@ smacked
Resilience is one thing. Living in agony for the sake staying 'sober' is another. I'm not an opiate addict, so I wonder what the realistic options are for pain treatment, especially when faced with chemotherapy or a condition that causes chronic pain...not just a minor wisdom tooth extraction (?)
@ tjp
I am well aware of 'cross-addiction'. But in reality, I'm not going to get hooked on a tiny supply of non-refillable Lortab or Vicodin.
My point is that there are occasions when addicts have legit pain. There's no reason to assume that every alcoholic is going to relapse because they took narcotics for a short period of time as prescribed.
I agree that some doctors that are educated about addiction do their patients a service by being careful. Others (like mine) seemed to jump to conclusions about my well-being.