Pain Management
When someone copes with chronic pain every day, they desperately search for relief. Often, people have access to adequate pain management and use it properly. However, they may sometimes still become dependent on medication. Certain risk factors increase a person’s risk for addiction development, but anyone who deals with a chronic pain issue could potentially abuse drugs as means of pain relief.
How Chronic Pain Can Turn Into a Crisis
Unless a person suffers from chronic pain, she might have no idea how debilitating it can be. The constant throbbing or sharp pain that a sufferer feels can affect a person’s ability to work, enjoy hobbies, or care for a family. Without relief, people may feel hopeless or fall into depression.
Consequently, physicians hesitate to prescribe certain opioids. They’re concerned about the possible need for opioid addiction treatment as a result. Whether someone has ongoing pain from a prior surgery or arthritis, doctors often take a careful approach to pain management.
On the one hand, they know their clients want relief from their pain. On the other hand, how much is too much?
While this is definitely cause for concern (the opioid epidemic is real), a lot of people fall through the cracks. Some choose to self-medicate with whatever they can find, while others take to “doctor shopping.”
Both avenues can lead to drug dependency.
Pain Management and Addiction
Unfortunately, when pain sufferers can’t find solutions in their doctor’s office, they sometimes turn to their own means of pain relief.
What happens when a person can’t get the relief they need from prescription medication? He might begin taking higher doses than a doctor recommends, or he may take them more often than he should. This can lead to increased tolerance of the drug.
Gradually, he has to take more and more to feel the same effects.
A man might drink more alcohol to numb pain from a past sports injury that’s been a constant for years. A woman may illegally purchase gray market opioids to cope with the lingering effects of back surgery. These people may have trouble sleeping, making it difficult to work. As they continue to abuse drugs and alcohol, they grow dependent. Eventually, they can become addicted.
This can take a tremendous physical and emotional toll on someone. Just because a person has pain issues shouldn’t mean the end of a productive, happy life.
Some people find relief in alternative therapies that provide a distraction from discomfort. Others should probably avoid certain medications altogether, especially if they’re at risk for addiction.
Breaking Free of Addiction
Even if you’ve abused drugs and alcohol for years, whether it was to manage pain or for other reasons, it’s not too late to get help. Hawaii Island Recovery can be your partner in recovery.
At our tranquil setting in Kailua-Kona, our dedicated staff works to treat all forms of addiction. We take a holistic approach to treatment in order to provide whole-body recovery. Your mental, spiritual, and physical health are all important.
In our healing and nurturing environment, men and women reside in separate rooms. Our addiction treatment services include:
- Psychotherapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dual diagnosis addiction treatment
- Medically supervised detoxification
- Experiential therapy, including dolphin and equine therapy
A sober future can be yours when you reach out for help. Overcome dependency to drugs and alcohol, and be the healthy person you and your loved ones deserve. Call our treatment facility at 866-390-5070 for more information.