Essential Hacks for Overcoming Opioid Addiction

I was a daily opioid abuser for over 13 years. I’ve been clean since January 2014 due to a few simple things I call, “Recovery Hacks”. Anyone can do them. Sadly, most people won’t. They’ll take a shortcut and tell themselves, “Suboxone will do all the work”.

More on this later.

What started as a solution for lower back pain in 2000 became a 13-year addiction to opioids. I used any opioid I could get ahold of, including hydrocodone, oxymorphone, Opana, oxycodone, percocet, OxyContin, and many others. I purchased pills on the internet, borrowed from friends, family, and anyone else who would share their pills. I never had enough, ever.

The pills helped with back pain for a few years, but I quickly realized they made me feel lighter, stronger, more energetic and motivated. They also became my solution for dealing with life’s problems, numbing me from having to face them. Pills became my “escape hatch” from life’s many problems.

• I tried to quit at least 30 times, but never succeeded. Often, I ended up taking even more.
• I married a wonderful woman and we had a child together, but that didn’t stop me.
• My oldest brother died from an opioid overdose, but even that didn’t stop me.
• Pills had become my solution to dealing with life. Eventually, they became the biggest problem I have ever faced.
• I struggled to “live life on life’s terms”.

In October 2013 I checked myself into inpatient treatment. I was confident that once I stopped taking drugs all my problems would be solved. Nothing could have been further from the truth. 

After treatment I relapsed 6 times within 5 weeks, only to feel like a complete and total failure. I was letting everyone down including myself. I was completely hopeless. I actually prayed to God and asked him to give my life to someone else who needs it. I no longer wanted to live if it meant being addicted.

In January 2014 as a last resort, I decided to try something new. Actually, I tried four new things: These are what I call my “Recovery Hacks”. 

These 4 Recovery Hacks not only got me clean after thirteen years of daily drug abuse, they have completely changed my life. Everything that was a mess in my life is now settled. Instead of remaining addicted & broke, I am now clean & prosperous. Again, anyone can do these and totally change their life. They’re not hard, but they do require effort, consistency and commitment.

Hopefully when you read this you’ll be in the same place I was in 2013 – willing to do anything it takes for change. You almost have to be desperate. You have to “want to”. Why? Because no one is going to check-in on you, No one is going to make sure you do the work. You are criminal, judge and jury. It’s entirely up to you.

Anyone who is struggling with opioid addiction can use the 4 Hacks to gain what I feel is the best fighting chance at getting clean, staying clean and changing their life forever.

I can say without a doubt that my life (and hundreds of others I know in recovery) has become amazing. What follows is a plan for success that will eventually transform your addiction into a blessing. In fact, it can and will become the basis for many blessings, just like they did for me. 

Before starting recovery I was hopeless, broke, emotionally depressed, filled with anxiety, unable to sleep, unable to relax. All I could do was survive life every day instead of living life.

What transformed has been a series of miracles.

Again, you need a simple plan to get from where you are to where I am. My Recovery Hacks are exactly that – A simple plan for getting clean and staying clean for life.

If I can recommend one piece of advice to you, it would be this: Do this right, and you’ll only have to do it once. 

RECOVERY HACK #1 – SUBOXONE THERAPY

In order to stop taking opioids and not feel miserable, you need a replacement chemical. Suboxone partially binds to your opioid receptors which prevents withdrawals and eliminates cravings. Though Suboxone is not prescribed for pain. It certainly has helped alleviate much of my lower back pain. 

Suboxone is not an antidepressant but it has helped me feel calm and collected. Suboxone allowed me to feel “normal” for the first time in over 13-years. Suboxone provides the physical and mental clarity needed to begin therapy, rejoin your community (family, friends and coworkers) and start group recovery without feeling “high” or suffering from withdrawals.

“Suboxone saved my life. Therapy changed my life.” 

RECOVERY HACK #2 – PRIVATE THERAPY

Opioid addiction had gripped me tightly due to two primary reasons: 

• I had a strong physical dependence to opioids
• I wanted to change the way I felt due to psychological trauma and pain
  

Therapy is a process. It allows us to discover, address and resolve issues that often motivate us to use drugs. We may enjoy the “high” drugs bring us temporarily, but we also like numbing ourselves from painful memories and difficult situations. It’s important to work one-on-one with a licensed therapist who understands addiction. At Recovery Care we provide therapy sessions for all patients at every visit because we know it’s critical to their success.

RECOVERY HACK #3 – GROUP RECOVERY

For some, group recovery has a bad name. They imagine a dark, smoke-filled room filled with a small group of old-timers discussing the good old days of drinking and drugging. While those rooms may still exist, group recovery has come a long way in the last ten years.

Group recovery consists of a like-minded community of people who typically are dealing with the very same problems you are, and are working as a group to overcome them. Most people quickly realize they are not as unique as they once thought after joining group recovery. You’ll typically hear someone else tell your story over and over, proving we all deal with many of the same issues.

Group recovery also provides sponsorship. A sponsor is someone who acts as your guide in recovery and can provide you with solutions from both their personal and group experience. If you stay in group recovery long enough you’ll eventually be encouraged to sponsor newcomers which is extremely rewarding.

What’s the Trick to Great Group Recovery?

