ryan9872340972

I am new to this forum and I just wanted to share my story and battle with alcoholism and how I have managed to quit drinking and possibly hear your thoughts on it.

Firstly ill start with a short history of my alcoholic past.

The first time I tried alcohol I was roughly 13yrs of age and from that first sip I instantly loved it and adored it . My father left my mother when I was a child and I tracked him down around this time and spoke with him on the phone, he was incredibly nasty to me I distinctly recall him saying to me " all you are to me is c*m in your mothers c*nt" (very sorry for graphic words) this effected me deeply , I cried for quiet sometime after this. I attended boarding school at a prestigious private school in a country town and would sneak out at nights to go to the bottle shop and get someone of age to purchase me a 2 casks of wine and then take it back to boarding school, to get me through the week. I would drink before school , during school and after school. I was eventually expelled after getting caught too many times.

I ended up finishing my grade 12 at tafe and during that year I attended many parties with children of the same age, I would always be the first one to arrive and the last one to leave. Loving my booze and living for the booze. I was known as the **** head.

I eventually joined the royal Australian navy as a marine technician, and duxed the class . The navy culture thrived around excessive drinking so I loved it. I would have relationships with many women but most would end as they didnt like my chronic drinking. At this point in time I would wake , pour a 500ml glass of stanley Chardonay 13% and skull it within seconds, I would drink x2 of these just to start the day. I would never sip wine I would always drink it that way. I love this feeling, and the effect afterwards, to me this feeling is the best on earth. I would then goto work drunk in the military, finish my day. And then leave work and then skull a glass of wine as soon as I got home and continue to drink into oblivion until I passed out and then repeated this daily. By this point my mother and sister , basically wanted nothing to do with me as they were ashamed to be related to an alcoholic.

I was eventually caught out after co-workers smelt the booze on my breath and I failed multiple breath tests and drunken fights. I was sent to military rehab (the tank) , I passed the 6 weeks in rehab, but within hours of leaving I picked up my first drink and the routine started again. One evening I was called into base and was caught out by the Navy Coxswain (head policeman within navy) that I was drunk, I was absolutely hammered at the time. I punched him and knocked him on his arse an subsequently that was the end of my military days.

Then the real drinking began. I was a civilian now meaning no more barriers to hold me from my beloved wine sculling and drinking abuse. Im trying to keep this story short, sorry if im raving on. Anyways the drinking got worse, I ended up joining an outlaw motorcycle club (which I wont name), because there were parties all the time that went for days , and my drinking suited this. In this time I had multiple RBT's which I failed, I was charged with grievous bodily harm and multiple assaults, whilst drunk... leading to a small time in jail, failed relationships, basically just destructive behavior for years. My liver was absolutely hammered. I was hospitalised for stomach pain around this time and all of my organs were swollen from drinking. The surgeon spoke to me and said "if you dont stop drinking I will be looking at needing a liver transplant in a year or so" This was a wake up call , but not enough to stop my drinking addiction.

Then one day I was involved in accident which caused me to have a serious back injury I was prescribed Tramadol 200mg x2 caps a day, morning and night. After taking this medication for a month approx I suddenly felt happier and didnt have any desire to drink at all. I left the motorcycle club and have no contact with anyone associated with it and basically realized what I had become , because of drinking. . I was drinking 6 litres of wine per day at this point for the last 5 years and after taking tramadol for a month or so, had no desire to drink and was completely sober.

To me this is an absolute miracle and I have been on tramadol for my back for the last 23 months as it keeps me sober. To me sobriety is the most important thing in my life. But I am scared because tramadol is prescribed for pain, not to stop drinking, so I am scared that one day I wont be prescribed anymore and then my chronic alcohol urges will start again. I have heard that tramadol acts as a anti-depressant,but this inst officially recognized and it is not prescribed for this. I have come to realize I have been depressed all of my life and tramadol has possibly worked as an anti-depressant for me, therefore giving me no desire to drink. Maybe I could just switch to an official anti-depressant, but in saying this... again I am scared to swap in case I relapse. To anyone who is sober after being a chronic drinker...as you know sobriety is very very important to us. I had a liver function test done recently and my liver is healing and the numbers have almost dropped by half.

Well I would love to hear your thoughts as I havent really shared my sobriety story with many people as im not sure on their reaction. Some may call this switching addictions, if so taking 2 tablets per day and staying sober and productive and not dying is well worth it.

These days, I am easy going, nice natured, I love to help people and volunteer, I have my own nice large home, im studying have made great friendships and just love life. I hope I have kept my history short enough for you, i tried

Tramadol cured my drinking and saved my life. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you

Dee74

Hi Ryan

One the one hand I'm glad you're doing well regarding your alcoholism, but on the other I want to urge caution for you.

There's several pages of threads to do with Tramadol addiction (do a search from tramadol as the thread title) here and it doesn't sound very good at all.

Please be careful you haven't jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

D

Notimetoloose

Hi Ryan, welcome to SR, it is a great place for support...It is great that you're sober, that is quite a story...

I am sorry to hear about your back pain, I am glad that the Tramadol has helped with your pain and has worked for you in helping you stay sober.

However, I just wanted it noted for others here on SR that Tramadol is an addictive drug. Also, Tramadol can cause seizures in some people. It is not an ideal recovery plan.

ryan9872340972

Hi, thanks for the reply.

Yes I understand that I have to be responsible with tramadol and it shouldnt be treated as a permanent fix. I think that I would be best suited to an actual anti-depressant , but im scared to jeopardise my sobriety in doing so.

Maybe I should seek a physiatrist or similar to discuss the situation?

