Dealing with Addiction and Pain Management
Not all addictions are based on habits developed based on a certain lifestyle. In some cases, an addiction can start with pain management. Those who have suffered from acute injuries that required pain medication know just how powerful these medications can be. When that pain goes from temporarily acute to chronic, the risk for addiction to pain medication is multiplied. In this blog, addiction specialists from Yellowstone Recovery weigh in on addiction.
Evolution of Addiction
It comes on slowly. First, you are just trying to stop the pain and, before too long, you’re trying to avoid the pain from the original issue, as well as the pain from withdrawals. There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight, but this wasn’t how you planned to live your life.
You may have started with a small dosage that had to be increased over time because the effects wore off as your body got used to the medication. Or, perhaps you started with a large dosage and had no idea that the pain was going to last as long as it did. Eventually you may have had to switch to a stronger medication or a much higher dosage just to take the edge off the pain. Soon, your body doesn’t just need the medication to stop the pain, but because it faces serious side effects when the medication wears off. Now you find yourself looking for an affordable drug rehab while wondering how you are going to prevent the pain without the medication.
Learning Pain Management
If your pain is a chronic pain, the best option is to learn pain management techniques. Medication doesn’t pinpoint the original issue. Sometimes it just tricks your mind into thinking the pain isn’t there. Other times it numbs the pain source. The problem with this is that continuing on a medication regime without any kind of pain management techniques is like putting a finger bandage over a ruptured appendix. It won’t treat the problem at all.
Pain management involves a medical team that can pinpoint the issue and teach you techniques for managing the pain as it applies to that issue. Through a combination of methods, you can treat the issue or learn methods by which to deal with the issue, and decrease or avoid the pain in your daily life. You can expect to learn some of the following methods:
- Movement that helps you avoid aggravating the original issue
- Stress reduction techniques that can help you manage the mental and emotional aspects of chronic pain
- Exercises that help strengthen the area or the surrounding area to support the original injury
- Dietary changes that can help reduce inflammation
No one looks forward to a life of chronic pain. However, the pain of addiction can sometimes be worse than the original issue, and add to your physical discomfort as well as interfering with your mental and emotional health. By learning pain management techniques, you can reduce, replace, or eliminate the medications that are causing problems. Visit Yellowstone Recovery today to learn more about managing your addiction as well as your pain.
