Clients in our program aren't allowed to be on any kind of opioid maintenance. The only painkillers they're allowed are over-the-counter medications like Aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Advil or others in that category. No Methadone or suboxone. The only exception is if they'd had a medical procedure and the doctor puts them on an opioid for a few days.
However, in spite of our best efforts to convince them otherwise, we often have people who think they should be allowed to use drugs - as well as so-called "Medical Marijuana" - just because they have a doctor's prescription. We've even had addicts threaten to sue us over this issue. But that wouldn't get them far because we don't object to their use of those substances; they just have to do it elsewhere. And we have the right to make the rules for our clients.
But the real issue comes down to whether one wants to recover or just straddle the fence. Because our philosophy at TLC is pretty black and white: either you want to get clean or you want to get high. Our belief is that you can't have it both ways.
While this may sound melodramatic, our view of addiction is that it's a life or death proposition. Recent statistics show that two people a day die from substance abuse in Arizona. Our mission is to help recovering addicts rebuild their lives, And part of that process is living clean so they can stay alive instead of becoming a statistic.
We're not here to make them happy. Our goal is to teach them to live sober and reach their potential.
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