firebasejay

been in and out of this game a long time. My most recent bout had me quitting drinking almost 2 months ago, mostly because I couldn't afford it but also cause i couldn't get anything done. i took some tramadol at the time, something I hadn't taken in many years, for some back pain. And I felt great. i kept taking tramadol and noticed I was getting a nice buzz off it in the evenings and the buzz would last hours, particularly as I upped my dosage. I was also sleeping deeply for the first time in a long time.

But I started sleeping like 12 to 16 hours a day. So much for getting anything done. but i felt ok with that. unlike with the drinking when i felt guilty all the time. next thing I knew i couldn't get a buzz anymore, but had to take the tramadol just to avoid withdrawals. it's been like that a while now.

i smoked and snorted heroin for about 3 months on a trip years ago and coming off of that was much worse than what tramadol withdrawal is like, but i haven't really gone cold turkey yet, and this tramadol withdrawal feels like what coming off heroin was like. i'm also reading it could take a long time to come off tramadol and that has me worried, unlike heroin which was just about 3 or 4 days, i think. i'm also worried it's messed up my neurons etc.

i was shopping the other day having withdrawals and felt like a lunatic in public.

I have a bunch of tramadol now but i've been reading up on it and i'm worried about this habit and i want to stop it. i can't imagine continuing like this. and even still the buzz isn't even worth the come down! but mostly i'm worried i'll start drinking again. i left my recovery group when i stopped drinking this time and don't feel like going back to it even though i had decent relationships there. i just didn't want anything to do with them.

in any case. this sucks. i'm not committed to quitting completely yet but it feels more and more today like i need to really take this seriously. i'm reading some scary stuff about tramadol online, but not too many people have had issues so i don't know what to think

Dee74

Hi Jay

Just from what I've read on these boards, tramadols nothing to mess with.
These are just the threads with tramadol in the title:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...archid=4732420

Every day you fail to stop you may be making it harder to quit?

D

Notmyrealname

Seems like your life would be a lot simpler with less worry if you kicked that tramadol habit and stayed off the booze afterwards. It's no fun worrying about addiction and related symptoms/health consequences/life and lifestyle consequences everyday. The absence of worry that sobriety brings is liberating.