Drug Addicts and Alcoholics Have Choices to Deal with Chronic Pain.

Treating chronic pain and post-surgery recovery without “getting high”.

People with substance or alcohol abuse issues have pain reliving options that don’t include opioids (narcotics). What is an opioid? This is a medication that causes your thinking to change, as well as make your physical pain better. In other words, a narcotic drug will make your pain go away, but it will also product a mental “high”. If you are an addict or an alcoholic, taking a narcotic can set off an unanticipated craving, that can cripple your sobriety. A problem that I commonly observe is the alcoholic or addict that does not care for the narcotic kind of high. This person only drank alcohol or only used cocaine, therefore if a doctor prescribes Vicodin, it is not going to be a problem. This is a trap. Opioids are physically addictive to anyone who takes them. You don’t have to have a certain body chemistry or mental obsession to become dependent. It might be true that when you were using speed, “downers” were not attractive, but you will be surprised how that can change once you are clean. Mood altering substances that held little value, most likely, will become more attractive.

So, how do you deal with pain and maintain your sobriety? There are three types non-opioid drugs that can be effective and in treating pain. .

Anti-epileptic drugs
Antidepressants
Anti-arrthythmic

Anti-epileptic drugs are used (like you would think) to treat people with epilepsy. However, they have nerve-calming qualities that can help relive burning, stabbing and shooting pain (caused by nerve damage). Things that cause nerve damage include: diabetes, shingles, chemotherapy, a herniated disk and fibromyolgia.

Antidepressants are another way to treat pain, even if depression isn’t present. Antidepressants change the levels of certain brain chemicals that improve mood. It’s is not completely understood how this works, but they do help regulate pain signals. Antidepressants work best for pain caused by arthritis, nerve damage, migraines, tension headaches, low back pain, fibromyalgia and pelvic pain.

Anti-arrthythmic medication is traditionally used to treat serious irregular heartbeat. It works by blocking certain electrical signals in the heart that can cause an irregular heartbeat. Doctors have found that this drug can have an important effect on pain processing. It can be used to provide pain relief, usually for nerve pain and headaches.

A non-drug option is to seek mental treatment. A psychologist can help with physical pain, since the pain is a “whole body” condition. It affects people emotionally, socially and intellectually. Pain can also cripple your self-esteem. Therapies that can help in this area are counseling, hypnosis, biofeedback and relaxation techniques.

Post-Surgery

What about treating pain after surgery? There are several tactics that can be followed to prevent relapse.

The most important thing, is that you tell your doctor about your alcohol or addiction problem. Next, ask for a prescription without a refill. This way you will need to call the doctor when you run out of medication. If it makes sense, give the medication to someone else in your household. The reason is simple. When you take just one mind-altering pain pill, your thinking is not clear. You might not make the best choice and reason that you would like another pill. Now you are heading for trouble. The medication should not get you “high” it should only relive some of your pain.

Use your common sense! Talk to your doctor, family members and your sponsor regarding your pain. The bottom line is that you can live a sober and happy life, by making it your first priority.