Tramadol attaches to opiate receptors and works the same way but without the side effects. It's not habit forming.
Tramadol is even more addictive than Codeine if you ask me...Codeine you can get addicted to but at a certain point you reach the ceiling dose (~400mg) and then it doesn't do anything to you anymore so you let it go (or move to something stronger). Tramadol has some SSRI properties (which is what gives it a distinct feeling to other opiates) but those properties aren't an advantage when you are trying to quit...you get even more depressed than if you just quit a "standard" opiate.
And yes! STAY AWAY FROM THEM! I've started up experimenting with codeine...I fell in love...and I didn't know what I was getting into! Soon (actually abnormally fast, in 2-3 weeks) codeine had no more effects on me and I had to jump to Percocets and after that to Heroin.
Thank god I was on Heroin for only a week, after which I moved to Alberta. Besides the fact that I HATED Alberta, I'm still pretty sure that it saved me from a probable life addiction.
All this because of Migraines haha
Nowadays I find that a good indica will suppress my pain much better than any opiate will, on top of that it cures my insomnia, my nauseas and helps me eat and relax after a long day.
In a way opiates helped me discover that some things must be respected and appreciated for what they are and that Marijuana isn't a recreational drug to me anymore! Just to say that cannabis is all I truly need
even though I'm out of MJ and that's why I'm up at this time -_-