Healing in Sports with Kratom: On Page with Jorie

Participation in sports begins at an early age and often is a way to keep kids out of trouble and to give them a structure that keeps them surrounded by positive influences but there is an ugly side or should I say a price to pay that people rarely hear about.

Being an athlete is an endless perseverance of perfecting their craft through dieting, a strict schedule and intense training. All of which comes with a price of sore muscles, pain, inflammation and some long term unforeseen consequences from injuries along the way. In traditional medicine athletes are often prescribed pain-killers for temporary purposes but can turn into long-term usage or the risk of addiction.

Today we are on page with Jorie, a former figure skater that has and still is managing the long term effects of past injuries and the wear and tear she has put her body thru.

Me: How long have you been you struggling with your ailments?
Jorie: Since 2008; at 24 years old because of all my ailments both physical and mental I was considered permanently disabled and I’m going to be 35 at the beginning of October.

Me: What are some of the daily nuances that pain prevented you from enjoying life day to day?
Jorie: Before I started taking Kratom, I never showered, I never left my house, I cancelled every therapy appointment and doctors appointments along with everything else. I stopped having a social life YEARS ago. I couldn’t take care of myself and became such a burden to everyone around me.

Me: How has Kratom changed your life?
Jorie: In 2019, a year into taking Kratom all of that has changed. I can take my service dog in training for long walks and train her, as well as my cats that I’ve had for 7 years. My fur babies have their mommy back. I can keep plans, I even made it here, which is something I would’ve NEVER been able to do a few short months ago. I am no longer a burden on everyone. While I’m not 100 percent independent I am well on my way there. I’ve been able to have better relationships, especially with the Kratom community that I’ve found here. I can hold intelligent conversations now, when I couldn’t do that a few short months ago because of various things. And one of the best parts is, I have no bad side affects with kratom like I have had when using less natural things. I’m more me then I have been in almost 2 decades. Kratom has helped clear the fog I used to live in. While kratom isn’t a cure all, it’s an absolutely amazing tool to aid in recovery from illicit drugs and just aiding in a better life.

Me: If there is one piece advice that you would give other athletes that have been through similar circumstances what would say to them if they were curious about Kratom helping them?
Jorie: It has helped me so much more than anything else I’ve tried, and believe me, I’ve tried pretty much everything. And what’s best is there aren’t a bunch of nasty side affects. My advice for taking Kratom is to start small, you can always add. And stay hydrated!

The link between sports and drug addiction is that we push our bodies to the extreme. Sometimes we push our bodies too hard and that results in some serious injuries. Athletic injuries can be extremely painful and takes time to recover from. Prescription drugs especially opioids are often prescribed during physical therapy and rehabilitation process to help deal with the pain.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, over 22% of people who end up addicted to drugs were prescribed thru doctors and 55% of people end up getting them through friends and family for free. 72% of people that get addicted to these drugs have gotten their drugs through people that they trust. These legal drugs can lead to more serious addictions because their bodies have gotten use to the reward system that is triggered in us. Bad feelings and pain can be relieved by drugs that have the effect of blocking these pain sensors. Another factor is that prescription drugs can be expensive so people turn to other forms of pain relief.

Athletes have tremendous pressure to perform and to contribute as a team member or as a child pleasing their parents and will go to extremes to achieve perfection. Dealing with chronic pain also takes a toll on mental health and the perfect escape from pain has been given to us in the form of a pill. We always hear “it takes time” when it comes to recovery but so does becoming addicted to drugs. Addiction to drugs takes time, it doesn’t happen over night and it’s not something that people tend to seek out when a bad habit forms. There is this negative notion that addiction is only for people that have a mental illnesses and that sadly discounts their value to society. We need to be more compassionate to those who are lost to drug addiction. We need to be stronger for those who don’t have the strength and we need to be more accepting that Kratom has changed these peoples’ lives and not look upon them with disapproval.