Matt Ganem, a former addict, explains the excruciating process of opioid withdrawal. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration national helpline is 1-800-662-HELP .
That’s physical torture it’s mental torture you’re literally coming undone at the seams you crawling out of your skin i mean you know it’s it’s basically like you living in hell back then oxycotin didn’t have the same ring as heroin nor do we had the knowledge that you know that little pill was gonna lead me down a path of self-destruction when we first started
Doing that we were doing it on the weekends we were doing it at parties and slowly but surely everything started centering around getting that pill every day monday through sunday a couple pills a day and that went on for a long time when you’re high like your body is everything feels normal everything feels like you know it’s exactly how it’s supposed to be you
Remove that drug and that chemical from your system you know your body just unravels anxiety kicks in when you don’t have any money when you don’t have any source when your deal is run out you start going through these chaotic thoughts yeah just drenched in sweat it’s like all your bodily fluids are coming out of your body your stomach is twisted in knots a lot
Of people end up puking i wasn’t really a puking when i was sick i was more the person that you know violent diarrhea pissing out your ass you bones ache you know they say flu-like symptoms i’ve you know it’s it’s it’s pure agony i remember you know i was dope sick boxey’s curl up like a baby and i couldn’t afford another pill and you know somebody brought a bag
Of heroin to me and at that point it didn’t matter what it was i was so sick i just didn’t want to be sick
Transcribed from video
The science of opioid withdrawal By STAT
