Tramadol and the nature of pain
Let's start with the less obvious phenomenon of BDSM which involves a range of physical activities sometimes involving the infliction and acceptance of pain. This all spills over from the notions of dominance and submissiveness in sex, but it's not as uncommon as you might imagine. About 10% of the population engage in BDSM fantasies. Then, depending on sexual preferences, a significant number move on to practical experimentation using masks, blindfolds, handcuffs, and so on. The most common use of pain is through spanking. Even though the mainstream might not understand how voluntarily experiencing pain can be considered sexually stimulating, the reality is that there's a small but active community that finds it so.
At the other end of the spectrum are people who flinch even at the thought of pain. As a nation, we take more painkillers than any other group of people. This has nothing to do with the US having one of the largest populations in the world. It reflects a culture that largely rejects the idea of pain and wants a quick fix if even the slightest discomfort comes its way. The result is the consumption of vast amounts of painkillers starting with the over-the-counter medications and working up to the heavy-duty opiates. Given this, it might not surprise you to learn that more people die from the abuse of prescription painkillers than from heart attacks. It's a depressing thought that one of the most common causes of death in our country is avoidable if only people would treat drugs with more respect.
This national obsession with medication is a result of direct marketing by the pharmaceutical industry. In other countries, Big Pharma is only allowed to sell to the healthcare services industry. So, although there are inevitably stories in the newspapers and magazines about new developments, the general public's awareness is not constantly reinforced by ads. More importantly, government regulators limit the choice of drugs that doctors can prescribe. There's a value-for-money test. If there's no evidence of significant improvements from using a particular drug, the doctors cannot prescribe it through the public system. Desperate patients must rely on private health insurance or pay out of their own pockets for these drugs. The results are easy to see in the pharmaceutical industries' profits from foreign countries. Where there's effective regulation, profits are down. Our market is the most profitable in the world.
Now we're not saying we've all been brainwashed into thinking we must take a pill every single time we feel anything remotely like pain. But other nationalities cope with pain and get on with their lives. Whether you're prepared to accept some degree of pain in your life is all down to your social conditioning. We've been persuaded the quick pill is the best answer. This is reasonable for the over-the-counter drugs. Even Tramadol is fairly safe when taken over relatively short periods of time. But if you get into a routine of taking any one drug, you will build up tolerance. Even Tramadol will stop working after a while unless you increase the dosage. This is the danger point. If you give in and increase the dose or move up to an opiate, you're on track for abusing the drugs and possible addiction.