If you’re trying to beat an addiction to prescription pills or some other painkiller addiction by taking a form of buprenorphine (i.e., Subutex or Suboxone) at home rather than entering into an inpatient treatment program, you may be dealing with the drug cravings on your own. According to a new study published in a journal called Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, anticipating getting high just before you get loaded and craving getting high even if you haven’t been using for a long time are very similar as far as the brain is concerned.

What does this mean to you? Basically, the fact that this craving, even after long periods of abstinence—in treatment or going through a medical Suboxone Detox—is as intense as the moments just before getting loaded can make them overwhelming when you’re trying to stay clean on your own.

So how do you handle this alone? It’s good to have a plan ahead of time to be able to handle these intense craving so that you don’t relapse. Everyone has different resources, likes and dislikes, but here are a few ideas:

• Call a friend. It’s preferable to call someone who’s trying to stay clean, too. If you have a sponsor, this is the time to call. Otherwise, calling a friend who is supportive of your recovery is just as good. Ask them to come over if you’re unsure if you handle it on your own. Clients of Meditox can call 24/7 to help with these cravings.

  

• Try to burn off that energy in a positive way. I’ve known people who would lift weights furiously, go running, scrub the house—anything physical that would tire them out so they could work through the craving and make it through another day.

• Go to a meeting. This is exactly what 12-step meetings are made for. Even if you’re addicted to painkillers, there’s no reason why you can’t attend an AA meeting if there isn’t an NA meeting when you need one.

Basically, as long as you don’t use, don’t drink and don’t hurt anybody, there’s no wrong way to fight off drug cravings.

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"Handling Drug Cravings On Your Own" posted in Addiction Recovery, Drug Rehab, Drug Withdrawal, Outpatient Rehabilitation, Outpatient treatment.
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