Just every now and then?

Opiates are powerful things and the temptation to want to take them again is very strong. Often people say ‘I’ll just do it every now and then, as a treat.’ In theory this should be possible. But in practice the drug experience is very powerful and if you’ve been opiate dependent it is practically impossible to take them again without sliding, however slowly, back into your old pattern of use.

Generally speaking, the longer the gap since you last used the slower the slide. But if you use again within a year or two in the hope that it will be ‘just this once,’ the chances of relapse are very high. People can quickly get dependent again after five or more years drug-free.

If you have been opiate dependent it is also very unlikely that you will be able to control cocaine use - particularly if you inject it or use crack or freebase.

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