had spinal surgery at three years sober, and was concerned, big-time, about pain meds.
i had the IV morphine, patient-controlled, and the nurses kept telling me i wasn't using enough.
when i shared my concern and mentioned being a sober alcoholic, they told me, in lay language, that when you are in pain, the meds go to a different place in your brain and deal with the pain only. you will not get high, or "feel funny", or have a mood-altered experience. your pain will be controlled.
the surgeon confirmed this.
when i went home, i had hydromorphone pills, and had been told that i would know when to stop, that there would be one pill i'd take that would have a different effect.
and that's exactly what happened: a few days later, i wasn't sure if i needed it, or if a simple ibuprofen could take care of it, but i had also been warned about letting the pain get out of control...i took the pill. i started feeling woozy, off, whoa...that was the pill that obviously did something other than relieve the pain only.
i needed no more
years later, i have chronic pain, and part of that is attributable to not using enough pain meds initially because of fear. my doc explained that this allowed certain "pain pathways" to get established and entrenched.
this is all lay language, of course.