I was addicted to OxyContin and other powerful opiates for five years

Hi my name is Michael,

I was addicted to Oxy Contin and other powerful opiates for five years and I was in a methadone clinic for six years, at a dosage of well over 220 mgs. I’m lucky to have survived my addiction. I had overdosed. I had seizures. I crashed my truck (twice) into trees totaling one and I also crashed my mustang into a telephone pole. I was in rough shape. I was desperate so I turned to the methadone clinic. They told me that if I were to stay there for five years I would have a 90 percent chance of staying clean otherwise I had no chance. Anxious nervous and scared I obeyed. After that I lost my life. My life was the methadone clinic. They were in complete control. They had me. I got sick every day. They told me that if I didn’t utilize their program and increase my dosage then they would find someone who would. They also told me I was unable to see my psychiatrist that I’ve had for years. I had to threaten them with a lawyer to begin a taper. I found the RDD center while I was doing research for a project for school. I looked into it, I read testimonials and I actually did a presentation on their methods and success rates for my class. After this I realized that for me this was what I needed to do. I was nervous and scared but I picked up the phone and I called Jeanie. I think she is probably the sweetest lady I’ve met in the world. She cares. She made me feel totally at ease. She told me what to expect she didn’t sugarcoat anything. I’ve been off methadone for 24 days and I still talk to her and Gary regularly. Gary has a degree in pharmacy so he is very knowledgeable. When I arrived at the RDD center we took a shuttle over to the hospital to talk to the doctor, do the pre-exams and fill out paper work. The next day was the procedure. I was in the hospital for a couple days and the nurses took care of me, and then after I was discharged from the hospital, I was able to return to my hotel room for a couple days of rest. The paramedics were there 24 hours a day and the doctor visited me daily. The nurses kept me as comfortable as possible and I’ve never met anyone in that line of work with the compassion I was shown. The whole thing took about five days. I had symptoms but they are totally mild compared to withdrawal. I won’t lie it wasn’t easy but it was everything they told me it was going to be. No surprises. All the nurses I dealt with were awesome and Jim the paramedic was great as well. My nurse Naomi was a Saint and he (the)psychologist was a great guy. When I got home (even though I lost a lot of weight, (because I was retaining fluid on Methadone and after the detox I didn’t have much of an appetite), people were telling me that I looked great. Color was back in my face, facial hair started growing more, (I hear that is because my testosterone levels are starting to rise back to normal). I was smiling and for the first time in a long time I was happy. Colors were intensified, music was different for once my head was clear. I felt like Spiderman. I got my old interests back. I had no idea how much my senses were dulled. These people are really here to help and they set my life back on track. If anyone has any questions about this all you have to do is ask Jeanie or Gary and she will give you my number and you can speak to me personally. This is was worth every penny and I owe everyone there I dealt with a debt of gratitude. I can live my life now.