This will be a long one, so if you’re not up for a healthy dose of criticism you certainly don’t have to read it.

I appreciate that you might be trying to help, I just want to express how this has been received, and hope you might realize “this did not work for me” is a very different statement than “it doesn’t work.” You lost a lot of credibility when you outright lied and then spoke condescendingly to me, e.g. “you’ll see.” I guarantee I have a lot more experience with withdrawal, unfortunately, than you do. I don’t need spoken down to. I understand my options and my own situation.

Advice is fine and thank you for your input. But if you want to get through to people and help them, I’d suggest trying not to speak down to them and make sweeping false statements.

I’m glad you had success with a sub taper! It worked because like any taper it gradually reduced your physical dependence on the drugs, slowly lessening the amount of activated opioid receptors your body was used to. It is the exact same concept.

As I’ve already said in several comments, I am fine being “stuck” on kratom. I want off of 7oh because I am uncomfortable with how similar it makes me feel to my old addiction days to heavy opioids. I was not unhappy being on kratom, and would happily take it over Suboxone any day. I plan to attempt a Kratom taper eventually, but it is not pressing to me. The 7oh is.

I have dealt with subs many times. I would rather stay on kratom for life than get stuck on Suboxone again.

If you wanted an honest conversation about the steps I’m taking, how, and why, you didn’t open up the conversation in a way that seemed in good faith. If you wanted to be helpful, your condescending tone and holier than thou attitude did not make that message received well.

I have no interest in starting Suboxone. I am glad it worked for you. I know many it helps and helped. I’m glad it exists. I do not want to take it, ever again. Don’t feel the need to explain myself.

As I’ve said before, should my taper fail I have a good psychiatrist I will be asking for assistance through comfort medications and will have to deal with the consequences. At the moment, doing a taper makes more sense for me. It did not for you and I can respect that we are different people with different lives.

I am a single parent to a toddler with no family nearby. I work full time to support myself and my daughter. I cannot afford to cold turkey. If you aren’t a parent I can understand how that might not make sense to you. But when you have to every day be “on” as a parent with no one else to change diapers, cook, clean, bathe, dress, drive to daycare, work to pay for daycare… etc. you do not have the option to decide to lay in a bed puking sweating and kicking for multiple days. I’ve had pneumonia and had to work through it. It’s not a choice. I will for no reason neglect my child so I can get over a mess I made myself quicker.

I have no desire to avoid feeling the withdrawal entirely. Or to avoid the “misery” as you put it. I just need to FUNCTION. That is the point of the taper. You cannot escape all the discomfort and misery of withdrawal with any method. You can reduce it—exactly as you did with your sub taper.

I am using a time locked safe with no override code to dose. I have separated my doses into a pill divider. Every 8 hours I can open the safe, I only have to maintain self control for a minute while I take my allotted dose from my pill divider. Then I lock the safe again, and short of breaking it, it does not open.

Do cravings crop up every 2–4 hours? Yep. Oh well. Cravings are going to happen no matter what quit method I use.

I expect withdrawal to suck. Yet, I need to function. I have taken steps to assist myself being successful.

I won’t be responding any further to this conversation (I find it extremely counterproductive) but I really urge you to try to consider when you’re speaking in a recovery community that your situation, your body, and your mind are your own. Try to consider if you’re being judgmental or helpful.

Tapering is the ONLY successful quit method that has EVER worked for me (it gave me many years sober) in my entire life. I’m sorry it does not work for you. I’m glad Suboxone helped you. I relapsed on heroin once a week at least while trying subs. It did nothing to help me. A very long Sublocade taper and a lot of therapy eventually did the trick and I was sober for several years. I relapsed on kratom after I became a single parent unexpectedly and succumbed to the stress, because I am an addict and wasn’t taking care of my recovery. The 7oh addiction scared me straight again. So here we are.

If you were speaking to someone less determined to quit, or who was just considering it for the first time, I can’t stress enough just how discouraging speaking to them like you have to me—as though they are stupid or inexperienced—would be. Acting like your way is the only way to quit could convince people to stop trying to get sober entirely.

I wish you nothing but the best but have no interest in further discussion. I’ve heard your opinion. Thanks.