"At first I was hesitant to do the shot. I wanted to do the sub's. The doctor "Khan" said the shot would be better so I trusted him and went for the Vivitrol treatment. The hardest part was the 7 day withdrawal before the shot. Dr. Khan gave me some medication to help with the withdrawals which helped but it was still really hard. I got to the point where I couldn't wait to get the shot so I could finally start this recovery process. I've only been on the shot for one month and what a huge difference it made! Before I couldn't control or stop myself from going and getting high. The addiction controlled me. Now after the shot, I can control the desire to go get high and the desire to get high is less and less everyday. This shot gave me the biggest tool to finally say no! I think about my addiction less and less and more about my future and what I want out of it. This shot saved my life and brought me back into reality. Thank you Dr. Khan, you are amazing!"
Vivitrol treatmentHear from people in care.
Specific over abstract. No before/after. No staged celebration. The patient said it; we lightly edited for clarity, never embellishment.
How these stories were collected
Patients gave written consent. They chose whether to use a first name, an initial, or "Patient at [Clinic]." Anonymous is permitted and complete. Quotes are lightly edited for length, never for tone.
Watch a few patients in their own words.
Unscripted patient interviews from our clinics.
Plain language. Real specifics.
"The days when I was emotional and crying, they were there to put a hand on my shoulder and say, hey, you're alright, you're gonna get through it, here's a tissue, c'mon dry it up. That's what's needed in some of these programs - those moments to acknowledge the feeling, to accept the feeling, and to move on from the feeling, and to have a person next to you, especially clinical staff where they're not just pushing you aside. That's what keeps you engaged with the program, that's what helps you get here on days when it's sunny out and you don't feel like coming. 'Cause you wanna see the staff who held you up."
Voice of Hope"Honestly, like they are really nice people here. They're with you every step of the way."
Voice of Hope"What keeps me coming is you know the bottom line, they saved my life."
Voice of Hope"When you come here to NWIH, and go to the groups, and see all the people around you who are there for support, it can be really reassuring to know that you're not alone. And when patients feel that support and they see the community that's available to them, I've seen plenty of patients feel really relieved, and they can keep moving forward in their journey."
Provider note