My name is Ted, I am 50 years old, married 15 years, a father of 4 girls ages 14,12, 9 and 5. I'm the wine guy at Trader Joes. My main hobbies are Jazz guitar, crypto-currency trading/investing, stock trading/investing, collecting rare old Morgan Silver Dollars. I have an Ebay store username mickeys-mantle. I love wheeling and dealing....also nature, the beach, good comedy...
From about age 13 to 33, marijuana was my drug of choice, and alcohol. But mostly weed. It never held me back, I got a college degree, had plenty of girlfriends, played a lot of music... then I got married and had children. Suddenly weed didn't work anymore. It was just too strong. But I have always struggled with energy issues - I needed a lift to handle my job and family life. That's when I discovered Norco and Oxycodone. They were the perfect solution to my energy problem, they just took my tired away, no matter what I did the night before - and nobody could see I was on them. I got a high from them, but it wasn't disabling like the high from weed - and I could drive my kids around no problem, the perfect solution... I went along like that for over five years, gradually increasing my everyday dose as my tolerance grew. Last July this situation came to a head, as my wife finally called me out, she basically said "I don't know what you are doing, but it has to stop or I am leaving and taking the girls with me...!" OK this was a nightmare wakeup call and here is how I dealt with it.
KRATOM.... I had read about it a little bit and decided to give it a try. I purchased some from Happy Hippo Herbals http://www.happyhippoherbals.com/ it tasted terrible but surprisingly it had a similar effect as the opiates I was taking. Over a 10 day period I gradually tapered off the oxycodone and increased the Kratom use. The Kratom helped - in fact it was a miracle. The process was still amazingly painful breaking the addiction - but I got it done and haven't used any opiates since then - last July 2016. I do use some Kratom everyday. Here is a decription of Kratom for those of you who are not aware of it and/or its amazing benefits. It literally saved my life and marriage. I am so thankful that it exists!!!! It is truly a miracle plant. So what is it???? Here is a description for you:
Kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa), a tropical tree in the coffee family native to Southeast Asia, has many historical medicinal benefits. Its leaves can relieve pain, provide energy, reduce depression and anxiety, enhance mood and give an overall sense of well-being, ease opiate withdrawals and help treat addiction. It should never be used as a "legal high;" you will be sorely disappointed if that is your intent. If you abuse kratom (take too much too often or use strong extracts regularly), it can be addictive to people prone to such behaviors, but the risk is low with the right precautions.
Kratom is an all-natural, safer alternative to opiate pain medications and so many other prescription drugs, causes few side effects and unlike opiates, does not cause respiratory depression which can be deadly . You can't take too much or your body will reject it. With daily use you can develop dependency, as with anything you choose to take every day. Stopping use abruptly, like its family member coffee, can lead to withdrawal symptoms in some people. If this happens, while symptoms will be different for everyone, the leading complaint based on anecdotal reports is a runny nose. Use wisely and responsibly, take breaks, have a plan in place to taper down and off and you will experience little, if any, discomfort.
Kratom is legal in the United States everywhere but TN, IN, WI, VT, AR, AL, San Diego CA and Sarasota county in FL. It will not show up as an opiate or anything else on standard drug panel tests, though specific tests have been developed to detect one of its primary alkaloids, mitragynine.
Effects vary greatly between individuals; thus the following is general information only. New users should always experiment to find out what and how much works for them. It is best to start with a sample pack of several different strains, so most vendors offer sample sizes at reasonable prices. It is EXTREMELY important to buy kratom from a trusted vendor. If you have an adverse reaction while taking it, like nausea, that means you've probably taken too much, so eat something and/or take some ginger. Dairy products in particular are known to ease many kinds of discomfort. Drink a lot of water, as kratom can act as a diuretic and cause headaches if you are not properly hydrated.
RULES OF THUMB:
1). Kratom in general, regardless of type, is more stimulating in smaller doses and more sedating in higher doses.
3). People often mix strains for desired effect. Example: If you need pain relief and energy, a good combination might be equal parts red and white vein.
4). Everyone is different! But, in general:
Red for bed
White for flight
Green for in-between
THE 3 BASIC KRATOM STRAINS/COLORS:
Color is determined by the vein of the leaf before it's dried and made into a fine powder. There are MANY varieties within these three categories on the market now.
White Vein Strains: These are generally your more energetic and stimulating strains. People who struggle with fatigue and exhaustion, waking up in the morning, and/or daytime drowsiness may find white strains beneficial. Some say these strains are too stimulating, especially for people prone to anxiety or sensitive to caffeine. If you suffer from anxiety or get the "jitters" from caffeine, you might want to stay away from white strains or use them only when blended with others. White Sumatra is a popular choice.
