Re: addiction vs. dependance

[Guest guest]

> Ok, that does it. I've waited patiently in the wings but enough is

> enough.... I'm sorry, but some of the remarks about people suffering

> with addictive disease in addition to longterm chronic pain have been

> painfully insensitive, and are all too frequent on chronic pain lists!

The comments made about addiction were not directed at anyone who has an

addiction problem. I feel for anyone who has an addiction, that too is a

disease. I was just saying that those who have chronic pain should not be

treated like someone who is decieving the doctor trying to get pain meds.

Chronic pain patients who need pain medication should not have to be treated

with disrespect just because they are seeking pain relief. That is all I

was saying.

And for the record, being " attached " or dependant on pain meds is not the

same thing as an addiction. When I speak of an addict seeking pain meds

from a doctor I am referring to someone who does not have pain who is being

deceptive to recieve narcotics from a doctor. I am not in any way

referring to someone who is having chronic pain.

Gentle hugs,

Fern

[Guest guest]

> Ok, that does it. I've waited patiently in the wings but enough is

> enough.... I'm sorry, but some of the remarks about people suffering

> with addictive disease in addition to longterm chronic pain have been

> painfully insensitive, and are all too frequent on chronic pain lists!

The comments made about addiction were not directed at anyone who has an

addiction problem. I feel for anyone who has an addiction, that too is a

disease. I was just saying that those who have chronic pain should not be

treated like someone who is decieving the doctor trying to get pain meds.

Chronic pain patients who need pain medication should not have to be treated

with disrespect just because they are seeking pain relief. That is all I

was saying.

And for the record, being " attached " or dependant on pain meds is not the

same thing as an addiction. When I speak of an addict seeking pain meds

from a doctor I am referring to someone who does not have pain who is being

deceptive to recieve narcotics from a doctor. I am not in any way

referring to someone who is having chronic pain.

Gentle hugs,

Fern

[Guest guest]

Hello to all of you,

This is a little late. As usual I am not getting to my mail on a regular

basis.

I am one of the " addictive " ones. I spent many years in the grips of

addiction. If it was there and would get me " high " I took it. Didn't matter

what it was. I was also in chronic pain at that time. That was one of the

things that kept me " out there " , looking for the next fix to stop the pain.

I come from a long line of addicts so I believe it was bound to happen

regardless if I had chronic pain or not.

I also believe that because of many surgeries that failed and the

numerous drugs that doctors gave me it was bound to happen, because I had the

genetic make-up for addiction

14 years ago I found a way out of the hell of addiction. My whole life

changed and I have no problems discussing that part of my life. I have often

gone to schools to talk about it in the hopes that someone might hear

something that would change their mind about using drugs.

It has also been a curse when dealing with doctors. The general feeling

with most doctors has been that once you are honest about it they will not

help with easing chronic pain. For 12 years I have struggled with doctors.

I have continued to be treated as a street addict searching for a fix. I

even toyed with the idea that I can go to the street to stop this pain.

Luckily I didn't. It's a problem for many of us in recovery. We are denied

addiquit medication because of the disease of addiction.

Sorry this is so long but it is something that I feel strongly about.

Kathleen in California

[Guest guest]

Hi Ray and all,

Welcome to all of our new ones. Altho it's sad that so many of us need to be

here, we welcome your posts and the chance to get to know you better.

Now...... After I sent my post on addiction I started to recall all that I

had to go thru to get treatment. Boy did I get mad! I guess that's what

kept me going tho. I know what I used to go thru to get the drugs I wanted

in those years of active addiction. I went to places and did things that no

human being would normally do. I spent years with shame for the things I

did. Sadness for my children that I abandoned. Sometimes it is still a very

difficult thing to deal with. They say that all those things had to happen

for the to hit bottom. Some of us have different bottoms. Mine went

straight on thru to hell. Lots of times I could have gotten off that

elevator, but I didn't.

One of the things that keeps me present and accouted for is being honest.

I was honest with the medical profession and then put thru another hell.

Always being treated as some sort of sub-human and the over all asumption

that " once a junkie always a junkie " attitude.

I am now dependant on certain medications in order to have some sort of life.

It's a far cry from addiction. But I will say that if I found my self in a

situation that my present care ended and I could not find a doctor willing to

treat me, my choices would be going to the street to find what I needed or

suicide. The latter was tried on numerous occasions when I was " on the

streets " . I hope and pray that I am never faced with that again. It saddens

me deeply that there are people out there, and they believe those are their

only choices.

Kathleen in Sonoma

[Guest guest]

Kathleen,

I would venture a guess that a large number of non-dependent

chronic pain victims have thought of resorting to the street in

desperation. I know I have.

I have great sympathy for your problem of obtaining meds. When I

worked in addiction treatment, we had our own doctor so this would not be a

problem. It was mainly a drug-free program.

I was just wondering if some existing drug program might help you

to clarify your drug independent status with other treatment people (of

course this could complicate things too) It is certainly a dilemma without

an easy solution.

I guess the best outcome would be a trusting relationship with a

good doc.

Ken

At 11:50 AM 10/23/99 -0400, KAKRAG@... wisely said:

>. I

>even toyed with the idea that I can go to the street to stop this pain.

>Luckily I didn't. It's a problem for many of us in recovery. We are denied

>addiquit medication because of the disease of addiction.

>