Health, where she creates and curates material for those seeking recovery from addiction as well as those who are already in recovery. Kali's writing about overcoming her own opiate addiction has been featured on Thrive Global and the Workit blog (see her recovery writing here: 6 Reasons Why My Recover Might Look Different Than Yours (And Why That's OK.)
If you are currently struggling with an opiate addiction, I hope this serves as a reminder that recovery is possible for everyone and that there are many different roads to recovery.
