Quote From: carabarberHello to all,
I am a guest on this show and thought I would share things that I was not able to share on the show . . .
I just wanted to let everyone here know how wonderful Florida Detox is . . . Dr. Sponaugle and his team of medical professionals saved my life. To anyone that is suffering with a substance addiction . . . please know that there is help available. I was taking anywhere from 15 - 25 vicodin per day when I watched this show. Seeing Stephanie on that stage admitting to her disease and hearing Dr. Phil talk about Florida Detox as a resource - that was all I needed - well, that and tons of prayers!! I finally admitted to myself that I was addicted and I couldn't end it myself . . . I needed help. The first person I admitted this to was Barbara at Florida Detox - Thank God an understanding, caring person was on the other end of the phone because I just broke down. I was at the end of my rope - barely hanging by a thread. Barbara's sage advice was inspiring and before I knew it . . . I was signed up to fly from southern California to Tampa, Florida, the home of Florida Detox, to fulfill the best decision that I had ever made. Of course, I didn't know that until I got there - I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs!
My journey has been a long one, but no different than thousands and thousands of others out there suffering from chronic pain due to an injury or disease. So many of us start taking pain medication for legitimate reasons and continue for legitimate reasons, but as I soon found out during Dr. Sponaugle’s lecture at Florida Detox, pain medication loses its effectiveness after 6 months of daily use . . . then begins the escalation from simply numbing the pain a bit to help one function to needing the medication to just get through the day. The need begins so innocently, like a calming whisper to take more medication so that you can do more for your family and friends and quickly turns into the angriest drill sergeant scream demanding for MORE, MORE, MORE . . .HOW MANY DO I HAVE LEFT? HOW MANY CAN I TAKE? BUT, DOC, MY TOLERANCE HAS GOTTEN SO HIGH THAT THIS DOESN’T DO ANYTHING FOR ME. WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN’T GET ANYTHING STRONGER? THIS CRAP DOESN’T WORK ANYMORE! WHERE CAN I GET MORE? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT I CAN’T GET MY REFILL EARLY? WHERE THE HELL IS THE UPS TRUCK – I WANT MY PACKAGE OF MEDS! That’s when you know the disease has taken over . . . every minute of every day is spent thinking about the pain medication, getting pain medication, or taking pain medication. All other activities are simply distractions from your full time job as an addict. Nothing is fun anymore – there is no buzz anymore – you just have to take the meds so that you feel normal and don’t go into withdrawals that could kill you. Welcome to hell.
By the way, I’m a 34 year old mother of two beautiful children and wife to a phenomenal husband. We have a great marriage and a Normal Rockwell-esk life. We live in San Diego, California. We are both well educated with Masters Degrees and have been amazingly successful in our careers. I was once a First Grade Teacher and later became a Business and Life Coach, but chose to stay home with my children while they were young. We’re normal people and there was nothing in my life for which I was seeking an escape. I was as happy as I could be excluding the chronic pain which required medical attention.
I wanted to add that bit for two reasons . . . one, because so many parents of addicts take the burden on as if they had done something wrong or that they could have prevented this from happening. That is not true. It is a disease and it will manifest in any human that is capable of making one wrong choice. It is that easy . . . secondly, for all the other men and women out there like me that are suffering from the disease and continue to keep it a secret because they believe that they have become horrible people because of their choices. Please, I beg you, please, both parents and adults, please understand that this is a disease and can be treated. If you or your loved one had MS or cancer – you would get medical help – GET MEDICAL HELP FOR THIS DISEASE! Florida Detox is where I went and I believe they are saving lives everyday. Upon arrival there, both the one suffering from addiction and their loved ones will be educated about the disease and treated with the utmost respect.
