We need to stop treating pain patients as mental patients (literally, if you ask your personal doctor if they believe in chronic pain disease they will most likely tell you that they don't. Or else they will say something about the advances in medications for depression as a treatment for pain, or how there is no conclusive evidence proving that chronic pain exists)
We need to stop treating pain patients as having an addiction problem. Are there patients out there that could have an addiction problem? Sure. I'm not stupid, naive, or set on my position to the point where I am not willing to admit that there could be pain patients with a problem. But IS that problem addiction? Or are they dependent on these medications in order to maintain a quality of life? This is the difference we need to emphasize. And if it is addiction, then odds are is that they don't actually suffer from pain. If you have been addicted to a pain medication long enough, you may have started with medication, but not actually know how much pain your body is in. This is the difference that needs to be recognized. I know a man who once checked himself into a detox to find out exactly how much pain he was in because he knew that some of the side effects of the wrong pain medication can cause pain. I'm not saying that anyone else should do this. In fact I don't recommend it under any circumstances. But I told that anecdote to make a point. If a person is "chasing a high" then they are not utilizing the medications to manage their pain in order to life their life, they are using the medication in order to gain the euphoric effect. What needs to be done is to stop the stereotype that all people who receive or ask for medications classified for the treatment of pain are addicted to the medication.
As of December of 2011 there were 8,113,000 people receiving social security for disability. (www.ssa.gov) Out of 310,500,000 US citizens. (www.census.gov) That is 1 in every 38 US citizens. Does that seem acceptable to you? The question isn't "Why can't these people work and stop mooching off the government?" the REAL question is "Why is no one helping them regain control of their lives?" THAT is the real question. Throwing money at people doesn't help them get their lives back. The basic necessities of life:food, water, shelter, hygiene, work and compassion. These are the things that people need to live. But the greatest thing we need to have for one another is Love.
Anyway, enough of the rant for now, but some further reading for you. There are some staggering statistics and facts in each of these articles. Enough to make me sick to my stomach and shocked and heartbroken while reading them.
The Deadly Morals
The Stigma of Chronic Pain
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