Suggested Reading
Dr. J.N., New York, NY, January, 2000 "High Bottom
Drunk may prove to be the definitive work on addiction and recovery,
and I think I've read them all. HBD should be required reading for
everyone who is old enough to pour a drink or roll a joint."
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One of the most difficult aspects of opiate withdrawal is the
lack of sleep. Most things like sleeping pills won't work. You
still won't sleep and they are addictive too, so you could end
up replacing one habit with another.
Remember, there are no easy solutions, you've just got to bite
the bullet and ride it out.
Finally, don't get hung up thinking about the length of time that
a detox is going to take. just try to get through one day at a
time. Its difficult trying to imagine a life without drugs, but
far easier to make it through to the end of a day. Then you can
again start afresh tomorrow. Remember, every day
that you manage to stay clean is an investment in your own future; and ifyou can't be bothered
to invest in yourself, you can be pretty damn certain that nobody
else will.
How long
does it take?
How long is a piece of string? It all depends what drugs you use,
how much you've been using, how long you've been using for and
what your own particular metabolism is like.
Somebody who has been
using benzodiazepine might take months to feel normal. Heroin
usually takes anywhere between three days and two weeks.
Methadone seems to
take much longer than heroin. It can last anywhere from two weeks
to a month before you start to feel normal again. However long
it takes, don't let it get to you. Three days without sleep will
begin to feel like a week. A week without sleep will feel like
a month. A month without sleep and you start to feel as though
you're going mad. You aren't. Your mind and body will snatch some
sleep as you need it. It might only be the odd five minutes here
and there, but it's better than none.
Remember, the longer
you've been clean, the more you've actually got invested in your
detox, so when the going gets tough just congratulate yourself
for the success that you've achieved so far, and try to make it
through to the next morning. And then start again, doing it one
day at a time.
If you are...
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