Thankfully, everyone at Florida Detox understands the nervousness and fear - so much so that they send a driver to pick their patients up at the airport so the last leg of the trip is calm. Prior to the procedure Dr. Sponaugle provides a profound lecture that has forever changed the lives of thousands. Dr. Sponaugle’s goal is to empower the addict and their loved ones to conquer this disease through education and proper treatment. Dr. Sponaugle teaches so much about how the brain works and how, through a chemical process, people with specific, but common chemical imbalances, learn how to self medicate to feel normal. For example, I am from a family that has some history of mental illness (like most of us, I bet) and via genetics and some environmental issues, my brain did not produce enough of its own dopamine. Therefore, I was dopamine deficient which made me hypersensitive to pain and stimuli in my life - a little ADD. I was also dealing with a chronic pain issue that required pain medication. During the lecture, I learned that decreased dopamine levels can heighten the awareness of pain and could be contributing to my perception of the intensity of the chronic pain. That certainly was a new perspective. I learned entirely too much to go into detail here, but I'll be happy to share anything if anyone wants to contact me. I'll provide my email address at the end. I also had a great consultation with the psychologist I will be working with over the next 6 months.
Following the lecture and consultation with their psychologist, Florida Detox provides a wonderfully, calming massage by Andreas - an amazing masseuse! The next day was the BIG day. I had continued taking my pain medication – as many as I needed so as not to suffer any withdrawals and this would be the last day of taking the drug that had become everything to me. In a sick sort of way, it was like feeling the loss of a dying friend – almost like staying alive or getting well is a betrayal to that friend. Well, I had to choose life . . . for my husband, for my children and for me. I had not known life without this drug in several years. I was scared, but comforted by my husband whom had since been educated about the disease that had invaded our lives. He showed more understanding and compassion than I had ever expected. His support and unconditional love provided the strength I no longer had. Before I knew it, I was being admitted into the hospital and placed in the care of a wonderful ICU nurse, Karen, and she prepped me for the procedure. Once prepped, the anesthesiologist took over and I was able to rest under a light general anesthesia for hours. It's the best sleep I've ever had! To my surprise, I woke up feeling GREAT! The procedure cleaned out my receptors and prevented my body from going into an adrenaline rush of withdrawal. I simply rested as my body and brain were detoxified from the abuse. Patty and Gary took great care of me during the procedure.
There are days following the procedure that can be a little rough - no denying that. The medical team advises that they can only eliminate 90% of the withdrawal and the following 10% is not a cake walk. But, I will admit that I would have never done it without the help of Dr. Sponaugle, my husband, Barbara, Dennis, Tom and everyone at Florida Detox. I just didn't have it in me. Fortunately, the Florida Detox team knows how valuable every human being is and provides the inspiration to keep on moving forward. It’s only been a month since my procedure and I'm doing fantastic! I'm getting back into life . . . I'm dealing with my chronic pain the right way and am no longer a prisoner to the pain, the drill sergeant or the pills.
And, for my recovery, I'll be meeting with a fantastic psychologist regularly over the next 6 months to deal with what Dr. Sponaugle calls "soul pain". This, of course, is a huge part of recovery. I'm also encouraged to call Dennis or Barb if there is ever a problem or concern. Further, I've been attending regular meetings with SMART Recovery online for support. I'm excited about my future now and I'm eager to help anyone that needs any support going through this!
God Bless Florida Detox and the Dr. Phil Show!
Welcome to recovery, the most amazing process you'll experience. As Dr. Phil stated....Attend meetings. Please do not get complacent. Good luck to you.
Serenity_2
(Original Air Date: 10/28/05) Being a mom is hard enough, but imagine juggling soccer, PTA meetings, homework and carpools all while trying to cover up a secret life of drug addiction. Dr. Phil follows up with some moms who say they were junkies. Joani, a mother of two, couldn't get through a half hour without shooting up -- and she was a nurse in a drug rehabilitation center! It's been six months -- how is she now? Then, Stephanie was addicted to Vicodin and took 60 times the recommended dosage every day. She's been clean for four months, but now has a new problem. Plus, a viewer inspired by Stephanie checks herself into rehab. Join the discussion.
