Need Help Trying a new game to help with my pain medication use goals and looking for allies to play with.

[bluemonkey]

Hi guys,
As the title says I’m playing a game called super better. It’s actually a way to start looking at real life problems like game challenges. You set a goal, identify “ bad guys” things that are likely to trip you up like craving, boredom etc and identify “ power ups” things are can do to feel more resilient.
since I still have pain that is sometimes strong enough (above 6) to need Percocet, I don’t think getting off completely is realistic. So my goal is using Kratom most of the time and therefore only using stronger pain medicine occasionally for breakthrough pain so I don’t run out early.

My family of origin has proven by the way that they handle my cousin’s addiction that it would not be wise in the least to ask for their help. So, here I am. I have one person in real life ( offline) I can ask. He is supportive but he has no knowledge of Kratom. So, I need at least one other accountability partner to play this game with according to the SuperBetter website’s recommendations.
I have already noticed that I feel more optimistic about this challenge even just setting up game play. So, if you are struggling with recovery goals maybe we can be allies for each other if you decide that SuperBetter might be a good fit for you too. Here’s the link to the home page of SuperBetter https://www.superbetter.com/ and since the method didn’t make since to me before I listened to a summary of the audiobook here’s a link to the video I saw that summarizes the book:

 

[Highonlife1]

mmm I'll take a look. Is Kratom really any safer/better or just different? Don't think you could OD from a safety perspective, red tastes ugh and green and white ugh+++

 

[bluemonkey]

From experience it’s much safer less risk of bowel obstrion less urge to sleep all day more abilities to function and my body doesn’t tolerate an overdose. The room spins and I lose everything on my shoes for the day. Zero chance of falling asleep to never awake again.

I only overdosed once accidentally when I first started two years ago. And Kratom is uncontrolled and legal in California. So it’s a way to maintain without dropping into addictive behavior which is disruptive and dishonest on many levels. Lastly if I do have withdrawals after I have been on Kratom exclusively for a few weeks, they are very mild.

Your question, highonlife is like asking if Methadone or suboxen is different. If someone has more control of their life using maintenance, it’s not the place of others to judge that choice.
I know that you probably didn’t mean to come across as judgmental but that’s the feeling I got from your question, in the absence of other cues like voice tone that text chat naturally precludes.
I’m looking for accountability to my goals not to be judged or questioned as to the validity of those goals. As I said I have chronic pain that sometimes gets severe so recovery will look different for me than for someone without that obstacle.

Having said that I appreciate your offer to look into SuperBetter. Let me know if you decide you want to one of my allies to support me in my maintenance goal. We would need to exchange the necessary information through private messages because of how allies are added in the SuperBetter system.

As I stated above if you decide to try SuperBetter for your recovery goals ( assuming that you have recovery issues to work on), I would be more than happy to be one of your allies and support you on your journey towards whatever recovery looks like for you.
Thanks again

 

[Jabberwocky]

i'm not really in a period when i would need to or have the time to make such a commitment but i am glad yo'uve reached out and hope you can find someone to try this out with. its great you want to make some changes.

one thing i was wondering is if you have considered trying anything irl to find someone to do this with? you are completely welcome to use here to find someone but i know when i was using i'd probably have signed up for something like this super enthusiastic, then failed immediately, maybe owned up to it one time, failed again and ended up ghosting you. that's if i even made a real start, otherwise i'd just have disappeared right away for a couple of weeks then bullshitted you about why. what i'm saying is i suspect someone you have some real life onnection to would be less likely to flake out. i know how hard it is to ask for help though, just don't want you to have a discouraging experience if you end up connecting with someone as awful as me.

 

[Highonlife1]

Ok watched the video done some reading and started using the app Guess we need to sort out some invitations.
I've normally been fairly self reliant like most people because as you note bluemonkey it can be hard to find help that really gets it even for cigarettes and even more so for opiates.
Sorry if I came across hostile as judgmental, I just too often see people pinning hopes on products and surrounded by echo chambers of people and business profiles who refuse to acknowledge or don't understand the limitations or side effects of products such as Cannabis or Kratom. In your case it sounds like you've done your research and given it's legal in California I'd concur its an option especially if you're working in lower dose more for stimulant and holding pattern than opiate painkiller. I have concerns that when used at higher painkiller levels it may be more toxic than some poppy based compounds. If you are aware of any decent research that might categorise its health effects especially relative to other choices I'd be interested to know as most information I've seen is rough guesswork and assumption. The above said when in Indonesia it was my go to substance for social scrabble games, painkiller and cough suppressant as pretty much everything else is restricted or illegal.
Furthermore when you use percocet do you remove the acetaminophen before consumption?
Also in curiosity how much does Kratom cost you in California, in Bali, Indonesia it cost me a few dollars per person with relaxing tea sessions I had sitting down with friends playing scrabble etc.