Note: Update – I recently wrote an article on What My Life is Like 9 Years After Quitting Opioids.
Okay, now if you want to continue reading you can. In this article, I’m going to briefly share what things were like when I was an opiate addict, then I’ll provide a contrast by describing what my life is like now, a little over six years later.
Many of my blog readers and coaching clients reach out to me and say they are scared that they can never feel good again without opiates.
Although they may be very motivated to quit opiates, there is also a lot of fear.
Fear of the scary process of getting off opiates…
Fear of feeling psychological and physical symptoms still months after quitting opiates…
Fear of living life without a drug that has helped them immensely in the past, whether it provided pain relief, energy, anxiety relief, happiness, or even all-of-the-above.
If you’re feeling any of these fears, let me put your mind at ease by telling you how easy my opiate detox was, how fast I started to feel good again, and what my life is like nowadays without opiates.
Table of Contents
My Life as an Opiate Addict
I won’t go into detail because you can read my full story here, but I want to paint you a little picture of what my life was like as an opiate addict.
Here is a bullet-point list of my life as an addict:
- I either made around $8 an hour working stressful jobs I didn’t like, or I was unemployed.
- I had a girlfriend for awhile that I really loved and liked as my best friend, but my opiate addiction led to the demise of my relationship.
- After paying rent, almost all of my money went to opiates. I frequently was behind in paying my bills.
- I lived off cheap food such as PB&J sandwiches, Ramen noodles, etc.
- I never worked out.
- I was a lier, a cheat, and a thief.
- I had no integrity, no self-esteem, and no self-confidence, but the opiates gave me chemical confidence.
- I needed opiates all day every day to prevent opiate withdrawal symptoms.
- I had no goals, no vision of a better future, and I was pretty hopeless to ever do anything with my life.
How I Got Off Opiates
Finally, after years and years of addiction and fear, I managed to get off opiates for good. And not only that, but my opiate detox and recovery were really easy.
To learn exactly what I did to have such an easy time detoxing from opiates, you can read the article My First 6 Weeks Off Opiates – How I Got Through It.
To sum up the process:
- I didn’t experience an acute withdrawal.
- I didn’t have Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS).
- I felt fine during the entire process, and within about six weeks I felt great!
What My Life is Like 6 Years After Quitting Opiates
Although my life has been amazing ever since I got off opiates, things just keep getting better and better as time goes on. This happened because I continue making new goals for myself and taking massive action to achieve these goals.
I create visions for what I want my life to look like in the areas such as health/fitness, career, finances, relationships, recreation, etc., and then I come up with plans on how to continually improve my life and my levels of joy, abundance, and gratitude.
Here is my current life in a few hundred words…
I live in a beautiful home right next to Kaneohe Bay, which is on the windward side of Oahu.
I have a beautiful daughter named Willow that is about to turn 8 years old in a few days. We have a great relationship.
I’m a single dad, but I get to spend a lot of time with Willow because my business allows me to work from home.
My Business
To make a living, I sell online courses and coach people to help them recover from opiate addiction. I write lots of free blog posts and create free YouTube videos on opiate recovery, and due to this, my website gets around a million website visitors per year.
I’m not rich, but I make enough money to pay my bills, eat healthily, take great supplements, do fun things that cost money, and go on vacations a few times a year.
My Relationships
I have wonderful relationships with my family members and friends, and I understand that one of the key components of an extraordinary life is having these close connections with people.
My Health & Fitness
My health and fitness are excellent, and I’ve really figured out the best nutrition plan and exercise methods for myself that work best for me.
My Passions, Diet, and Hobbies
My greatest professional passion is helping people recover from opiate addiction and my greatest personal passion is self-development, that is, continually growing in the areas of Psychology, Emotions, Spirituality, Health, and so on.
My diet is mostly plant-based with lots of veggies, fruits, healthy fats, sweet potatoes, and lemon water, but I do eat a little meat and dairy a few times a week. I’m gluten-free and don’t eat grains very often, but when I do, I’ll have a little rice or granola.
My hobbies include reading, hiking, going on night walks while listening to audiobooks, cooking, going out to eat at delicious restaurants, taking my daughter to the beach and to the movies, traveling, journaling, and binge-watching shows such as Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Outlander, Vikings, etc.
