Detox Methadone Withdrawal

I received a call from a friend in the Bay Area this week. When I don’t hear from him, I worry, but that’s just part of my recovery life. I accept it fully. When I first lived in San Francisco, I moved into a house with two apartments. He lived across from me and I watched his life unravel due to meth.

Although I’ve worked, and lived, in the addiction/recovery industry since I was fourteen (way more than half my life), I’ve never watched someone’s life spin out like that. In two words? “Horrifyingly Amazing ” My neighbor/friend was in and out of detox treatment numerous times while I lived there, and then one day it just seemed to stick. He still hadn’t regained his good looks and needed to work out some past financial calamities, but he was on the road to recovery.

So, his call this week was surprising. It turns out he’s been using methadone and has become addicted. He stopped using and quickly began experiencing detox methadone withdrawal. He needed the drug to cope. His life was beginning to spiral down again, and he was afraid of overdosing.

I suggested an Orange County Detox facility down in Costa Mesa, CA. They have a great and successful reputation for using Suboxone for people like him. I am hoping he is on his way.

Do you have any stories of suffering from methadone addiction?