During the last two decades Dr. Grinstead has published a number of articles concerning effective treatment for people with chronic pain and coexisting disorders including addiction. His articles have appeared in California Therapist Magazine, Professional Counselor Magazine, Addiction-Professional Magazine, The Gorski-CENAPS© Resource Guide, and New Times - Recovery Newspaper for NCADD in the Silicon Valley. These articles can be used for educational purposes for both healthcare providers and pain patients. Any use of this information other than for education, without permission from Dr. Grinstead is prohibited. For training, consultation, or coaching services in Addiction-Free Pain Management™ click here. Please check back for new additions.
Latest 10 Articles
Living Life to the Fullest as We Face Adversity
Posted on: Jul 2010
Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II I believe that life is meant to be lived to the fullest. The phrase “living life to fullest” has changed significantly for me over the past three decades. Before my injury over 28 years ago my definition of living life to the fullest was to push my body during Karate practice as far as I could. My dream was to open my own Karate Dojo and teach other people the martial art I had learned to love with a great passion. I was in my early 30s and in my mind anything was possible. After my injury I lost...
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Chronic Pain, Addiction and Trauma: The Troubling Trifecta
Posted on: May 2010
By Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II The Impact of Coexisting Disorders Historically pain, psychological and addictive disorders have been treated as separate issues. Pain clinics have had great success in treating chronic pain conditions. Addiction treatment programs have had success in treating addictive disorders. If the addiction program also treats coexisting disorders their success rate with the coexisting psychological disorders increases as well. However, the effectiveness the pain clinics or addiction treatment programs often fail when the...
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Revisiting Suboxone: Maintenance versus Total Detoxification
Posted on: Mar 2010
Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II In my research and speaking with colleagues, I’ve come across differing opinions on whether patients should be maintained on Suboxone (Buprenorphine) or go through a total detoxification for opiate addiction. A similar debate has been going on for decades about another medication used for opiate addiction treatment—methadone. I would like to propose a third option: using the medications as a transitional treatment intervention with eventual discontinuation. Unlike methadone, physicians are more likely to...
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Differentiating Between Addiction and Pseudoaddiction
Posted on: Feb 2010
Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II No one undergoing chronic pain management starts out with the goal of becoming addicted to their pain medication; nevertheless it happens at least 10% of the time. If someone has a family or personal history of addiction or mental health conditions, they have a higher risk of racing through the progression of addiction. People at risk for addiction react differently from the very first experience of taking pain medication. With ongoing exposure they experience the “seeking reaching” stage, at which time doctor...
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Spirituality and Chronic Pain Management
Posted on: Jan 2010
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II Chronic pain is often misunderstood and undertreated. In addition to the biopsychosocial impact a chronic pain condition frequently has on a person, spiritual crisis can accompany the condition as well. Long-term chronic pain is a body-mind-spiritual problem that requires a multifaceted solution. Complementary spiritual practices are necessary components of any effective chronic pain management plan. Many people have found spiritual interventions like the traditions of prayer and meditation to contribute to the...
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Chronic Pain Management Needs More Than a Quick Fix
Posted on: Nov 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II If you watched any amount of TV the past few years you may have noticed a significant increase in commercials hyping prescription medication. At the same time prescription drug abuse and addiction is on the rise. We live in a quick fix society so when something goes wrong we look for the fastest way to remedy the situation. The Problem: Better Living Through Chemistry When someone has a headache they “pop a pill” and hopefully the headache goes away. When their back starts...
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Effective Stress Techniques for Chronic Pain Management
Posted on: Sep 2009
Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II In today’s busy world it’s very important to incorporate effective stress management tools into your daily living. We hear it all the time; phrases like “I’m stressed out” or “this stress is killing me.” This is obviously true for people living with medical conditions like heart disease or diabetes. And, if you’re living with chronic pain, it’s even more important because increased stress leads to increased pain. Now stress can be a blessing and a curse. We need...
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12 Personal Action Steps for Chronic Pain & Medication Management
Posted on: Aug 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II First of all, I want to emphasize that the information that follows can be used by anyone who wants to avoid prescription medication abuse or addiction problems, not just those already in recovery. Nonetheless, during my work with people over the past 27, I have seen far too many relapse because of poor medication management plans. If someone wants to avoid medication abuse or addiction they need a very specific type of primary treatment that addresses coexisting psychological disorders including addiction, as well as relapse...
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Moving Beyond Anticipatory Pain for Effective Chronic Pain Management
Posted on: Jul 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II If you’re living with a chronic pain condition you may have noticed that sometimes you are so fearful about conducting basic tasks of daily living that you become immobilized. It can also manifest with overwhelming anxiety, so much so, that you trigger a phenomenon that actually amplifies your perception of pain. We call this Anticipatory Pain. Because you believe that you are going to hurt, you can activate the physical pain system just by thinking about doing something that you believe will cause you to hurt. You start...
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Depression Management with the Chronic Pain Patient
Posted on: Jun 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II Challenges in the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Depression In reality not everyone living with chronic pain develops depression; however it is one of the most common coexisting psychological disorders associated with someone facing the challenges of living with a chronic pain condition. One of the biggest problems in treating people with depression and chronic pain is a misdiagnosis. This occurs for two reasons: (1) a person living with chronic pain does not even realize they have a depressive...
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