Started January 2018, In the Weeds Apothecary is a wellness center located in Fredericksburg, Virginia between Richmond and Washington, DC that concentrates on products that assist in recovery from opioid dependency.  We carry many different botanicals each of which has its own wonderful properties.  Kratom is our number one best seller and was the inspiration that got us started literally by accident.  I spent 25 years dependent on Xanax and the like which was given to me by the US Navy and taken away by them after 25 years of struggling.  I have studied addiction both in college and life..let’s just say that I can speak with experience about addiction and recovery.  I have been looking for a way to help get friends and relatives  past the physical withdrawal symptoms and back to living a healthy life, free from addiction.  Unfortunately, it isn’t until it is over that we realize the damage that has been done by these drugs.

Having studied addiction while working on my Master’s Degree from Liberty University, the one thing that always stuck out to me is that people don’t usually intend to or mean to become dependent, but it happens everyday without discrimination.  It attacks every race, religion, gender, age, and it holds on tight.  The medical field swears up and down that 12-step programs, behavioral modification and complete abstinence are the way to go, yet they hand out addictive drugs (suboxone and methadone) to get past addiction of another drug.  What kind of sense does that make? They have between 2-18% success rate on this yet it continues feeding the three C’s (Cops, Counselors & Courts).  They believe that anyone, regardless of the severity of their addiction needs a counselor and rehabilitation.  Those 12-steps work for some people, but it takes up a lot of time to get through and forces one to have relationships with people that have the same problem which is not recommended.  And of course, to their way of thinking, you will always be and addict in recovery.  The man who founded Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson, on his deathbed, begged for a drink right up until the time he passed.  This is the time to stay away from people that are not devoted to sobriety like you.  A mentor of mine used to tell me to associate myself with successful people if  I want to be successful.  That applies here as well.  If you want to be sober, put yourself near sober people.  People take on the traits of people they admire.   It is a bunch of the same people repeating the same bad habits over and over.  Insanity!  It is the withdrawal symptoms that keeps people coming back for more.  If we get rid of the total discomfort of withdrawal, it helps the brain focus on solutions instead of pain. 

We take a unique position on chemical dependency and how it works. There are many different types of addiction, not just one.  This means there needs to be more than one solution.  Everyone that finds  themselves addicted, got there in their own way.  To believe that complete abstinence is the only cure for addiction is close-minded and to believe that addiction is always a mental health issue is also wrong.  In many cases it has nothing to do with any type of bad acting, mental illness, morality or  the quality of person.  The fact that your own behavior is what got you there is ridiculous on its face.  The majority of those who find themselves physically dependent, got that way because a doctor gave them the drugs unsupervised and their body was likely fighting pain or some other demon.  “That’s why they have to be prescribed by a doctor, so if the doctor doesn’t protect you, what happens when they give opioids indiscriminately?  Addiction kicks in,  full force.  To believe that everyone who gets addicted is irresponsible or even of questionable morality or intention is just wrong.  Sometimes it is because for a few minutes they found a way to stop the pain and then they are stuck.  Getting out is much harder than getting in was and it comes with more pain than they started with and when that pain from withdrawal kicks in, most will do whatever it takes to feel better.  Sometimes it goes to extremes, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  See, the next step for people after they admit they have gotten in too deep, even if by accident, is to get sober again because they are in this endless cycle that started with pain and now the drugs don’t work so there is even more pain, but not as much as withdrawal so they search for the next fix. Usually it ends up in arrest, overdose, a car accident, lost of driver’s license or a job and of course there’s always the possibility of overdose and death. What if the pain and frustration of withdrawal is taken out of the equation?  At that point, the mind can begin to heal.  It is nearly impossible to become clean while going through withdrawal which is the main reason why so many don’t make it to recovery.  Take that away and the mind can begin to function properly.

What if they could take away the withdrawal symptoms?  How many people do you think would quit if they knew they had that option?  For most it isn’t behavior modification.  It’s about getting past the hurdles between them and comfort.  Take the discomfort  away and pave that path with understanding and encouragement and most, not 2-18%, but much higher, will find their way.  They don’t have to break themselves down in front of people they don’t know, go to drug court, lose their driver’s license or their job, or worse- overdose.  Most importantly, they are not using another addictive drug to get off of an addictive drug.  If you want to learn more, stop by or make an appointment and we are glad to sit down and discuss your personal situation and some of the options that are available today.  We are not doctors and we don’t make any promises but we do our best to bring in the highest quality products to make sure our customers are safe and happy and we have over 20 years experience dealing with chemical dependency.

We look forward to meeting you and helping you be the best you can be.

Take a look at the following video by Sanjay Gupta of CNN.  This video introduced me to kratom and then it was off to the races.

All the best and Be Well,

Bill DiStasio, CEO

In the Weeds Apothecary