There are many problems associated with living with chronic pain that you may be experiencing. Chronic pain is a serious health condition confronting many people today.  Those of us living with chronic pain know first-hand that our pain is often disabling and for many of people living with chronic pain there are few safe alternatives when seeking help.  As a result, some people may end up suffering or developing an addiction to the medications they are using to help manage their pain.  Many people in addiction recovery can relapse and may even die from their addiction as a result of untreated—or mistreated—chronic pain conditions.

When people are on pain medication most do not experience problems.  However, many people do. Fortunately there are Red Flags or indicators that you may be using your pain medication in a manner that could eventually lead to problems or even addiction.  Both you and your treatment providers need to be familiar with these red flags and to seek professional help from a person trained in addiction who also has experience, understanding, or training in pain management.

A major obstacle to recognizing these Red Flags and achieving effective pain treatment is our denial system—the psychological defense mechanism that is there to protect us from unbearable situations.  It is important to remember that we developed this defense system to protect us from being overwhelmed by what I call Painful Reality.

There are times when this defense mechanism called denial can help.  Unfortunately, it can sometimes lead us to avoid looking at and dealing with a situation that is causing life-damaging consequences.  There is also another interesting point about denial.  If you are told “you’re in denial” you are now in a no-win position.  If you are in denial you don’t know it, and if you’re not in denial you can’t prove it to the satisfaction of your accuser.

If you want to learn more about potential medication problems with chronic pain management please check out our website at www.addiction-free.com and go to our Publications page to check out my APM Module Two: Examining Your Potential Medication Management Problems that includes a Red Flags checklist for prescription medication problems.  You can also check out our Ariticles page to download my free articles including Managing Pain Medication in Recovery.