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Addiction to Drugs/methadone
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Hello.. My name is Vanessa and I am a recovering drug addict. My favorite/or drug of choice is Heroin, and although I dont discriminate and have used whatever is at my disposal, Heroin has been my hardcore obstacle for the past 6 or 7 years. My question is this. I became pregnant this year and I quit using heroin when i was five months pregnant. I was told by the doctors that it wouldnt be safe for the baby to quit cold turkey so I switched to methadone and gave birth 2 months ago to a healthy baby boy. He was healthy and normal but had to be weaned off the methadone..an awful experience for me guilt-wise. Anyway, my issue is this: I have felt really good this time around, and what I mean is that I have quit many times before and have been to programs, rehabs, counseling etc.. and I have always returned to my crap. This is the first time on methadone and I havent had one relapse, not one craving that wasnt minor, i still have dreams but I know those are normal, and I have even quit smoking ciggs this month. I am so happy and proud of myself for the first time, but I am aware that this is kind of a false thing because methadone is just as bad. and I know that I should quit that too. I dont know much about it and I dont really want to know but I feel like i have to ask someone who knows and has been there so I dont get a biased answer. only facts.
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I have a semi-supportive family and they are the ones that are pressuring me to quit methadone but I do not want to relapse. This time I have way more at stake then ever before and I am terrefied of another dissapointment, not only for me but for my family. They dont understand and I dont try to make them but they all think I am cured. I know I am not. please advise...
Hey Vanessa,
First of all, a VERY BIG CONGRATULATIONS for what you have done so far. You should be very, very proud of yourself for what you have come through, and keep going.
You mentioned something at the end that made me see that you really understood what you were going through, and that was that your family think you are cured, and you do not. This shows that there is a real reason for wanting to stay clean, regardless of what other people think. Addiction is something that we have to work on, and for some people, it takes time and a lot of hard work.
But most of all, for all of us we believe, it takes a really big reason to keep us clean whether people like to admit it or not. You now know why you need to stay clean, and this is for you first of all and your little one. Staying focused on something, no matter what it is, removes our desires to use a lot of the time and this could explain why you feel it may be easier this time around - because you have something to focus on, and a reason for living.
When I got clean some years ago, I focused on my children - they were the reason that I wanted to deal with my disease and even though they were far away, it kept me going day by day.
During this time, we came up with something we call the 10 Day Challenge, and we now use it when working with people around the world. It is a way of taking stock of things, both physical and mental, and working on them over a period of 10 days. Why not take a look at it, as it will give you the kick start you need towards dealing with your next challenge of the methadone. It can be seen on a page on our website - www.egoinvenio.com.
As we are not medical doctors, we cannot advise on the methadone, but I would recommened finding a doctor that you can speak to who will give you honest advice. Explain to him your thinking and they should be able to offer more medical information than we can. I do know, from my own experience, that just like you have given up the other stuff, you will be able to do the same with methadone when you are ready - which is why I recommended the 10 Day Challenge. You have a very compelling reason for staying clean, and you know from what you have been through, that you will be able to do it.
Again, congratulations - reading your question has inspired me so well done.
Much love and gratitude
Ego Invenio
www.egoinvenio.com
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Ego Invenio
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Having had over almost 40 combined years of experience to a vast range of drugs from most illegal drugs (including cocaine, heroin, lsd, ecstacy, crack, meth, ketamine, mdma and others) to prescription drugs (codeine, benzos, sleepers, peth and morphine) and now being free from all drugs, including medically prescribed ones, for over 8 years, we can take questions from anyone struggling with addictions. Having also had close family members with problems, as well as losing friends to active addiction, we can also help family members who suspect loved ones are in trouble. We have intimate knowledge on the 12-Step Recovery Program, as well as other knowledge on philosophy, modern psychology, various religions as well as our own truly unique holistic approach.
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Raising awareness and sharing experiences from their combined “portfolio” of drug and alcohol abuse, severe self harming and a suicidal depression, they radically alter peoples perspective on the possibilities of living a life less lived. Their unique combination of life skills and experience, as well as what they now teach is something that has not been seen very often in one place. They know what it is like, but more importantly, they know what it takes to radically change lives because they have changed their own.
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After spending 18 years in professional careers in the Construction Industry, successfully managing and working on multi-million pound world renowned international projects, Jeroen Coenen and Gareth Stubbs made the decision a few years ago that there was more to life than a professional career, business life and finances.
Passionate about pushing themselves to the limit, they have dedicated the last 12 years to seeing what they were capable of, and in radically changing their own lives, who were their own harshest critics, the realised that “this stuff actually changes other people’s lives too” and that for them, was more important about anything else. Knowing their own ultimate secret to finding, achieving but more importantly, retaining true personal freedom lead them to join forces, and it is then that Ego Invenio was born.
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Now qualified, certified and highly experienced Master Practitioners of NLP, Coaching, Hypnosis & Creation Technologies, as well as Certified Trainers of Neuro Linguistic Programming, Gareth and Jeroen have had the privilege of meeting and working with some of the leading experts in the world in search of only the latest and best information that they now share.
“These guys demonstrate something that is missing in so many . . . they are incredible role models, people who we should look up to and be in awe of . . . AND they are the most down to earth, accessible and genuine men too. They have had, and continue to be on, their own personal journeys. They have experienced pain, frustration, fear and sadness. They are living every day being present and are pure examples of this. Together and individually one moment you could be having the deepest, most serious talk of your life with them, the next moment laughing hysterically at something so trivial that you just remember what being alive is really about. Being YOU is precious and something only you can do. Gareth and Jeroen make your journey so much easier."
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