The trick to great group recovery is finding the right meeting. There are online locators for every type of group recovery meeting in most every location around the world. My recommendation is to try at least three different meetings before choosing a “homegroup”. Your homegroup will become one of your most powerful assets in recovery.

RECOVERY HACK #4 – COMMUNITY

Community is anyone and everyone you surround yourself with. This includes family, friends, coworkers, your recovery group, etc. It is critical you surround yourself with like-minded people whenever possible who provide a positive influence in your life. This also means avoiding people who have a negative influence on you.

Why is Community So Important?

Many people isolate themselves when they become addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. They avoid family, friends and coworkers because of fear, shame, and are worried their addiction will be discovered. We addicts become too self reliant, thinking we can do everything ourselves. This is the lie drugs tell us. 

Developing community in your life begins by realizing we cannot do this alone. It means asking for help. By starting Suboxone therapy, private therapy and joining group recovery you are creating a positive recovery community. 

People with great recovery surround themselves with people who are understanding of their addictions and challenges. Community also means avoiding people we did drugs with and avoiding those who trigger our addictive behavior. 

RECOVERY HACK #5 – WHY PEOPLE FAIL

WHY DO PEOPLE FAIL IN RECOVERY?

Sadly, as owner of an addiction treatment center I’ve witnessed hundreds of people fail in recovery. It breaks my heart anytime I see someone’s life getting exponentially better, only to watch it crumble due to lack of knowledge or motivation. Lifelong sobriety is totally possible by following the hacks above, and by avoiding the most common pitfalls below.

They Think Recovery is Temporary

Recovery is a process, not a destination. Like diabetes, addiction is a disease and it requires a lifelong maintenance plan in order to avoid the consequences. Addiction is not your fault, but only you can do what it takes to stay clean for life. The good news is people in recovery are generally very happy people. 

In fact, most people I know in recovery are happier now than ever before. They live better lives, have better careers, happier families, make more money and have more friends than ever before. I’m living proof.

They Stop Taking Suboxone Too Soon

A five year opioid habit typically can’t be fixed in a few months. Some physicians say it takes at least a year for our bodies to begin replenishing the chemicals that opioids depleted. Others recommend taking Suboxone for at least half the time that you abused drugs. Your mind and body need time to “reset”. 

Watch Out for Quick Success

Life may get good quickly, really good. It’s hard not to think you’re “fixed” when life gets good again. Don’t make this assumption and quit too soon. Stay in treatment for as long as possible. Again: Do this right and you’ll only have to do it once.

They Skip Therapy

It’s easy to think private therapy is not important, especially when the medicine (Suboxone) makes us feel so much better physically. We’re all busy with jobs, families, hobbies, etc. It’s easy to think your therapy isn’t important, but I can assure you it is critical. 

Therapy is the place to discover and resolve life issues and traumas that drive our addictive behaviors. Without resolving these things, we are apt to relapse the moment life presents us new challenges. Therapy also provides us a third-party perspective on our lifestyles, while providing us guidance on living a more balanced, happier, healthier life. You simply cannot do too much therapy. 

They Go Back to Their Old Ways

Lifelong sobriety requires us to make permanent life changes. This is the perfect time to take a look at the people, places and situations that “trigger” us to use drugs. It may mean avoiding old friends and possibly specific family members who use drugs. This is also a great time to consider new, healthy life habits like diet and exercise. Your mission is to avoid unhealthy people, places and situations that could cause you to relapse, while developing a new, healthier lifestyle that supports lifelong recovery.

They Make Big Changes too Quickly

I wish I could tell you the many times I’ve seen newcomers in recovery by a home, get married, have a child, change careers, etc, As noted above, your mind and body need at least a full year to reset mentally and chemically. Because of this your first year of recovery is not a good time to make big life decisions. 

Your first year of recovery is about settling into a healthier lifestyle and preparing you for the rest of your life. My advice: Do not make any big changes during your first year of recovery.

Are You Ready?

Once you get a hold of recovery you’re going to want to hold on to it tight. Your recovery is a precious gift that you must protect at all cost. Most anyone with any amount of time in recovery will tell you that there is nothing more important in their life than their recovery. Why? Because without recovery they have no life.

I simply can’t say this enough – Do this right and you’ll only have to do it once.

Suboxone Therapy in Tennessee
If you live in Tennessee, then you have a special gift waiting for you – Recovery Care can treat addiction using telemedicine. That means you can literally stay at home and get the same great recovery treatment you’d receive as if you’d walked through the clinic doors.

You can even have your Subocone medications mailed to your doorstep!

Recovery Care accepts all TennCare Medicaid, many commercial insurance plans, and offers a self-pay program starting at $200.

We Can Help You Transform Your Life

Starting addiction recovery has never been easier! 

1. Choose one of the following links to sign-up and fill-in your intake documents:
   1. I have TennCare Medicaid
   2. I have commercial health insurance
   3. I will pay out of pocket (Self-Pay)
2. Perform a brief phone interview
3. Get seen (usually same-day)
4. Pickup your medications at your local pharmacy or have them delivered to your door!

Don’t wait. With drugs like fentanyl being laced into so many street drugs, opioid addiction has become a game of Russian roulette. You may be literally one use away from overdose. Your life matters. Make the decision to end your opioid addiction. Yes, it’s totally possible. I did it, and so can you.