Getting "Un-Stuck"

Before quitting pain killers, I can’t tell you how many times I would say to my self “You know, something’s gotta give.” I suppose that’s just another way of praying for “bottom” to arrive so that it would forcibly pluck me from the ongoing cycle of my obsession with these pills. Many “academics” of addiction will say that a person has to hit that bottom in order to quit. I’m not so sure. Why wait to hit bottom?

Why wait until you wake up naked on a plane headed to Peru -not knowing how you got there- to quit taking pain killers? I DID wait until I hit bottom and I can tell you that there was no moment of clarity or sudden rush of self-control that brought my pill taking career to a screaming halt. I won’t go into details but from my perspective, if you are in the situation that I was in, it’s not worth waiting for the bottom.

You’re just stuck. And you need to find some way to accept what you already know; you will quit taking opiates one way or another. In my opinion, getting un-stuck is really all about taking that famous first step. Sure, there’s a long journey after that to stay sober but don’t you want to start getting your happiness back on your terms? You’re just standing on train tracks right now and all you need to do is step off. Of course it’s not that easy and you still have to go through that withdrawal and that will never be a pleasant experience even with my product. But if you’re honest with yourself right now, what are you really giving up to get un-stuck?

Ah yes, well you’d be giving up: the fetal-position strength variety of depression, the sudden inexplicable waves of murderous rage, the OCD to determine exactly how many pills you have each hour of the day, the energy of a three-toed sloth (look it up ok) and the enthusiasm of Droopy. Yeah I forgot how much fun that was!

I’m trying to make these blogs shorter so I’ll wrap up.

1. Be honest with yourself about how unhappy you are with yourself right now and how much the pills are contributing to it. Remember, even though they give you a few minutes of bliss a day, they are also causing all of the misery the rest of the day.

2. Take the first step and get un-stuck. Why wait to hit bottom? Yes, the withdrawals suck but they are the prelude to being happy again.

3. Don’t do it alone. In my next blog I’m going to go into detail about “Comfortable Withdrawal Strategies.” I make a conscious effort to not mention the product in my blogs but my message is simple: don’t go cold turkey. There are ways to make the process a lot more comfortable.

And finally, here’s a little diddy from my boys U2 (uh…geek alert! I know, I know) that I was listening to the other day that gave me some obvious inspiration for this post. It’s a good song, and I encourage you to get it from iTunes and take a listen:

“Stuck In a Moment”

“I’m not afraid
Of anything in this world
There’s nothing you can throw at me
That I haven’t already heard

I’m just trying to find
A decent melody
A song that I can sing
In my own company

I never thought you were a fool
But darling look at you
You gotta stand up straight
Carry your own weight
These tears are going nowhere baby

You’ve got to get yourself together
You’ve got stuck in a moment
And now you can’t get out of it

Don’t say that later will be better
Now you’re stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it

I will not forsake
The colors that you bring
The nights you filled with fireworks
They left you with nothing

I am still enchanted
By the light you brought to me
I listen through your ears
Through your eyes I can see

And you are such a fool
To worry like you do
I know it’s tough
And you can never get enough
Of what you don’t really need now
My, oh my

You’ve got to get yourself together
You’ve got stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it

Oh love, look at you now
You’ve got yourself stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it

I was unconscious, half asleep
The water is warm ’til you discover how deep

I wasn’t jumping, for me it was a fall
It’s a long way down to nothing at all

You’ve got to get yourself together
You’ve got stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it

Don’t say that later will be better
Now you’re stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it

And if the night runs over
And if the day won’t last
And if our way should falter
Along the stony pass

And if the night runs over
And if the day won’t last
And if your way should falter
Along this stony pass

It’s just a moment
This time will pass”

U2, All That You Can’t Leave Behind

Was This Post of Interest To You? You Might Like These Other Posts:

“Life Without Pain Killers – A View From The Other Side”

“Ready For Takeoff!”

“The Brain’s Reward Center”

“When You’re Ready To Quit”