Thanks again for the response, this is an amazing site

tomsteve

it could be addictions were changed.

a psychiatrist is a good idea.

something to think about: if tramadol cured your alcoholism then you should be able to stop taking it and not be concerned about drinking because it cured you-you dont have any more problem with alcohol. you wouldnt be afraid to jeopardize your sobriety because youre cured and if youre cured nothing can change that.

leviathan

you should talk to Dr. about this. aside from the opiate action of tramadol, there is an affect on seratonin that IS similar to many of the antidepressants.
tell the Dr. this story.

ScottFromWI

Lots of good advice here already Ryan, seeing your doctor/therapist is the best course of action to take at this point.

thomas11

Hi Ryan, this does not necessarily surprise me. I am taking an opiate painkiller as well, I don't have any desire to drink. At the same time, I do not feel "high" taking the medication. I take as little as possible. I do worry about the future, but at the moment it does what it is supposed to do and that is manage the pain.

I will likely be completely off my medication in the next 2 months, and will post again when that time comes.

hopeful4

In my opinion, for you, this is just a tool in what should be a full toolbox designed to help you stay clean. If in your mind it is unacceptable to ever drink again, you have to fill that box with people and tools for you to stay clean. If the box is full, taking one tool out won't empty it. However, if the only thing in your box is this one thing, and it's gone, your box will be empty.

So, what else can you add to your life to lean on to stay clean and sober. Coming here to SR is certainly a tool. Maybe you need a sobriety coach or counselor. AA or another type of face to face group. Your doctor. Meditation therapy, Reiki, whatever helps your mind set. Honesty, so these support people can help you as best as possible.

Above all else, it is going to be how hard you are willing to fight for it. You have it in you, that is obvious. It is now just going to be setting your mind in a place that YOU WILL DO THIS, with or without a crutch. And it will be lots easier with a full toolbox.

I hope this makes sense.

I believe in you.

thomas11

Ryan, I would like to add a few other thoughts I have on this. For the most part I am an optomistic person, and I am hoping that with the amount of time I've had sober and no cravings, that my brain has somehow been a bit rewired and that the "call" for a good drunken episode is not going to return (pure speculation). I am also aware that while I am working with my doctor on tapering (10 more mg's less this time around), it is inevitable that I will experience some withdrawal. I've already experienced some of it, but its not horrible. I don't know anything that could be worse that moderate to severe alcohol withdrawal. I found that to be the scariest experience in my life. While opiate withdrawal may be uncomfortable, I don't believe that you have the fear of dying for 48 hrs straight.

silentrun

It sounds like you know alcohol free is how you want to live your life. It also sounds like you are looking to head off an trouble in maintaining your sobriety. That's a good place to be in. Tramadol withdrawal is supposed to be pretty bad so I would hope they would ween you off it. I would use this time of clear headed thinking to come up with solutions for maintenance that don't include it hinging on another drug.

EndGameNYC

The bolded words represent part of the process of psychological addiction: the idea that I need a substance just to feel okay.

Tramadol is an opioid, and also has antidepressant properties similar to meds like Zoloft and Lexapro in that they all extend the actions of neurotransmitters in the brain that are associated with depression. In this case, serotonin and norepinephrine. It's also extremely addictive.

Seeing a psychiatrist or someone who specializes in psychopharmacology is an excellent idea.

NoelleR

Well, I've always believed in calling a spade a spade (that's the gardening implement to which I refer), and I absolutely see it as switching addictions.

You say that taking Tramadol you have no desire to drink alcohol, but you don't mention how it's helping your pain. Using a medication for a purpose it's not meant seems like addict behavior to me. ...and you say..........: '...After taking this medication for a month approx I suddenly felt happier..." To me it just sounds like you were high.

All the above aside, I do have one major concern. You say..........: "...I was prescribed Tramadol 200mg x2 caps a day, morning and night..."

I live with chronic debilitating pain, and take a number of different medications, and have done my fair share of research. As others have said, Tramadol is extremely addictive, and in my research I found that the normal maximum dosage was 400mgs a day. It appears you're taking twice that [two 200mg caps (400mgs total) twice a day]................just something to think about.

(o:

ryan9872340972

Hi yes Im taking 200mg twice a day = 400mg per day. Sorry I typed it incorrectly the first time.

ryan9872340972

Thank you for all the great advice. It is very much appreciated

Yes I will see a psychiatrist or someone who specializes in psychopharmacology and discuss the situation.

Dave42001

I think this is a great idea!

Talk to a doctor.. Thanks for sharing, I'm glad you quit the wine!! Good luck to you!

least

I've never heard of tramadol being used as an antidepressant. Are you maybe thinking of Trazadone? That's an antiD that has sedative properties.

I would not consider myself sober if I were taking the maximum dose of tramadol every day. It is an addicting med and you should tell your doctor of your use and purpose for using it.

aNewEternity

tramadol acts as a mild SSRI. 400mg/day over time could well have an antidepressant effect.

Vinificent

I am not giving medical advice here...but will share that I was prescribed a similar med that greatly assisted me with quitting drinking. I cannot imagine having done so without it, as I was dependent on alcohol to sleep. After a few months I was able to start tapering off the med and now I only take one very low dose only when absolutely necessary. My dr. understood the purpose and the fact that I was reducing the amount I was taking so continues to prescribe as long as my consumption does not increase. Might be an approach for you to mention to your doc as well.

ryan9872340972

Thank you very much to all for sharing there thoughts and opinions. I am taking everything on board and feel very honored to be apart of this amazing forum. I have learnt quite alot already. It is great to know that there is amazing support throughout this website. And that I am not alone with the battle of the booze and sobriety

.Thank you to all