Monday, July 22, 2019
Oxycotin, addiction and me
My leg infection was extremely painful. Over the counter pain killers barely took the edge off. After being admitted to the hospital I finally got the pain meds needed to actually be comfortable. It took 20 mg of oxycotin twice a day plus dilaudid every three hours to do the job.
After my hospital release I got a prescription to continue with the oxycotin. It was great to have the pain managed, but I really started to miss my mind. As soon as I could deal with the discomfort I replaced oxycotin with Tylenol. Medical people have assured me I’d been on opiods more than long enough to have addiction issues. That can happen very quickly.
Fortunately, it wasn’t that hard for me to get off them. My big motivation was getting my mental clarity back. I was lucky. Too often a long struggle with addiction starts with a painful injury.
Addiction is one of those things that frightens me. Genetics play a role, and there are relatives of mine who struggled with alcohol. One of my cousins died from it.
Frankly, I like to drink. A good beer with lots of hops is a special treat. There’s a sublime pleasure to sipping a good single malt scotch. A nice red wine goes down well. Rum is good even when its not chilled. In fact, there’s a lot of different drinks I really enjoy.
Here’s the thing, I want to keep enjoying them. To do that I make sure I don’t drink habitually. Days or even weeks can go by without drinking alcohol. It’s rare that I’ll drink enough to to get drunk. I can stop after one or two drinks.
Probably the smartest thing would be not to drink at all. However, I always believed that too much moderation was bad for a person. The thought of something being banned can make it more attractive. Knowing I can have a drink anytime I want removes both the anxiety and a lot of the temptation. That’s what seems to work for me. I know alcohol is so dangerous for some people that they should not drink at all.
There’s nothing special about me when it comes to addiction. Thank goodness I don’t have to give up coffee. That’s hard. I’ve done it in the past and didn’t like it.
-Sixbears
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Wife's pain doc says people who actually have pain usually have no problem with addiction.
ReplyDeleteIt's when the pain goes away and the person still takes the meds that addiction takes over.
Temporary relief from pain apparently is not the same as 'Stoned out of one's gourd because it feeels good' which is what addicts look for. Supposedly.
Me? Any opiate makes me projectile vomit, almost as soon as it hits my system. Reaction is so bad one doctor jokingly told me to never ever get hurt, ever. Advil is the strongest thing I can take.
Of course, I am a complete klutz, so...
Morphine made me vomit. Not a good ride.
DeleteMakes sense Beans, about those in actual pain not having a problem. It is a thin line between no pain and addiction. Life seems always involve a certain amount of pain, but I balanced having some minor pain still and being mentally clear.
I never had a problem with alcohol, either, I guess we're blessed. Because of my heart, I don't drink at all anymore.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing to thank the good Lord for.
DeleteSame story as Gorges above - heart meds require I give up alcohol. Except as youth and and dances, I rarely drank any way so giving it up was easy.
ReplyDeleteToo many people don't have it easy and my heart goes out to them. Glad you didn't have to suffer.
DeleteI have an addictive personality. Once I'm into something, I tend to go full in. This can be work choices, life choices and intoxicants. It took me some years to work out this tendency and find strategies to mitigate it.
ReplyDeleteOver the decades, I've been through and beaten serious dependency issues with alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, pot and psychedelics. Many friends have been through similar and I lost far too many at far too young (alcohol and heroin the main offenders). My extended family only has a couple of folks who drink a few more than the doctors like, so in my case it is less genetic as in my mind.
Fortunately, my mind made some very good decisions when I was young, silly and paying hard. I made 3 rules and stuck to them. No needles, no heroin and pills from the doctor are tools not playthings.
I'm also recovering from a nasty injury (crushed disc L5/S1) and recently took Palexia and Tramadol every day for a year and a half. Although these opioids had an associated buzz, I didn't like it and found weaning off really easy.
I can now have a drink or two then leave it alone and even that is rare. I'm still addicted to caffeine but give myself strict daily limits and nicotine thankfully now comes in a vaporiser.
Addictions are powerful things. They can overtake an otherwise intelligent mind, strong personality and and common sense advice. Caffeine withdrawals are bad enough - you are lucky not to go through worse.
You've had a tough trip and came out the other side in one piece. Lots of folks don't make it.
DeleteI also have to watch out for gambling. Casinos are way too much fun for me so I'd best stay away.
I can certainly understand the coffee. Wouldn't want to give it up either.
ReplyDeleteI can do it, but right now I get more benefits from coffee than downsides.
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