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Price first went to Tijuana for ibogaine in 1996 and has been back six times, including his recent October stay. "Every time I feel like I'm getting out of control, I come here," he says, his voice a gruff mumble. "The very first time, I had a bit of visuals. It's supposed to take six months to get off methadone. With this it was one day. It was incredible. I haven't had a craving for methadone since then."
That first time, Price took a "flood dose," enough to keep him tripping for hours on end. During this stay, Wilkins started him off with a tiny dose and gradually increased the amount that he ingested each day. At the same time, she was weaning him off Oxycontin.
"We reduced your Oxy dose from 240 milligrams to 120 milligrams, in what, two weeks? That's rock and roll!" she says.
"He was fantastic," she adds. "He developed a routine in his day. He was getting up and watering the garden and not staying in bed and watching TV. He was walking the dog and wanting to go out — he was eager to go home, not scared."
Now, seated at Pangea's kitchen table, Price reflects on what has been most helpful during his time in Mexico. The ibogaine has lessened his cravings for drugs and alcohol, he says, but eventually the effect will wear off.
"It's no magic thing," he says. "It's creating good habits and creating a support system. Ibogaine just strips you of the cells and walls you build up for yourself. It allows you to go to AA meetings, which I'll do when I get home. It at least gives you a fighting chance to make your own decision."
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