Struggling with addiction ? Maybe this can help you

**GymHero** · 03-12-2019, 05:00 AM

Long time! Hope everyone is doing well. Everyone here has helped me in so many ways and I have learned so much. If I can help 1 person out by posting this it's worth it. I was on pain meds after a car accident and fast forward a few years I wanted off the pills. The withdrawals were hell. The first week was very miserable both physically and mentally. After a few weeks/months the physical symptoms were gone but the mental withdrawals can linger for quite some time.
My first time coming off opiates I failed due to my lack of energy/depression months after quitting. After doing research I found out I was going through " PAWS " ' Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome '. Depending on which opioid you are taking and the amount will determine how you are effected. I need energy to work and to get my day to day activities done. It got to the point where I went back on my pain meds because I couldn't deal with the lack of energy/motivation and depression I was feeling. I was not addicted to the pills in the sense of abusing them but my body was physically dependent after taking them daily for years. I was ashamed and wanted to quit for good again but I didn't know how. I ended up staying back on my meds for around another year before I attempted to quit and to make sure it was my last time.
After doing a lot of reading online I came across " Kratom ". I usually have to try something myself to believe it. Everything I was reading sounded too good to be true. " Kratom the miraculous cure for opioid addiction " but could it be ? After multiple failed attempts of coming off opiates I decided to give it a shot and see what this " Kratom " was all about. I slowly tapered off the pain meds again and had a few clonazepam on hand to help with the anxiety I usually get after quitting along with Kratom.
Day 1 with no opiates. I was feeling all the physical symptoms slowly start to creep in along with the mental. I woke up around 4am going into day 2 and had the worst restless leg syndrome/anxiety/hot flashes etc. I was hesitant on the Kratom but I decided to take my first dose which was extremely small ( .5 gram ) and see how I felt. There are different ways you can take Kratom but I did the " toss and wash " which allows it to kick in quicker. After my first dose I felt the effects within 10-15 minutes. My restless legs were gone and back to normal and my anxiety disappeared and I felt relaxed/mild boost in mood. It only lasted for maybe an hour or 2 and then I re dosed but this time I tried 1 gram. After taking the next dose I didn't even feel like I was in withdrawal and got out of bed and did a few chores around the house. I felt a energy boost and it gave me a type of mental stimulation similar to a cup of coffee.
I continued to use Kratom for the next few weeks and I never felt 1 side effect of coming off the pain killers. I didn't use clonazepam once since the kratom helped with my anxiety. I also quit caffeine at the same time which doesn't compare to quitting opiates but its still a factor and definitely not fun. I would take Kratom every 4-6 hours and I slowly upped the amount I took over the next month. Kratom can help you come off opiates. Please respect this drug tho. Yes, Kratom is a drug. Everything should be used in moderation and Kratom does have the potential to be abused. Last thing you would want is to trade one addiction for another. I wouldn't recommend taking it longer for more than 4-6 weeks if you are consuming it on a daily basis.
Kratom helped me through a dark time in my life for sure. It was tempting to keep taking it but by doing that it's just a bandaid to the real issue and I would still be prolonging the inevitable. Once I stopped consuming it on a daily basis I felt some of the " PAWS " still but nothing compared to how I did in the past. I kept Kratom on hand for any " bad days " and would limit my consumption to 1-2 days a week if I really needed it. Some days I still just needed that extra motivation/energy and it sure helped. Using Kratom to help come off opiates combined with getting enough rest, eating healthy, working out, and having a support system was my cure. You have to want it and push yourself each day. It helps a lot to keep a journal/log so you can look back and see how far you have come. There will be bad days sometimes where you feel like sh*t and you might think about relapsing. Going back and reading your journal tho you will see how far you have come. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and each day it will get better. One day you will wake up and realize how far you have come and how you haven't had a " bad day " in awhile. As time goes on it will go from having a bad day once a week to once a month to once every few months to then eventually being gone. The brain needs a lot of time to fully recover. Be patient and have faith in yourself and by getting through this it is a great feeling of accomplishment and an even better feeling of being able to help others that are going through the same bs!
I hate the pharmaceutical industry.. It has destroyed so many lives/families. If you are thinking about getting on pain killers please think again! You will be playing with fire... Try every alternative or use short term if needed. There are exceptions and some people " cancer patients etc " don't have a choice. If you are experiencing minor pain or broke a bone or anything that isn't extremely serious please avoid pain killers at all cost. Doctors should be required to inform their patients about the drug and how physically addictive it is and what you will go through when the time comes to stop the medication. Kratom helps a lot with pain as well. Not as strong as an opiate but it's definitely a better short term solution if you have to take something.
I apologize for any errors/mis spelling but it's 4am and I'm doing my best. I'll go back and edit tomorrow if needed. It's great to be back on this forum and I hope I can help at least 1 person with this post. If anyone wants to talk feel free to DM me. I'll help you and support you as best as I can. I am not a doctor and not advising you to take anything by any means. This is my personal experience and I wanted to share. Before you take/quit anything you should consult with your doctor first. If you have gone through a similar experience please share your story below or DM me. I would love to hear it. Stay strong

