Quote from: Newgirl Dani on September 22, 2014, 10:32:58 AMI think I quit shooting meth in the early 80's, not really sure. Quit shooting other things I guess mainly mid 80's (although chipped a bit later on). Quit drinking (this ended up my main drug) and all the rest Feb, 2nd 1996. Still drug free, although a year ago I tried medical marijuana for pain twice. Both times it spun me out so bad I said "I DONT THINK SO !!!!". Do I think my date remains unchanged? who knows, I'm not really concerned, I think thats a 12 step thing. Dani
I know there are those in NA who would definitely consider the medical marijuana a relapse, regardless of the circumstances.
I think the majority of us would ask: "What was your motive ?" Because if the motive is to get high, then it is definitely a relapse, but if there is a very different motive, with getting high being a very undesirable possibility, then that is very different. What you describe fits the latter, therefore your clean date remains as it was.
For example: I have been clean since 1997, & yet I take a narcotic almost every single day. I have ADD. There is no medication for ADD that is not in some way narcotic. If I do not take the medication, I cannot function well enough to keep a job. If I do take it, then I can work. I like being able to earn a living, so I take the medication. But I only take what has been prescribed, and even then that was only after my GP & my shrink both told me multiple times that the medication was absolutely necessary if I wanted my life to improve. They were right.
Another example: I had surgery a couple of months ago. I had to take several percosets per day for a couple of weeks to control the pain. Then fewer, & I could get by with tramadol (a weaker opiate) on most days. I am now down to 1 tramadol every day or two, and have been told that the pain that is left is unlikely to reduce without pain management. I will find a way to deal with that pain with (hopefully) no narcotics at all. But I am not about to do the opposite of what my doctors have told me just to be a martyr about it. I was told quite bluntly that if I wanted to heal properly after surgery, then I needed to take enough pain medication to reduce the pain to something comfortable (ie: still some pain, but very little). I will admit that I am very grateful that the only effect I have gotten from any of the pain meds is less pain, without the unwelcome side effect of feeling even a little bit high.
As my sponsor from back home would often say: "It's all about motive."
