Wow (!) in Taipei, Taiwan

I often talk to my patients on buprenorphine (aka Suboxone) about the need to fill their minds with new ideas, plans, and experiences.  For years, those of us with addictions were focused on one thing– finding a way to avoid being sick for the next few hours.  That one issue became the center of our Universe, pushing out every other interest in our lives.  Treatment with buprenorphine removes that obsession, leaving room behind for interests to re-develop.  The challenge for patients on buprenorphine, particularly young patients, is to seize the initiative, and to fill their minds with healthy interests, relationships, and activities.
Many treatment professionals completely miss the point of buprenorphine treatment.  The unique action of buprenorphine at the mu receptor results in a constant level of opioid effect, even as the brain level of buprenorphine varies throughout the day.  This constant stimulation disappears through the phenomenon of tolerance; a process that allows the mind to ignore ANY input or stimulus that never varies.
The mind, then, has no evidence that the person is on a medication– so the person ‘feels’ normal, and IS normal– as normal as anyone can be, in a world with caffeinated beverages and wifi networks.  All of the mental activity that was spent fretting over opioids is removed during buprenorphine treatment– a process that really should be called ‘remission treatment,’ given what is occurring in the mind and brain.
I’m getting far afield here… my point is that the removal of all that ‘fretting’ allows for the interests of the person to return. The relationships pushed out and neglected by cravings can be restored, and hopefully repaired.  Hobbies can be taken up again.  Athletic interests can return.
But people who became attached to opioids at a very young age may have missed the normal opportunity to develop those relationships and interests.  Young people must develop interests in other things, once they are stabilized on buprenorphine. As an older person, I am not ‘hip’ to all of the things that younger people do these days (as evidenced by saying ‘hip’!), so I have to leave much of that to the creative energy of those patients!  But as an example of the things one can get interested in, this morning I had a few minutes of ‘do nothing’ time… and after watching one of the stars of ‘The Artist’, the silent movie that one all the Oscars, I Googled ‘silent movies’ and started reading.  Eventually I somehow ended up at a site for a college Asian Student Association (would LOVE to visit at least one Asian country some day…) where I viewed beautiful photos from Taiwan, including the countryside, the cities, the food…. and eventually the YouTube video below, of the Taiwan 2010 New Year firework display, at the world’s SECOND tallest building (for now) – Taipei 101.  (before clicking the link you just past, do you know the first?)
Watch in HD if possible–  turn  of the volume, listen to the people around you, and you’re almost there!