[skyscraper]

I really hope I put this thread in the right place. But even if I didn't, I'm sure someone would move it to the right one. Anyways...

About a year ago I use to take my moms prescription hydrocodone/acetaminophen medicine for pain relief like stomach cramps. She knew I was taking it and she was really careful about giving it to me. But when she accused me of being "addicted" to it, she stopped letting me take her medicine and even hid it from me. At first, I personally didn't think I was really addicted to the medicine but when it came time to when I started having stomach cramps, I refused to take any other medicine but hers. Of course, my mother didn't care that I wanted her medicine and told me to take an Advil instead. I hate taking pills so that wasn't something I wanted to do. I would much rather take her liquid narcotic. So from there, it became a hunt to look for her medicine that she hid from me and I found it rather quickly. Then I started taking it without her knowing. I know that that's bad but I felt like I had to do what I had to do.

When I drink the hydrocodone/acetaminophen medicine it's like a warm feeling going down my throat and it feels like it's coating my stomach. And the best part is that it knocks the pain out so fast! That's why I only want to take that kind of medicine rather than taking an Advil. From that point, I could see me getting a little addicted but I only take it when I have stomach cramps. I never take it just because.

I'll admit that sometimes when I would take the medicine, I wouldn't measure it. I would just guesstimate and drink it from the bottle. Which is really dangerous, I know, but usually I take 15mL of it and I know how big of a gulp that is for me. So when I'm guesstimating it while drinking it from the bottle, I always take way less than a gulp.

After many months of me sneaking medicine, it all came to a stop. We ended up moving and I was without the medicine for maybe 6 months. I was sad about it but I didn't flip out or anything. I just made myself take Advil when I need pain relief and tried some home remedies. But last summer, I got my tonsils removed and the pain medicine that the doctor sent me home with was the same hydrocodone/acetaminophen medicine that my mom had. I'll be honest, I was happy about it. But it didn't help me all that much during my recovery from my surgery. So now that I'll all recovered now, I just use my remaining refills of the medicine for stomach cramps like I did before.

One night, I was measuring out 15mL of my medicine (semi-supervised) and there was a little bit left in the bottle. I have NO CLUE what I was thinking at the time but I decided to just pour the rest of what was left in the bottle and drink it. It measured out to be around 30mL. Still to this day I don't know why I did that and I really wished I didn't. I was super dizzy, super scared, trembling, and I thought I was going to die that night. Luckily I didn't, Thank God!! But I was so scared to go to sleep that night. It really taught me a lesson.

I took a break from the medicine for a while but eventually I went back to it. I don't take more than I'm suppose to and I will never do that again. But I still drink it without measuring sometimes, taking less than I'm suppose to.

I just want to know if all this makes me a substance abuser? What do you guys think?

Thank you for listening!

[vans1974]

If one becomes dependent upon substances and reliant upon them then addictive behaviors can begin to manifest themselves.

[steelfang]

If you were truly using the hydro to alleviate pain and didn't attempt to induce the psychoactive effects at all then you are not a substance abuser. A substance abuser is someone who uses something to alter their mood or state of consciousness. Technically, coffee drinkers abuse substances as well.

[ZeldaX]

I wouldn't call you a substance abuser but when I was taking vicodin for my broken leg and then tapered off and quit, I had a lot of stomach aches, as well as aches in my joints. I read later that those were a symptom that your body is becoming dependent on the opiate. Still, I wouldn't try to live through those months with torn muscles and ligaments without some kind of painkiller.

[justbeingme80]

Even if you're taking less than you're supposed to, it's still not a good sign that you were sneaking your mom's medicine. I hate to be blunt, but what happens when your mom needs it and she doesn't have anymore? If your stomach pain is that severe, please go to a doctor and see about getting a prescription or finding the cause of the stomach cramps.

Where I come from, using medicine for reasons other than what is prescribed or taking more than is prescribed is still considered abuse. Please be careful.

[luckyl3]

I refused to take any other medicine but hers

I hate taking pills so that wasn't something I wanted to do. I would much rather take her liquid narcotic. So from there, it became a hunt to look for her medicine that she hid from me and I found it rather quickly. Then I started taking it without her knowing.

When I drink the hydrocodone/acetaminophen medicine it's like a warm feeling going down my throat and it feels like it's coating my stomach. And the best part is that it knocks the pain out so fast! That's why I only want to take that kind of medicine rather than taking an Advil. From that point, I could see me getting a little addicted but I only take it when I have stomach cramps

I'll admit that sometimes when I would take the medicine, I wouldn't measure it. I would just guesstimate and drink it from the bottle.

After many months of me sneaking medicine, it all came to a stop.

One night, I was measuring out 15mL of my medicine (semi-supervised) and there was a little bit left in the bottle.....took *around* 30mL I have NO CLUE what I was thinking (you had a slight overdose).........I was so scared to go to sleep that night. It really taught me a lesson. ..........but eventually I went back to it.

i went all crazy with copy/paste and bold because i didn't want to take things out of context but i wanted you to see what stood out to me.

i've been an addict for a really long time and i've seen every which way a person can and has gotten addicted to drugs......this is like something out of a text book in university, like "spot the potential addict".

all the things i've put in bold, in ten years time, sitting in rehab, they'd tell you "that's when you became an addict". not kidding.

are you? i think the word is thrown around rather freely these days....but that doesn't mean you're not in the beginning stages of big trouble. not everybody follows this clear cut path like you read on-line. you'd be surprised how many people spend a decade or more carefully cultivating substance abuse before it finally grabs them by the throat and throws them to the ground.

only you can answer the question you've asked....and you have to be totally honest with yourself. if the questions make you uncomfortable, give you flutterflies, make you want to run and hide - hell, if you can blurt out whatever to easily.....you might want to dig a little deeper.

normally people don't want *just* opiates to get rid of cramps.
normally people don't go hunting for meds (tho addicts regularily do).
normally people don't drink from the bottle.
normally people don't hid what they're taking.
you had no problem swallowing pills for the 6 months after you moved.
last, normally after a scare that drastic, people can't be bother'd to touch the drug again. i've seen regular pot smokers walk away from weed for lesser reactions than what you reported.

again, nobody can give you a definite yes or no. it's impossible. you have to figure it out for yourself.....and people usually come to that conclusion way to late.