**GymHero** · 03-12-2019, 05:03 AM

Not sure why my indentions/paragraphs aren't showing ? I tried to go back and edit again but it won't space and make a paragraph for some reason ? Sorry if it's hard to read. I'm trying to go back still and break it down so it's not one big blob of text.

**< <Samson> >** · 03-12-2019, 05:45 AM

Ouch

Opiates are one thing I never had an issue with - I have miss used my fare share, but i never got dependent. I’d do 5-10mg and just drink - man, I just don’t get why I currently have liver inflammation/damage

All addictions are a bitch to deal with - roids are no different. They def make psychological changes - some, I believe to be permanent

It’s extremely difficult to moderate damn near every substance abused after getting to the point where you realize that you like the feeling.

No lie here - no way in how hell I would be putting down everything I do if it wasn’t for my health being so fucked now. . . And, I somewhat feel like I’m the lucky one - many go with damn near zero warning signs - Or, they just ignore them

**Mooseman33** · 03-12-2019, 07:10 AM

suboxone saved me brotha.

daily fucking war, daily war.

**Couchlockd** · 03-13-2019, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by Mooseman33

suboxone saved me brotha.

daily fucking war, daily war.

Still on subs moose?

I got off Dec 26 2006

**Mooseman33** · 03-14-2019, 07:30 AM

no man, i bounce back and forth when my head is fucked and i fall of wagon.

I cannot have a down day, so there can be no sickness. I keep healthy supply of subs.

but the opiate crave is fucking death man.

**< <Samson> >** · 03-14-2019, 07:49 AM

I def have to say, I am glad that’s one thing I didn’t get hooked

**Couchlockd** · 03-14-2019, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by Mooseman33

no man, i bounce back and forth when my head is fucked and i fall of wagon.

I cannot have a down day, so there can be no sickness. I keep healthy supply of subs.

but the opiate crave is fucking death man.

I will say this, it's doable with strips, almost impossible with tabs.

Titration that let's you cut back by a ¹/16 every 2weeks is seemless

**Mooseman33** · 03-15-2019, 07:45 AM

if need be, i take the smallest piece of a strip, one strip can last me over a week.

just need the crutch

**Couchlockd** · 03-15-2019, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by Mooseman33

if need be, i take the smallest piece of a strip, one strip can last me over a week.

just need the crutch

I hear ya.

It took me months @ 1/16 of a strip to finally get over it. Months and valium

**cherrydrpepper** · 03-22-2019, 03:04 PM

Came in to post about Kratom. I drink it once a day. My substance was alcohol. Tried meetings, self regulating, priest/shrink, everything.

For the last 6 months I drink one Kratom and boom no urge to get drunk. The two other most important factors

- all my friends and family support me not drinking
- i think about my “WHY” when I need to. My why is pretty big.
- my life gets more awesome every day I dont drink