hi..forgive me if i am not too good at this message board thing..i am new to this all. I don't even know if i belong here actually.
a bit of history..I was injuryed in 2002 ans have been on prescribed pain meds ever since..I have had a chroic pain problem since 2002..then in march (last month)..after many yrs searching for wellness...I found a doctor that found the problem and fixed it surgically..
I had a disc compressing my spinal cord for at least 6 yrs..causing much pain and debilitating functional symptoms..all this time I have been on high does of pain meds...
N..ow I want to stop them..but i am physically dependent on them I am sure..I have stopped the oxycontin 4o mg..cold turkey..2 weeks ago..so far , so good..no withdrawal issues..however I am still taking the other pain med..vicodin every 4 hrs as prescribed..I am still in a lot of pain too..the doc tells me my spinal cord was injured..and swollen causing the pain..now i have 4 screws and a metal plate..I am doing well and my future looks good...
My question for you folks is...am I an addict??? is there a differnece between dependency and addiction??? Can you help me with getting off the rest of these pain meds...am I in the right place????
Thanks so much..sorry for the longness of this post.
First of all no one can answer the question you pose.. Are you an ADDICT?
only you can answer that question. Most times if one thinks that they are an addict good chance that they are.
I am an addict, no question for me one is too many and a thousand is not enough. I have a mental obsession and a physical compulsion. I depended on chemicals to escape...my life, my past, my present, my future, my resposibilities, my pain, my feelings, emotions, simply i tried to escape myself. /but dang it everywhere i went..there i was.
please don't apologise :)
may i suggest you consult a doctor they know best for coming off of your meds.
A friend of mine has chronic pain, but doesn't consider herself an addict as she legitimately needs the meds for pain. WHen you're dealing with pain, the medications shouldn't make you "high," but will diminish the pain. While the pain medications are addictive, it is sometimes a very hard decision to make: do I go off the meds and possibly face higher amounts of pain, or do I stay on and possibly face addiction?
In my own eyes, I would consult with a chemical dependency counselor AS WELL AS your doctor to discuss the worries of addiction.
Many people say that if you even think you might be an addict, most chances you are... but when dealing with pain it's a real touchy issue.
I agree with what Wendy shared. Only I can determine whether I'm an addict or not, and as she so aptly put it, when I have reached a point in my life when I'm contemplating this question, the chances are that I am. Again, this is just my perception for myself
However, what helped me a lot in finding out where I stand as far as being an addict or not is the combined experiences of hundreds of recovering addicts, what they shared about their attitude and behavior towards drugs (be it marijuana or heroine or cocaine or alcohol or prescription drugs or anything). When I decided to make more of these meetings and to stay in regular touch with other recovering addicts in NA, it slowly dawned on me beyond any doubt that I'm an addict when I identified at the level of obsession, compulsion and denial.
One information pamphlet that could help you answer your own question is "Am I An Addict". Click the link below to read this pamphlet and honestly answer the questions in this pamphlet. I'm sure you would know where you stand based on your answers as it was for me when I went through this pamphlet. The link to this pamphlet is...
Above all, give NA meetings a try, over a period of time. More will be revealed to us at these meetings as we keep going regularly. You can use this meeting locator link to find out NA meetings nearby where you live...
http://portaltools.na.org/portaltools/MeetingLoc/
Apart from these face-to-face meetings, you can also try out online NA meetings here at our chatrooms when and if you're unable to make your face-to-face meetings at times
Best wishes and fellowship love, Tahir.
__________________
"If we do an honest examination of exactly what we are giving, we are better able to evaluate the results we are getting."Chapter 10 - Emotional Pain - NA Way of Life.