My Spirituality
I am not religious, but I’m deeply spiritual. I believe in God and a purpose of life, and try to live by a moral code, though I’m not perfect. Lately, I’ve been learning a lot about the philosophy of Taoism, and these teachings have enabled me to be much happier and relaxed on a daily basis.
My Emotional Health
My mental/emotional health is at an all-time high, and I’m able to take on the stressors of life with grace, although I have moments and even periods of life where I see a decline in this.
I find that as long as I’m really focusing on eating right for my needs and exercising, and journaling, those three things together keep me feeling really balanced and healthy.
Living a Purpose-Driven Life
All-in-all, I love my life. I really feel like I turned my obstacle (opiate addiction) into my opportunity (helping others get off opiates and make enough money to do it full-time).
I’ve found tremendous happiness and fulfillment in life by helping others. This website has over 200 free articles and videos, and two free online courses, which have more than enough combined free info to help anyone in the world get off opiates with relative ease.
A very, very small percentage of my website visitors choose to buy my online course or hire me to be their Opiate Detox & Recovery Coach, but my estimate is that 999 out of every 1,000 people simply use all the free info on this website to get off opiates.
This provides my life with a lot of meaning because I know that I’m contributing to help end suffering in the world.
And I really do feel like having “meaning” in your life enables us to live richer, fuller, more vibrant and fulfilling lives.
Final Thoughts…
If you’re addicted to opiates and wanting to get off for good, I hope this article gave you some hope, inspiration, and motivation. If you’ve been afraid of taking the first step or the next step on the path to recovery, I encourage you to harness the power of courage to make positive movement forward.
You can change your life, and anything that you can imagine for your life, you can have. It just takes awareness, clarity, courage, action, persistence, and a willingness to do the difficult things so you can create the life of your dreams…
A life free from opiate addiction, loving your work or business, enjoying radiant health and wonderful connections with people you love, emotional balance, abundance, fulfillment, and an attitude of gratitude that is omnipresent.
This is all possible, and it begins with the first step of getting off opiates.
You can do it.
You have such extraordinary greatness and abilities within you.
Go for it, and never look back.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I did writing it. If you have any comments or questions, please post them in the comment box below.
I love reading all his articles , they help me and give me hope . Thank you Matt .
I’m so glad to read this. Thanks for letting me know they’re helping. 🙂
Day 21 today I worked last 6 days straight and usually I take the weekends off instead I did a Zumba class yesterday killer 100 people in it and pumped iron afterwards
Saturday went to a moderate to intence Aquafit class killed it too and always lift weights aswell thankgod it’s monday lol
Exercise has done it for me I had 2 Zumba instructors talking to me after Zumba Class and 1 of them is coming to workout with me today yaaa
Matt I’ve been reading all of your e-mails that you have been sending me,I’m 67years old and I’ve been on pain medication for 20 years and at very high dosage I am currently on suboxone but not doing well with it. I don’t have a lot of extra money and I’m afraid I may not get through this and be comfortable with it. I wish I could afford your program,But I will keep reading your e-mails. Thank You
Need to get off Tramadol. Did inpatient with Suboxone and did well for two days after 10 day program. The PAWS hit and I was unable to stand it. Went back in to keep from going crazy. Do you have the secret to get me off and get through PAWS. No one else has.
Hi Roger,
That is a tricky one. I was able to prevent PAWS the final time I got off opiates, and you can see what I did by clicking on the article below:
My First 6 Weeks Off Opiates – How I Got Through It>>
Additionally, I highly recommend reading my article How To Stop Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome From Opiates>>
Hi everyone,
Juts note to everyone out there suffering with opioid
addiction.
I’m clean now around one year.
Loprimide did it for me.
For five days I took 60 Mgs.
And for those days I was extremely tired – but NO withdrawals. I stayed on my couch for those days,
After it was over I was left with restless legs for several months.
Now that is gone and I’m free.
Anyone can do it.
Thank you Matt and the entire community.
