Started MMT Today

[St. Theresa]

I have much respect for you monkawat...you did the right thing leaving the scam. And you're in a tough spot, that says a lot.

[monkawat]

So today I got a new job!

This one pays only 10 an hour but I get to work around 20-30 hrs a week and it is low pressure customer service at a family friend's small business. The jobs are so much more plentiful moving from the rural areas to the urban ones I've found.

I start later this week and I am looking forward to this job a lot as the owner has known my family many years and they are more than willing to work within my school schedule and stuff.

[Jega]

Hey congrats on the new job! and $10 is nothing to sneeze it!

[Chip]

monkawat, ever since you've been on this forum, you have been going from strength to strength.

see ? we're not all just one big fat unhealthy negative influence ... i'm glad you came back because it's doing you good, so far.

and now you can spend your money on something tangible and have something to show for it ... as it should be, as it should be.

[Opus]

$10/hr, after taxes (I figure %25) @40hrs a week would only barely cover our rent in this shoebox 1 br. apt.

I'm not trying to hate at all, but the degree of wage stagnation in this country astonishes me sometimes. $10 was a pretty good wage in the 80s, but today, I'd be insulted.

Again I'm totally not hating on you Monk, I'm hating on the system..

[Chip]

it may not be a fortune but at least he's got a foot in the door ... which is heaps more luck than i am having.

my problem is that i'm on the wrong side of 50 and my resume started before most employers were born ... having old school IBM Systems skills is no help at all, either.

i have applied for an entry-level tech job just very near my MD clinic, wish me luck !

[St. Theresa]

Good luck chipper!

And congrats monk!

[makita]

Thank you so much DOD, means a lot.

Do you attribute that weight gain (that seems so common in MMT patients) to unhealthy (ie high sugar or fat) eating habits or something else?

I know methadone is known to cause intense sugar cravings and my doc actually told me that when he found out I already have a serious love for candy and ice cream. I have cut out energy drinks and sodas with sugar and don't eat ice cream since my IBS has flared up again. But I have already noticed that candy tastes REALLY fucking good lately. Probably not the done this soon though- just a coincidence I bet.

I gained a lot of weight initially on methadone, and the sugar cravings definitely didn't help (I was on an ice cream only diet for like 6 months, and thats only a slight exaggeration) but I think it was really more the metabolic changes and being on a higher dose than I needed (60-80mg).  If you're around 35-40 you shouldn't have the same issue, you may put on a little weight but not much.

As for pain control, I did find it not working as well for my IBS pain after a LONG time (like 10 years), but it could also be that it got worse and I had other sources of pain I hadn't had before.  Even so, rotating to another primary opiate (morphine, then fentanyl) helped temporarily, and then as I've rotated back to methadone I've found it works better again. 

I feel like I am learning that there is really no such thing as permanent receptor exhaustion, as long as you are willing to take some tapers/breaks and be uncomfortable for a little while you can refresh those receptors and get back the good effects (maybe not like you had them the first few years, like the energetic high, but the other stuff like pain control).  You just have to get creative. 

But you should have plenty of years ahead of you on methadone as a great painkiller before you have to worry about any of that. 

[monkawat]

$10/hr, after taxes (I figure %25) @40hrs a week would only barely cover our rent in this shoebox 1 br. apt.

I'm not trying to hate at all, but the degree of wage stagnation in this country astonishes me sometimes. $10 was a pretty good wage in the 80s, but today, I'd be insulted.

Again I'm totally not hating on you Monk, I'm hating on the system..

My wife makes 30 dollars an hour and works 40 hrs a week and that is what we live on. We are also blessed that I have very well off parents that have helped us along the way.

She makes, with overtime and a yearly bonus, 63k a year. That lets us afford a 1300 dollar a month apt and have nice cars and our kids get whatever they need.

I just cannot live with myself if I don't bring in SOMETHING but taking 6 classes a semester limits my earning potential significantly. And taking anymore handouts from my folks will damn near kill my pride.(what I have remaining that is...)

