[Sugah]

I'm sure you know by now that opiates don't work that well after prolonged use. The body builds a tolerance, and you need more and stronger meds to get the same effect. If you're anything like me, who also wanted the high from them, it becomes near impossible to "get there" after awhile. Overdose becomes a very real possibility because we start to think that we have no limits. I've lost enough friends to know that's not true.

The first thing I'd suggest, if you don't already have one, is to seek out an addictologist or a doctor who understands addiction. One with compassion is a plus, and probably a necessary plus. Discuss your desire to be pill-free and keep an open mind. Ask a lot of questions about alternative therapies--acupuncture, biofeedback, and my favorite, meditation practices. Ask about vitamin supplements, diet, and exercise. If you've been in therapy for a year, you already know about exercise, but are you keeping it up at home? I have to stretch every morning or I would never get through till noon let alone all day.

Ultimately, I had to redefine my idea of "acceptable" pain. I found that one of the hardest things about living with pain were my thoughts about that pain. We live in a society where we treat every discomfort. (Please don't think that I'm suggesting that the pain you have is not significant. I have a few bad disks and some other back issues, so I've no doubt that you're in considerable pain.) I spent many years considering my chronic pain conditions a curse, when, with a shift in perspective, I could see that they, in fact, contained quite a few blessings. The greatest gift of my pain is compassion for other beings. Another gift--though it took me quite some time to accept it--is that I give others the chance to be helpful. There are things I just cannot do. I have to ask for help. And, I know you say that you work very hard--I do, too, though not so much physically these days--I had to slow down. As a result, I see things that other healthy people are often in too much of a rush to see. I've had to learn to work within my limits, and that took some doing. Right now, I'm working as a teacher while finishing my graduate degree--so that, hopefully, one day I'll be a full professor. That might not be your bag, but what we can do is limited only by the imagination. Be creative! We live in a world that's become more and more disabled-friendly.

Tell us more about yourself, dragonheart. What do you do for a living? Do you have family? Friends and neighbors?

Peace & Love,
Sugah