THANKS to our amazingly inefficient and now “medically negligent” medicare system.
So this is always such a contentious point in my practice.
SO many of you come in wondering why I’m such a hard nose about NOT drinking or using benzos when we are treating you with sub or methadone. The answer is simple “I DON’T LIKE TALKING TO THE CORONER’S OFFICE”. Really, that’s it. It’s not like its a heart medication that you don’t have a choice on. It’s a substance that if taken with suboxone is more likely to “have you kill yourself” and I don’t want that risk. I like to sleep well.
ARGUMENTS for why you may want to keep drinking: (this is what I hear all the time)
-A little won’t kill me
-I’ve been drinking forever and no one can tell me not to.
-I totally swear I won’t drink and take your medication.
-Im already off the opiates so the alcohol is not such a big deal.
Here Is MY Point
-The attitude of little wont kill me is how you got started taking “a little” heroin.
-Most people don’t recognize what the definition of a little even is nor can they determine that after a few drinks especially.
-Yes you are off the illegal opiates which is great but I’m giving you a legal opiate!!. So there we go. Do I really need to explain that one??
-The death from the combo is “unpredictably unpredictable” which means you will have zero idea that you will die on the day that you die. None of the 50,000 dead bodies each year actually had any clue that they would be dead… thats the snag… and its a big snag… ever seen that light switch thats right in the middle? it’s halfway off and half on?? like if you brush it with a feather it will click off (but for now the lights are on and so where’s the problem???) the problem is that alcohol (and benzos) will act like that last little feather that clicks off that light switch and you’ll never have a clue (yes your spouse will when they wake up to a dead, blue cold body)…. DON’T be that person.
HEY on a positive note, you can basically abuse so many other things that are much less likely to kill you in combo with Suboxone or alcohol ok? We hold a zero tolerance line for that reason. I have ZERO tolerance for talking to the coroners office !!.
Stay alive Andreas
J. Edrich MD FASAM ADM MRO
“the addiction doc”