I have been in long-term recovery for 19 years. Recovery can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but for me, Suboxone has been a blessing.
Before I started Suboxone, I had severe back and neck pain that radiated down my arm and caused numbness in my fingers. When I finally saw a doctor, I was immediately put on high doses of pain medication and anxiety medication, which was common at the time. The doses kept increasing, and when the medications stopped working, I was given stronger ones.
Something had to change
Eventually, I realized I didn’t want that to be my life. I would get sick within hours if I didn’t take large amounts of pills. So I did my research and found a doctor who prescribed Suboxone. I was lucky to find it before things escalated further.
That experience wasn’t easy either. I was my doctor’s first Suboxone patient, and I was given far too high of a dose at first. On top of that, even though I had insurance, the treatment itself was cash-only. My first visit was around $400, and I had to drive over 40 minutes each way. I had to return the next day, pay another few hundred dollars, and continue frequent visits while also paying high prescription costs. It was financially and physically exhausting, and at the time, I honestly didn’t know how I was going to afford everything.
I stayed with that doctor for years until one day I was told I needed to find a new provider. I had done everything asked of me, but I was suddenly left without care or medication. When I tried to find a new doctor, I made multiple appointments that cost hundreds of dollars each, only to be told they wouldn’t take me because I had been on Suboxone too long. Some suggested I go to a methadone clinic, which felt overwhelming and scary to me.
It felt like so many hoops to jump through
Eventually, I found a doctor who accepted my insurance. Things were more stable, but there was still a lot of stigma. If anything unexpected showed up on a drug screen, I was threatened with losing my prescription—even when I hadn’t taken anything. At pharmacies, I was treated like a criminal, called names, and sometimes forced to wait until I was in withdrawal before receiving my medication.
At one point, I tried to taper off on my own after saving up extra medication. That ended up being a mistake, and when I tried to return to care, I was told I couldn’t come back for a year. I felt like I was being punished for trying to do what I thought was right.
Later, I tried using kratom after seeing a friend use it to stop taking pain pills. At first, it seemed like a solution, but it quickly became expensive and started affecting my health. At one point, my doctor thought I might be in kidney failure. Once I stopped, my levels returned to normal.
I then found another clinic closer to home, but that experience was even worse. They required weekly visits, billed my insurance extremely high amounts, and created a very hostile environment. Lab results were inconsistent and appeared altered at times, and the atmosphere in the office was tense and sometimes frightening. Patients were often treated with disrespect, and it reinforced how much stigma still exists around addiction—even in places that are supposed to provide care.
Online treatment without judgment sounded like a dream
After everything I had been through, a counselor recommended Workit Health.
That was the best decision I could have made.
For the first time, I was treated with care, respect, and compassion. I could manage everything from my phone, pick up my prescriptions without stress, and feel supported instead of judged. The process is simple, discreet, and truly focused on helping people.
What stands out most is that I’m treated like a person—not a problem. After years of stigma, that changes everything.
I only wish I had found Workit Health sooner. I can’t fully express how grateful I am for the way they treat me and others. If you are considering medication-assisted treatment, I encourage you to take that step. It can truly change your life.