Thank you
There's not a lot that unbearable in his life really, he just really, really wants to be Jim Morrison ;)

I'm maintaining a healthy distance. If he kicks it I'll be back close and if not I'll be a friend and do what I can to help him and nothing more. I'm also going to a Famanon meeting tomorrow on the advice of another poster to see what they say and hopefully learn how to approach the subject of him going to NA or otherwise getting some proper help.

People telling me it might work out is helping, actually. The very close friend I've been talking to about it just told me to leave him immediately and that just made me stress and panic, which is no good to anyone, so I'm taking it slowly and trying to be calm about it for now.
(clumsyeloquence is a girl, Mon 22 Dec 2008, 23:19, 1 reply)

Sane advice... (sorry - quite long)
Ignore the trolls. If it really has only been two months of use then, yes, he will have a nasty habit but H won't have become an absolutely integral part of his life. Now is a golden opportunity for him to break free before every experience he has under the influence, and every place he uses, becomes a potent trigger by association.

Subutex is a massive improvement on methadone. Depending on how much he has and how serious his heroin habit was/is, it should provide enough relief for him to function over Xmas. Did he get it from his GP btw? If not (and I speak from experience) here's the plan:

He goes to the GP and humbly confesses to having become addicted to Dihydrocodeine (known as DF118 tablets in their most common 30mg guise). He can claim to have acquired these via the internet (They can, with a litte ingenuity and a fair bit of cash be ordered without prescription from chemists in the Philippines and various other SE Asian nations). This does not represent the same stain on your medical records (which can lead to difficulties obtaining life insurance etc.) that confessing to a smack habit does. And the GP is going to look at him as a bit wayward or naive rather than a total disaster. Obviously some doctors are a lot more sympathetic than others.

If he says he's on 13 tablets a day (260mg)- a high but not unrealistic dose - and that he'd like to do a subutex detox then they'll almost certainly agree to this. This means he'll be under GP supervision (and you can join your chap at his appointments to help your peace of mind). I won't bore you with a chemistry lesson but subutex contains a chemical which means that it is impossible, or at least unpleasant, to take in conjunction with heroin.

Without knowing your boyfriend or indeed you that's all the advice I can give. In all honesty, the statistics would suggest that a relapse at some point is likely. I must add though that my girlfriend discovered my secret H habit when she found me slumped in a stupour on the loo, foil in hand, about seven years ago. I'd been using when I met her and it was two years into our relationship. It took me two tough years to get clean but I wanted to be sobre for our marriage. I've been off the hard stuff ever since and we now have a two-year-old and a rather splendid life in the countryside.

It's not impossible but I'd be surprised and impressed if your boyfriend gets clean at the very first attempt. Good luck and Christmas hugs. Get in touch if you need further info.
(RayPugh So, what are you wearing?, Tue 23 Dec 2008, 11:17, closed)