[Narkotikon]

Congratulations on the job Monkawat!  Even though it's not a ton of money, I think just going to work, being constructive, and bringing home something will do wonders for your mood.  It will give you a sense of being helpful, motivated, and a boon to your self-esteem. 

I know you said it hurts your pride, but I really wouldn't worry about taking help from your parents.  If they're offering, and willing, then let them help.  I'm sure their thinking is that they don't want to see you and your family suffer. 

There's too much of an attitude in this country concerning turning 18/21 and being expected to be completely on your own and self-sufficient.  Most young adults do need help.  And if they have family who are willing and able to help, I see no problem with it. 

Is it fair that some have that help and others don't?  No, of course not.  But I also don't think it's fair to expect someone who does have that help to turn it down.  I usually can't stand the "you need to pay for everything yourself, you're 18 now" people.  Yeah, 18 and making minimum wage.  No one can live on that without help. 

[monkawat]

Congratulations on the job Monkawat!  Even though it's not a ton of money, I think just going to work, being constructive, and bringing home something will do wonders for your mood.  It will give you a sense of being helpful, motivated, and a boon to your self-esteem. 

I know you said it hurts your pride, but I really wouldn't worry about taking help from your parents.  If they're offering, and willing, then let them help.  I'm sure their thinking is that they don't want to see you and your family suffer. 

There's too much of an attitude in this country concerning turning 18/21 and being expected to be completely on your own and self-sufficient.  Most young adults do need help.  And if they have family who are willing and able to help, I see no problem with it. 

Is it fair that some have that help and others don't?  No, of course not.  But I also don't think it's fair to expect someone who does have that help to turn it down.  I usually can't stand the "you need to pay for everything yourself, you're 18 now" people.  Yeah, 18 and making minimum wage.  No one can live on that without help.

Thanks Nark. A vast portion of the financial help they gave us was when we were young, I had just gotten out of the military after being injured (well, a couple years later actually) and being an e-5 I still wasn't making much $. As a result- we were living paycheck to paycheck and I was an armored car driver and my wife was in school full time for her associate's in dental hygiene. We were struggling- with a lot of overtime I was only making 15/hr total once I got to a supervisory courier position, but considering the bills we had, her school, etc, a newborn, a toddler, I HAD to reach out to my parents for help. They got me out of a shitty rental house where the landlord was kind but far too old to understand the need for repairs and being available for contact.

They helped us with a down payment on a little house out in Longview- then years later, after I had better jobs come and go and had saved up a fairly substantial amount in order to get the down payment handled on a ranch a couple hours away from Tyler/Longview. They also put our kids thru private school for a few years until my children decided they despised everything about religious private school and I got them into an area public school. However, I soon realized we needed to get them back into a private school or move to a bigger city or a suburb for the public educational system there to be sufficient.


Then we had to sell it and move towards where my family all lives (extended and immediate) so that I could get into treatment at a VA MMT clinic. But we like living in the city in a nice (somewhat upscale but nothing super fancy as the apts are very well maintained but probably 15 years or 20 years old- 1350 for a 3 bed/3 bath) apartment where I have no worries about the damn lawn, etc. I can call maintenance for shit that I don't feel like fixing myself. At least the public school my children go to is top-notch nowadays...educationally speaking.




Anyways, I just wanted to give u some background Nark.

[Narkotikon]

Thanks for the background.  I always enjoy reading about other members' lives.  It gives me insight, and enables me to relate them to their posts.  It puts them in context. 

It sounds like you've got a solid foundation for a great life.  I'm glad you moved back to the city.  I'm a city person too.  I'd hate living in the country. 

Right now I live in the suburbs of Cincinnati, which is fine I guess.  In some ways I think it would awesome to live downtown, especially since there has been a huge renovation trend the past ten years or so.  But on the other hand, some aspects of life aren't exactly convenient if I were to live there.  There isn't a convenient grocery store close to downtown.  I'd have to drive.  Plus, I'm not exactly able to move out on my own now, nor do I really want to.  I'm happy enough here. 

