Originally Posted by epitome

The other side of that is me. I've had countless (literally) -- figure every 3 to 4 months for the last 10 years -- surgeries, tons of painful scar tissue, a growth on my spine and the list goes on.

I was first prescribed opiates in 2006. I have had only two increases in dosage. Aside from the Crohn's issues, I live a normal life.

At this point I could be on enough opiates to the point where I could not get out of bed if I wanted to. When I complain of increased pain the first thing the doctor offers is to increase my dose. The answer is NO! I know that it will eventually subside.

Your friend doesn't want to get off drugs. Plain and simple. If he did, he would go on Tramadol, which is a non-narcotic that tricks the brain into thinking it is narcotic. It is not even controlled by the DEA. He could take that for six months and wean himself off opiates.

How do I know this? When my pain is manageable and I don't need the heavy stuff, I switch myself to Tramadol and it keeps withdrawal away.