[stordoff]

> I'm also viciously dismissive now of any legislation or practices that limit controlled substances. I'm not an addict and I shouldn't be punished for other peoples acts.

I find myself agreeing with this. Opiate overuse and addiction is certainly a problem, but I also question some of the negativity I see regarding their use (from a UK perspective). I was on tramadol (200mg/day) for about six months, and was told, by my consultant, that coming off them "will be worse than quitting heroin". I just stopped taking them, and saw no ill effects. I've twice been on codeine (240mg/day) for around 8-12 months, and was given similar, albeit less severe, warnings about withdrawal. In both cases, there were no side effects upon stopping. I have to wonder if such warnings make withdrawal symptoms more likely through the nocebo effect[1].

They certainly have been misused in many ways, but they also have their place and make long-term pain much easier to deal with.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3352765/

[will_pseudonym]

I've also been similarly able to cold turkey quit opiates taken for chronic pain. I know from listening to medical call-in shows that depending on the dose and frequency, that can be a very bad idea. I feel like there must also be some kind of other variable that factors into whether or not you'll experience adverse effects, or otherwise our experiences wouldn't be possible.

[hnick]

If it's a real concern then managing coming off the pills should really be part of the treatment. Don't just leave people to wing it. Did they offer that to you?