Anyway, glad you found the new job.  You'll definitely start to feel better!      

[Opi-ette]

Best of luck Chipper! Sounds right up your alley 

Congrats on your new job Monk. Between that, your new treatment and classes you have more than earned plenty of pride. Don't ever think any less of yourself for doing your best. You da shiz my friend 

PS: I sent you a lengthy pm the other day, I hope you got it and I didn't accidentally delete it, like I have been doing with a lot of posts lately  I know you are busy, and don't feel obligated to reply, just wanted to make sure you got it.

Cheers!

[Sand and Water]

So today I got a new job!

This one pays only 10 an hour but I get to work around 20-30 hrs a week and it is low pressure customer service at a family friend's small business. The jobs are so much more plentiful moving from the rural areas to the urban ones I've found.

I start later this week and I am looking forward to this job a lot as the owner has known my family many years and they are more than willing to work within my school schedule and stuff.

Yay Monk!  Big congrats on the job working with your school schedule.  I know what a logistical nightmare that can be! It's awesome that its also low-stress with folks you know. Personally, I'd take less money when the other factors are addressed b/c i can always buy from consignment stores, do sales or coupons etc. Money is important, but so is feeling a little more relaxed   Can't edit to hear how it goes!

[monkawat]

Thanks sand and water. . It's a low stress job. My wife got bumped to part time and it began this Monday. I didn't wanna mention it cuz she reads my posts and would have been offended if I didn't say this until she ok'd it just now. She's only picking up 30hrs a week from now on. But her dentist made it right. She raised her pay to 35/hr. So that's still sufficient. A drop from 63- 56ish. But she's full time in night school for her bachelor's so...Yeah we gotta make due.


Nark- I reached out to my parents and they said they'll help us with whatever we need. One thing is that my wife's car needs new brake pads and possibly rotors so my mom reached out to my uncle who owns a small garage back in our old town and he is gonna do it for somewhere like 1/3 of what the dealership would charge. It would go from 240/axle to about 100 ish. But if we need new rotors it'll still be around 245 an axle as opposed to the dealership's 350.

You were right man- it is not something I should be ashamed of. My mom wanted to help. So she got the ball rolling. It's not a true handout as I am still paying for the brakes and oil change but I get a family discount. I appreciated your advice as it spurred me to reach out and it is gonna help.

[Narkotikon]

Thanks sand and water. . It's a low stress job. My wife got bumped to part time and it began this Monday. I didn't wanna mention it cuz she reads my posts and would have been offended if I didn't say this until she ok'd it just now. She's only picking up 30hrs a week from now on. But her dentist made it right. She raised her pay to 35/hr. So that's still sufficient. A drop from 63- 56ish. But she's full time in night school for her bachelor's so...Yeah we gotta make due.


Nark- I reached out to my parents and they said they'll help us with whatever we need. One thing is that my wife's car needs new brake pads and possibly rotors so my mom reached out to my uncle who owns a small garage back in our old town and he is gonna do it for somewhere like 1/3 of what the dealership would charge. It would go from 240/axle to about 100 ish. But if we need new rotors it'll still be around 245 an axle as opposed to the dealership's 350.

You were right man- it is not something I should be ashamed of. My mom wanted to help. So she got the ball rolling. It's not a true handout as I am still paying for the brakes and oil change but I get a family discount. I appreciated your advice as it spurred me to reach out and it is gonna help.

I'm very glad I was able to help.  It's great that you'll get a family discount. 

It's also great that you know now you have a safety net should you and your family ever need it.  It's great to do things for yourself.  It gives you a sense of self-worth, accomplishment, and pride. 

But it's also nice to know that you've got your back covered in case something happens.  Support from family and friends should be a vital component in everyone's life.  It's a shame that not everyone has the kind of family you have. 

Good luck, and keep up the good work!  You'll feel better in no time.