My time in rehab

Well i got out of rehab after four long hard days!
I knew beating codeine addiction would be hard and so far it has been and there is still a way to go!

Tuesday i arrived at 1030am had a consultation with the doctor who said i would be home on friday and come back for an hour on the following tuesday to start on a drug to help with the cravings for codeine....

Met some of my fellow patients. I kept an open mind about them as they have varying addictions from alcoholism to heroin addiction. Im glad i did as they are all a smashing bunch!!
They made me feel so welcome! We all looked out for eachother all week and had many a laugh along the way. We are all in the same boat after all!!

I was started on stuff to detox my body called Britaflex and it started working within an hour or so...
I started getting tummy and muscle cramps, the shakes, sore head, weakness, sore joints and the runs etc, but they gave me several medications to helf ease those and they worked to a point.

Every day i had my blood pressure cheecked etc and blood and urine samples done to check i was going ok.

We attended several group meetings but being deaf i didnt follow very well so they gave me alot of literature to help.

Mealtimes were enjoyable as the food was good and you could have several extra helpings as we needed to get our strength up as we were all pretty unwell.
The staff were a very friendly lot but i didnt like them trying to get me to do yoga breathing exercises etc, i have my own methods of relaxation that work for me so i stick to them.

We were free to wander the grounds as much as possible and even make a trip to the shops for our supper time treats. Supper time was great! Tea, coffee, toast, cakes, buns, biscuits etc good treat for a long day. We had alot of laughs then.

Please dont look at drug addicts as losers that are a waste of life and space, cos they really are not!!! Just like me they have been caught in a mire that is so hard to admit to and even harder to free yourself from! They have to change more than i have!
They have to ditch the friends they had even move away from the area to break free from the cycle of self destruction they were in!

I have had to address so many aspects of my life too
My life was based around taking painkillers just to feel some sort of normal!! Every day my priority was to get some pills from a chemist! It took some one cclose to me to see they were controling my entire life. I realised with her help that if i didnt quit i would lose my life but also my family and of course i would lose her too!!!

The weekk was hard and painful but as the week went on it felt like a fog was lifting from my mind and a weight was lifting off of my shoulders, by friday i realised i have not felt so alive and alert in 12 years. I have realised i have missed out on so much of the wonderful things in life and all of the things we should savour in life!! I am so grateful to be given a second chance and intend to embrace life from now on to give myself and my wonderful girlfriend all the opportunities in life we so deserve.

ill add more soon