Creating balance in our lives means spending the right amount of time socializing with family and friends, working, staying healthy, and participating in favorite activities.
Balance can have special meaning for people who are working to overcome opioid dependence. Sometimes their lives have been thrown out of balance. Fortunately, finding balance can be very rewarding. And if you're looking for balance, here are some tips that may help.
A small step can be a big step
At first, finding balance in your life may seem challenging—but a little effort can go a long way. Your counselor can help. And you can ask yourself:
 | Were there self-destructive activities I frequently took part in while misusing opioids? |
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| Am I still involved in any of those activities today? |
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| Were there positive activities I enjoyed or people I cared about that I shut out in the past? |
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| How can I gradually bring those people and things back into my life? |
By contemplating these questions, you may already be on your way to creating more balance in your life. You can use your answers, along with the tools in your Thinking Ahead Toolbox, to begin to reconnect with important parts of your life. Your counselor can help you set priorities.
| You should know: Long-term use of SUBOXONE Film causes physical dependence. Never stop taking SUBOXONE Film without first talking with your doctor. If you abruptly stop treatment with SUBOXONE Film, or reduce the amount you take too quickly, you could experience withdrawal symptoms. |
Beat your boredom
An important part of finding balance in your life is filling the time you used to spend misusing opioids. Your life without opioids may seem to move at a slower pace. To keep things interesting, make two lists:
| 1. | Activities you enjoy (sports, little projects around your home) that you haven't done in a while |
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| 2. | Skills you'd like to develop (cooking, playing an instrument) that you can also use to meet new people |
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You can spend your free time developing these interests, meeting new people—bringing more and more balance to your daily life.
Keeping your balance
From time to time, through no fault of your own, you may find yourself in a situation that provokes opioid cravings and an urge to return to opioid use. Use the Triggers & High-Risk Situations checklist and discuss the results with your counselor to help you recognize, avoid, and manage your high-risk situations and triggers.
As you begin to find more balance in your life and learn how to maintain it—we're here to help.
Take care,
866-973-HERE (4373)
Important Safety Information
SUBOXONE® (buprenorphine and naloxone) Sublingual Film (CIII) is indicated for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence as part of a complete treatment plan to include counseling and psychosocial support. Treatment should be initiated under the direction of physicians qualified under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act.
SUBOXONE Sublingual Film should not be used by patients hypersensitive to buprenorphine or naloxone.
SUBOXONE Sublingual Film can be abused in a manner similar to other opioids, legal or illicit. Clinical monitoring appropriate to the patient's level of stability is essential.
Chronic use of buprenorphine can cause physical dependence. A sudden or rapid decrease in dose may result in an opioid withdrawal syndrome that is typically milder than seen with full agonists and may be delayed in onset.
SUBOXONE Sublingual Film can cause serious life-threatening respiratory depression and death, particularly when taken by the intravenous (IV) route in combination with benzodiazepines or other central nervous system (CNS) depressants (ie, sedatives, tranquilizers, or alcohol). It is extremely dangerous to self-administer nonprescribed benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants while taking SUBOXONE Sublingual Film. Dose reduction of CNS depressants, SUBOXONE Sublingual Film, or both when both are being taken should be considered.
Liver function should be monitored before and during treatment.
Death has been reported in nontolerant, nondependent individuals, especially in the presence of CNS depressants.
Children who take SUBOXONE Sublingual Film can have severe, possibly fatal, respiratory depression. Emergency medical care is critical. Keep SUBOXONE Sublingual Film out of the sight and reach of children.
Intravenous misuse or taking SUBOXONE Sublingual Film before the effects of full-agonist opioids (eg, heroin, hydrocodone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone) have subsided is highly likely to cause opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Neonatal withdrawal has been reported. Use of SUBOXONE Sublingual Film in pregnant women or during breast-feeding should only be considered if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk. Caution should be exercised when driving vehicles or operating hazardous machinery, especially during dose adjustment.
Adverse events commonly observed with the sublingual administration of SUBOXONE Sublingual Film are numb mouth, sore tongue, redness of the mouth, headache, nausea, vomiting, sweating, constipation, signs and symptoms of withdrawal, insomnia, pain, swelling of the limbs, disturbance of attention, palpitations, and blurred vision.
Cytolytic hepatitis, jaundice, and allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock, have been reported.
This is not a complete list of potential adverse events associated with SUBOXONE Sublingual Film. Please see full Product Information for a complete list.
To report an adverse event associated with taking SUBOXONE Sublingual Film, please call 1-877-782-6966. You are encouraged to report adverse events of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Product information and Medication Guide for Suboxone Film
For more about SUBOXONE Tablet, please see full Product Information
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