Opiates and opioids, also known as narcotics, are the strongest pain relievers available. They are also some of the most widely abused and addictive substances known to man. Abrupt cessation of the use of these substances leaves the user in great physical and psychological pain. However, withdrawal can be made much more comfortable with a few preparations.


Steps

1. Understand what you are getting into. The decision to quit using must be made wholly of your own accord. You cannot quit for a parent, lover, jobs, or god. It will not work. It is a difficult decision and depending on how long you have been addicted, life without dope may be unthinkable. Many addicts find that every facet of their day has something to do with drugs. You must decide that you are done with the lifestyle and that you do not want to get high anymore.
2. Plan a visit to the drugstore. You are going to want to have some of the following on hand to make your detoxification more comfortable. 1. OTC analgesics such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or one of the NSAIDS (ibuprofen, ketoprofen, or naproxen) will be helpful for body aches. Without an exogenous opiate in your body, the most mild aches and pains will feel exponentially worse. 2. A first generation, sedating antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), or meclizine (Dramamine II) will help with the inevitable nausea that you will experience. An antihistamine will also help with the sneezing, runny nose and lacrimation (eye tearing). The sedative effects also may help combat some of the anxiety and insomnia. 3. Loperamide hydrochloride (Immodium AD) is the best OTC drug on the market for the treatment of diarrhea. It is structurally related to the opioid meperidine (Demerol), but does not cross the blood-brain barrier. It acts on opiate receptors in the intestines and stops spasms and therefore diarrhea. It will be your best friend during this time and will make life much easier. Take it only if needed, but double the suggested dose. Remember, your colon is used to a barrage of narcotics, and it might not respond as strongly to the lower dose. Stock up on all of these medicines, as you need to be ready for up to 2 weeks of dopesickness before all is said and done and you can get back to your life.

• • • Although the physiology of opiate withdrawal is NOT itself life threatening, it will impair your judgement, your ability to think clearly, reason & rationalize, you may have very unpleasent & intrusive thoughts among other symptoms. Because of these other effects, opiate withdrawal does increase your risk for dangerous & self-destructive behaviors including suicide. PLEASE, If you have those thoughts now, or a recent history of "acting out", hurting yourself or others you may not want to do this alone. If you can report to a psych hospital or even to a general hospital ER and tell the triage nurse that you need to be comited because you are going though withdrawal, they may help place you in the appropriate facility. Note a psych hospital is a much better place to be during withdrawal, however any place is be better than being alone. You will have to be more direct with a general hospital in asking for meds to help with the, pain, nausa vomiting & diarrhea. (Ask to be seen by a psychiatrist if the ER staff is giving you a hard time.) Worst case senario, a 911 call reporting that you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or others & you need a in-patient psych commitment will result in a police or ambulance trip to your best facility. A VOLUNTARY PSYCH COMMITMENT IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN AN INVOLUNTARY ONE. YOU CAN VOLUNTARILY LEAVE THE TX FACILITY, ALTHOUGH IT MAY NOT BE IMMEDIATE. Most citys have resources to help you quit, I know because I'm clean now. If it were not for the above help I recieved, I truely beleive you would not be reading this right now, because I never would have lived to type it.

Warnings

• Cut off all contact with enablers and suppliers. If you can, call yourself out of work for being sick. You may need to literally lock yourself in your house because the effects of withdrawal can be so bad and the cravings so intense that you will convince yourself to use one last time(s). Do not use again. There is likely to be some instances where you cannot access opiates for a period and using is not worth the inevitable withdrawal effects, the more you use, the worse the effects will be when they do come. Every minute you stay clean is money in your pocket and once the withdrawal systems end after 5 to 14 days (depending on the user), you will never have to experience the effects again.***Stay off the drugs***