Life Without Painkillers…The View From The Other Side

When you think about quitting pain killers a lot of scary things cross one’s mind.

One of the scariest things about the prospect of quitting painkillers is what to do with all of that time. You know, all the time spent: being high, getting prescriptions filled, going to doctors appointments to get the prescriptions, waiting at the pharmacy to pick up the pills, counting the pills to make sure you have enough, counting again, thinking about more places to get the pills and finally…counting the pills once more to make sure.

Another thing that gave me pause was the whole deal about becoming an addict. Even towards the end of my addiction, I never really considered myself an “addict” per se; I definitely had a problem with pills and booze but I really wasn’t prepared to call myself an addict. I dreaded the thin-lipped whispers at parties, “Oh there’s George, yeah he had a pain killer addiction…uh-huh, yeah he’s sober now.” I didn’t like the fact that if I made the changes I knew I needed to make in my life that I would have to subscribe to all of that dogma that comes along with being an addict in recovery. I wanted to just move on. As I mention several times here, Withdrawal-Ease Opiate Withdrawal Natural Supplement System (do you think I could have come up with a longer name???)and this site are meant to help you take the first -and perhaps most difficult- step in getting your life back from pills.

For me, staying sober is a subjective and very personal process; there is no panacea. If AA helps you stay sober great, if going to a rehab helps you terrific, if chewing gum keeps you from taking a pill then chew gum…chew a lot of it. Whatever works for you is whatever works.

Looking back on my pill popping days and all of these concerns I had along with many others, I can say that I probably shouldn’t have worried so much. The physical and psychological benefits one gets after getting off of these drugs is 100% worth it. No more depression and fits of rage, no more counting pills, no more worrying about getting more or getting caught. Now that I’m clean I also know that I have the right to say that I’m not an addict…yeah I said it. I took too many pills and drank too much so I made a change…and now I’m moving on.

Was This Post of Interest To You? You Might Like These Other Posts:

“Ready For Takeoff!”

“The Brain’s Reward Center”

“When You’re Ready To Quit”