Frank
Matt, I have to say that your articles and advise, feedback helped me get off after 10 yrs of doctor prescribed hydro. I am so thankful for you and your giving heart. Listen and read his info people….he not only was there but then studied to find the best, easiest ways to do it. A precious soul…be encouraged and blessed. You have been a forerunner and helped many. I thank God for you. Deana
Thank you so much for the feedback, Deana! Reading your comment truly made my day, and I just love what I do so much because of people like you that take the info and change your life for the better. You rock! 🙂
Well I guess you know how much I’ve appreciated the information that you have shared as i’ve said it quite a few times. I totally agree with your topic on fear, Fear IS the mind killer just prior and during detox, and if going through (PAWS) as I have done twice before can be a Terrible experience. Prior to the last relapse I had with methadone and subutex I had almost 12 years off of opiates. As happens in many cases I had a painful injury that led me back into Hell once again. I Thank the Great Spirit every day that I never took more than 5-10 mg a day due to the small amount I had been being given each month so this detox wasn’t nearly as bad as the one in 2005. I want to say though when I was literally “cut off” this time I think Fear was the first emotion I experienced. I was plain damn scared so I started searching for kratom because a good friend had given me some about 3 months ago because I think he suspected I was again struggling with my addiction. I was also fortunate enough to have enough subutex to do a taper. I admire what you have done with your life so much and the world needs more people like you. Once I started your detox program my Fear quickly left, that alone was like a precious gift. My detox went smoothly, I was actually comfortable and haven’t lost a single nights sleep. You do rock Matt, and again Thank You. 🙂
<3 <3 <3 It's people like you, Haily, that really make me love my work. Such a rewarding path, and you've inspired me as I've watched your transformation and read and responded to your comments. Keep up the great work, and thanks for writing this awesome post here! I love it. 🙂
I need help getting off methadone, been at clinic for 7 yrs, on 33 mgs. I also have chronic back and knee pain just need to do this so I can have my life back! FML!
I hear ya, Aaron! I’m going to send you some links to articles that could benefit your situation:
How To Get Off Methadone Without Withdrawal>>
How To Taper Off Methadone – Tips For Success>>
How To Use Kratom For Opiate Withdrawal>>
Thank you Matt for replying to me and so many others you help. It means a lot when we are alone and need help to have someone who’s been there. Keep it up buddy! Thanks again for the info!
My pleasure, Aaron! Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate you writing in and I wish you the best! Take care. 🙂
If you follow Matts instructions in his links, you WILL get your life back, There is living proof all around you in these article comments. Best wishes to your success and to taking your life back. Peace Out
I hope so. There is a complete vacuum of how to get non hard core opiate users off Tramadol. I will see if Matt can. I prayerfully hope so.
Hello.My name is Olga.I try to off from Tramadol but I can’t .When I need energy I take pills.Please help me
Hi Olga, I’m going to send you a link to an article that will really help you maintain energy while getting off tramadol:
How To Get Off Tramadol Without Withdrawal>>
I need someone to tell me what exactly to take, what time to take it, how much of it to take and what to take for the nausea and cravings. I can’t even taper 1/4 of a tablet without getting severe withdrawal. I want off the oxy really bad.
Hi Debra,
I’m going to send you links to an article that can help you taper of oxy which shows you what to take and when:
How To Taper Off Opiates Without Withdrawal – The “Art of Tapering”
Can’t get off 1/4 of tablet and still get severe WD!? You are overreacting and being nonsense! You are making excuses and need to settle down and take a break because you CAN!
So just to be clear,
You used methadone for 7 days to get past the acute stage, and it worked? Because I’m using what you were using in your last four months, and the thing is, it’s more expensive than it was taking hydrocodone (norco) like I had been before hand. I”m sick of it, I’m sick of what it’s doing to my health, my bank account, and it’s not even an amazing high or anything, I’m just staving off withdrawals. I’m terrified of methadone because of it’s potential for addiction, and on a website for a methadone clinic, they say the minimum treatment time for methadone is at least one year…there’s no way I want to be on it for that long. But if it works for that first week, then I’m all for it. I want my life back. Please help, Matt.
Yes. 7 days of 40 mg methadone first thing in the morning, then a few weeks of a Valium taper, then supplements, exercise, and nutrition after that. This article teaches you more about the 3-7 day methadone trick, and if you read the comments, right now the most recent comment is from a person saying how well it worked for him and two of his friends too!
How To Use Methadone For Opiate Withdrawal>>