OxyContin Awareness


Name:Gene Dammon Email:[email protected] Type:Chronic Pain Story Date:5/7/2004	After nine surgeries on my back and neck, I was left with chronic pain from arthritis, scar tissue, etc. My doc told me to try Oxycontin, as it was effective and wasn't addictive to people who took it for pain. At first, I didn't think the stuff was working, but he told me to give it a chance. We increased the dosage several times, and finally it did two things: it kept me from feeling much pain, and 2) it kept me from feeling anything else. I was zonked out most of the time and addicted within months. After a couple of years, my wife got really tired of me nodding off when she tried to talk to me. She told me I needed to get treatment, and I finally agreed, as I knew I couldn't get off it by myself. I went into treatment at Summer Sky rehab in Stephenville (near Ft. worth, Texas) in January. Detox was a cold, lonely hell. I wanted to go home. Gradually, as some of the other guys encouraged me and i got over the worst of it, I decided to stay and go through the program. I was the oldest guy there (63) and it wasn't easy, but it is a good program. I know rehab saves people's lives. More than once I saw guys carried in on stretchers that were up and going to chow in a week or ten days, and actively participating in groups. Unfortunately, many suffer a relapse after they get out of that controlled environment; crack addicts seem to relapse most often. But even if it takes several times, treatment works - if you work it - and it can give you your life back. Summer Sky has a good success rate.

Name:Betty Clark Email:[email protected] Type:Death Story Date:5/7/2004	Hey Ed & friends, Here in Boston with my mom,awaiting this surgery, At 10 pm On Thursday May 6,2004 in Michigan arrests were made, of my son's so called friends,Finally some justice, I was told they seized his Explorer that he had just put $1000 spinners on each of his wheels, Hopefully these arrests will wake up this town, that they can't do oxycontin and do the things they did, and get away with it,I feel this arrest will get the word out there, I will write again,Thanks everyone Betty Clark/ Christopher W Clark 1984-2003 age 19,I love you Chris, Mothers Day won;t be the same without you buddy

Name:Janet Email:[email protected] Type:Abuse Story Date:5/6/2004	I have posted on this site several times. I have been addicted to painkillers for almost 4 yrs. now. I've never tried oxycontin but I was up to taking 30 to 40 #10 percocets a day. I have tried and tried to quit over the past 4 yrs. and I would always go back. To me, being high on painkillers was the best feeling in the world. During my last year of using, I was spending $1000.00 a week on pills. I have almost lost everything I have. My credit is ruined, almost everything has been repossesed or in the pawn shop. It would seem like I would have realized sooner what I was doing to my life but nothing mattered. The only thing that mattered was finding a way to get more pills. I've lied to everyone that cares for me and stole from everyone that cares for me. I have a professional job and it's actually the only thing I have left. Everything else is gone. To anyone using narcotics please stop. It will take you to places you never imagined. You will find yourself doing things you never thought you'd do and you will end up hating yourself. When I couldn't find pills or didn't have money to buy pills I would actually lay in my bed and cry and want to die. I would actually want to die because I couldn't find a way to get pills. That's sad especially since I have so much to live for. I have a great job, two beautiful sons, parents that are successful and caring and will do anything for me. But when you start abusing these pills none of that will matter. You won't care about your family or even your children. Everything will come second. The pills will always be number one. Anyway, I am proud to say I am now 42 days clean. I went to a detox center, (it was my 2nd detox) but this time I listened and I had an honest desire to quit. I was tired of my life being so out of control. I was sick of all the insanity. I was tired of doing all the crazy things I was doing. I stopped buying groceries, stopped paying me bills. I would get paid on Friday and on Sunday I would be broke and none of the bills would be paid. Then Monday would come and from Monday to Friday I had to figure out ways to get pills so I could actually get out of the bed and come to work. It was awful. I thank god that I don't have to live like that anymore. Anyway, if anyone out there has a problem with oxycontin or other painpills you can quit. Believe me, if I quit anyone can. I know alot of people can't go to detox because of their jobs or other reasons but there are ways to stop taking these pills without going through hardly any withdrawel symptoms. In detox they gave us clonodine by mouth, as well as the clonodine patch, dycyclomine for stomach cramps and diarhea and darvocet for leg and back cramping. It doesn't take all the withdrawal symptoms aways but it does make the symptoms bearable. I did not have any diarhea at all. Actually the only thing I felt was a little bit of leg cramping. Some doctors will prescibe these meds without having to go to detox and get them. I assure you if you can get these meds, you can get off of these pills without having to go on methodone or buprex. Once you get through the withdrawals its up to you. You have to go to NA and work the steps. You have to have a desire to quit. And if you really don't won't to quit, you won't. I think everyone eventually reaches a point where they just can't take anymore and they decide that once and for all they are going to quit. If someone hasn't reached that point, they won't quit. No one is going to quit until they're ready. I thank god I reached that point before I ended up dead. They teach us in NA that if we keep using the only thing we will have to look forward to is jails, institutions and death. Everytime I get a craving I remind myself of that because that is so true. We also have a saying that goes one is too many and a thousand is never enough. When I have those thoughts come in my head where I think oh I can just take one, it's not going to kill me, I remind myself of that, One is too many and a thousand is never enough. That is so true with an addict. I go to NA every day and I stay away from my old friends and dealers. I had my phone number changed and at work the secretary tells those people I no longer work there. I never thought I could be happy without pills. I always thought I had to have them. But I am now happier than I've ever been in my life. There is a world out there that is beautiful and has so much to offer. You don't have to be high to deal with life. Please if you are abusing painkillers, get help before it's too late. Eventually you will end up in jail or dead. You may think you can handle it but eventually everything will get so out of control and you will end up doing insane things, terribe things, things you never imagined yourself doing. All for those little pills. Those pills will control your life and nothing not even your family will matter to you anymore. Thanks for letting me share my story. Janet

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