The Methadone Diaries.
This is Greg’s Methadone diary. It details what he
experienced and how challenging it can be to come off the Methadone program.
Introduction. (A brief background to add context to the Diaries).
Greg had been on Methadone since he turned 20, he had been
addicted mainly to Heroin and the prescription opiates Morphine and Oxycodone. Greg went on the Methadone program to stop his expensive drug habit. He is now 28 and coming off methadone for the third time. He also recently
completed his University Degree in pharmacology. Greg has not used heroin in 2 years, but he
has been caught diverting his Methadone dose twice in the past, but still he gets
2 take-home doses per week. If he gets caught again, unknown to him, he will lose his take home doses and be
forced off the Methadone program.
Greg spent three months in
prison after being arrested for drug related armed robberies and was sentenced
to 3 months of house arrest with a tracking anklet after waiting for his trial in prison. The ankle bracelet had a buzzer that warned the local authorities if he had left his house. This ensured that Greg did not
stray from the house for the three months he was wearing the anklet. He was sentenced to 3 years of probation, conditional on his
completing 1 year of Drug Court rehabilitation. Greg simply had to produce urine that tested
negative for drugs, to demonstrate he was no longer using drugs nicotine and methadone were excempt from the drug test. Greg passed the Drug Court program where he was significantly
rehabilitated. Now Greg has finished his 3 years of probation. This week Greg
will be forced to come off Methadone. Last time he came off Methadone, which was cold turkey, Greg started using Heroin again.. Almost half of people
who come off Methadone relapse into opiate addiction.
Diary Entry: Day 1. 8:00-8:20am
The Calm Before the Storm.
8:00am - Greg walks into his local pharmacy, something he
has done five or more days a week, for the last half decade. He say's hello to Milo, the
pharmacist, who replies with the usual formalities. Greg takes a seat and takes
two plastic cups from the water dispenser, one to pour his diverted Methadone dose into, and
one to act as a distraction. Greg waits while the pharmacist unlocks the drug
safe to get Greg's daily Methadone maintenance dose of 100 mg's.
After a minute, Milo returns to the counter holding Greg’s
Methadone in a small plastic shot cup - Methadone has water and food colouring added - It can be used intravenously if one has a micron
filter to filter out any microbes - and produces a rush just short of Heroin and Oxycodone.
Greg hands $15 dollars over to the
pharmacist, to pay for 3 doses and to act as a further distraction. He also
informs Milo that he will need his 2 take-home doses today. Whilst Milo is
occupied - putting the money in the register and busy putting the takeaway
doses into two 100ml plastic bottles - Greg pours his undiluted dose of Methadone into the
cup near the water dispenser and quickly puts it in his pocket.
Milo returns
with Greg’s 2 take-home doses and Greg walks out exchanging the
usual goodbyes - with all 3 doses, 300mg of Methadone in Greg’s exigent and excited possession...
Yeah thats not at all possible. They watch you drink your dose now.. and make you say something to them after like "thanks, good bye, see you tomorrow" so you can't spit it into something and sell it for 50 cents on the mg on the street. Plus the methadone in his system would block any heroin he took with the money he got from selling his dose.
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