Green Vein Strains: These are usually good for both pain control and energy. They are not too energetic or too sedating, so many use these for pain during the day. Green strains are often used to extend the life of white or red veins of kratom. Green Malay is considered by many to be one of the longest-lasting strains with good pain relieving effects. Many blends utilize green veins because of their synergy with other strains. They are very good for mixing and effects seem to last longer.
Red Vein Strains: These are best for pain relief and relaxation. Reds can be effective with many chronic and acute pain conditions. While lower doses are more stimulating, this varies from person to person. Many find red strains to be more relaxing and sedating and use them to help with anxiety and insomnia as well. Red veins are also a good variety to mix with more energetic strains to avoid the sedating effect when pain control is your primary objective. Red Borneo and Bali are good choices for pain.
A guide to strains and effects:
https://medium.com/…/strain-vein-a-guide-to-different-types…
DOSING:
Always start small, with plain leaf, and avoid enhanced versions or extracts. Less is more and there are scientific reasons behind this! A teaspoon equals approx. 2.5 to 3 grams and is a good place to start. If you have an opiate tolerance, you may need 2 tsp or about 5-6 grams to start. Many people with chronic conditions dose 2-3 times a day, some more (like 1-2 grams every few hours). Kratom's effects generally last 3-4 hours but some strains can last longer. When using it for pain, it can both activate and block opiate receptors and is best to use alone, without opiates (most find kratom to be more effective anyway). While some people can use the two together as adjunct therapies, many find they cancel each other out. When using it to ease opiate withdrawal symptoms, if you need to start higher, once opiates are out of your system and kratom begins to produce its full effects, adjust your dose down from there. Dosing about every 4 hours seems to help best when coming off high doses of opiates. Please see the last link provided below for a detailed guide and daily plan on how to quit heroin (applies to all opiates) using kratom.
*** When trying a new strain and/or vendor start small on your dose as strains will vary vendor by vendor.
Doses vary widely, but here is a general guide for non-enhanced plain leaf powder:
2 - 4 grams = mild effects, good beginning dose (Stimulant Effects)
4 - 6 grams = medium effects (Stimulant Effects or Sedative/Analgesic Effects)
6 - 8 grams = strong effects (Sedative/Analgesic Effects)
8 grams = very strong effects (Highly Sedative/Analgesic Effects) not for new users
HOW TO CONSUME KRATOM:
The most common ways to consume kratom include "Toss and Wash (T&W)," taking capsules, drinking teas and/or mixing it with juice, yogurt, apple sauce, etc. Kratom is an acquired taste too bitter for some. Many people buy inexpensive capsule machines and make their own (veggie caps are preferred over gelatin) to mask it. T&W is as easy as it sounds. Toss the powder in your mouth with a little bit of liquid and immediately wash it down. Beginners should avoid taking it with grapefruit juice; it makes the effects stronger. Effects differ for everyone. Some say capsules don't work while others swear by them; some say teas don't work which are still very popular. A majority of people find that kratom works best on an empty stomach, but others prefer taking it with a little bit of food to avoid nausea. Experiment, experiment, experiment! And be safe!
For a list of our vetted vendors please use the files section under group info.
Relax Remedy offers samples for $2 (shipped) so that you may try kratom for a low price.
http://www.relaxremedy.com/m-speciosa-powder-capsule-sampl…/
USEFUL LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Forbes - The Kratom Experiment Begins (Feb 15, 2013) (Part 1)
David DiSalvio - Results of my Kratom Experiment (April 5, 2013) (Part 2)
University of Mississippi News - New Hope for Addicts (Jan 15, 2013)
Scientific American - Should Kratom Be Legal (Sept 30, 2013)
Paul Kemp - Pain Patients Love Kratom (Oct 28, 2014)
The Stranger (Seattle Weekly) - The Rush to Prohibit Kratom (April 2012)
How to Quit Heroin (Opiates) Using Kratom (guide with daily instructions)
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Peace and Love to all of you..... and Go Bitcoin, Steem and Etherium !!!!! get in as it works its way to $500/coin. Start here: https://www.coinbase.com/join/5422d7bae636873043000004
Thank you for posting this article. I too stumbled upon Kratom and like you, have found it to be a blessing. I saw a Kratom website that accepts, bitcoin:) as a from of payment.
oh yeah? cool I think Happy Hippo does accept btc. What company are you talking about?
Marijuana saves lives, thanks for the write up and courage to speak about your personal experience with addiction.
Nice post my brotha from another mother. Proud of you for breaking the habit. Harm reduction works. I wish the government would get their head out of the asses and realize this.