Ah yes…. another post about my book… Over the past few years, I’ve taken posts from this blog, posts from other sources that I’ve written, some sections of a ‘memoir’ that I have not gotten around to writing… and combined them in a book about addiction. The book does not hold together as well as … [Read more…]
Another chapter from my untitled book, ‘Clean Enough,’ begins with comments from a reader of my blog. The picture has nothing to do with anything, except that the Packer win was pretty awesome. The view is from my seat at Lambeau during a game this season. I have been using various opiates for the past … [Read more…]
I am always impressed by how similar addiction progresses in one individual versus the next. The next reader’s comments and my comments afterward demonstrate a pattern that I have observed in one opioid addict after another. Throughout the book, comments that I receive from others will be italicized. I started on Suboxone in Feb 08 … [Read more…]
Why buprenorphine? The partial agonist nature of buprenorphine is behind the usefulness of the drug for treating addiction and chronic pain. Opioid agonists always cause tolerance, and the tolerance usually causes cravings for more and more drug– no matter whether the drug is being used therapeutically or recreationally. Tolerance is unavoidable, at least for now … [Read more…]
Physical dependence vs. addiction Tolerance and withdrawal are signs of ‘physical dependence’ on a substance. Addiction, on the other hand, is a complicated term that has different meanings in different contexts, but generally refers to an obsession or attachment to a behavior, person, or substance. Many people mistakenly consider physical dependence and addiction to be … [Read more…]
What is Suboxone? Suboxone is the trade name for a medication that contains buprenorphine and naloxone. A similar medication, Subutex, contains buprenorphine without naloxone. Both are manufactured and sold by Reckitt-Benckiser, a company based in the UK with operations world-wide. Suboxone is FDA indicated for the treatment of opioid dependence. Both medications are also used … [Read more…]
Clean Enough continues: An Educational Process I was able to stop using codeine after returning home and to my job in the operating room. I dodged a bullet– or so it seemed. I continued to drink wine, beer, and the occasional margarita, but I had convinced myself that drinking was an isolated vice that was … [Read more…]
Many of you are familiar with my e-book, ‘User’s Guide to Suboxone,’ that has been available for sale on the web. The copy that is sold through that site is ‘print-protected’ and copy protected; a password is required to open the document and it cannot be printed– at least not without a bit of digital … [Read more…]