The Role of Relapse Prevention Planning for More Effective Chronic Pain Management
I’ve worked with people living with chronic pain and coexisting psychological disorders including addition for the past 25 years. In that time I have seen many people using and abusing their pain medication in some very self-destructive—and even lethal—ways.
Anyone in recovery from an addictive disorder is at risk for a potential relapse episode but people who are also living with chronic pain are at a much higher danger of relapse. These people need a different type primary treatment and relapse prevention treatment. That is why I have developed the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System—a system that addresses people living with chronic pain and coexisting psychological disorders including addiction.
I’ve been certified since 1991 in advanced relapse prevention therapy and teaching this to other addiction professionals through the Gorski-CENAPS® Corporation as well as working with thousands of patients with chronic relapse episodes. In addition to an addictive disorder, most of these people were also living with chronic pain as well as other coexisting psychological disorders.
There continues to be confusion and misunderstanding about what relapse is and how it happens. In my work with patients and when I’m teaching other professionals I clarify my definition of relapse, how it happens and most important how to prevent people from entering the relapse cycle.
When a person is trying to move into recovery they need to learn new tools to move from an addiction centered life-style to a recovery-centered one. In the same way, when someone is trying to remain in recovery they need to learn all they can about the sobriety-based symptoms of an addictive disorder and to develop new tools. One way to develop a new tool kit is through education. I believe that a recovering chronic pain person would greatly benefit from—as well as increase their chances to avoid relapse—is my, Addiction-Free Pain Management Recovery Guide: A Guide to Managing Pain and Medication in Recovery that you can review on our Publications Page. This book describes the information that people need in order to develop a relapse prevention plan that addresses both the chronic pain condition as well as the addictive disorder.
Like many other things in recovery, relapse prevention is simple—but not easy. And although relapse prevention is an inside job, that does not mean you have to do it alone. Help is out there for those who want it. Please remember, Knowledge is Power, the more you know the more you grow.
To learn more about the role of relapse prevention you can read my article Relaspe Prevention and Chronic Pain Management that you can download for free on our Ariticles page.
If you want to learn more about the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System please check out our website at www.addiction-free.com. To learn more about how to develop an effective chronic pain management plan please go to our Publications page and check out my book the Managing Pain and Coexisting Disorders: Using the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. To look for my upcoming trainings please go to our Calendar page.
To read our latest Chronic Pain Solutions Newsletter please click here. To sign up for Chronic Pain Solutions, please click here and input your name and email address. You will then recieve an autoresponse email that you need to reply to in order to finalize enrollment.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I’m really glad that I came across your blog and addiction-free website. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with a psychiatrist to hopefully be put on Suboxone. I don’t take my current pain medications for any high because I no longer feel any euphoria when taking them. My tolerance has built to the point where Oxycontin 40mg (1 every 12 hours) and Roxicodone 15mg (1 every 8 hours for breakthrough pain) don’t seem to work. This is my first month on Oxycontin, which I didn’t want to go on due to the PR all over the news, and I really thought it would finally get rid of my pain. I’ve taken everything from Avinza, to Morphine Sulfate ER and IR, to Opana ER, to you name it. I don’t know what it’s going to take to get my pain under control but it does cause depression when you’re only 37 y/o. Hell, I act the exact same on my medications, seeing as how I don’t even notice I’ve taken them, and my girlfriend has it in her head that I’m a drugee. She told me that she used to take that medication and admits that it became a problem for her so she’s already made up her mind that I’m the same as her. I’ve noticed that pain management doctors (locally anyway) seem to clump all of their patients in the same group as well. I have a LOT of pride and to know that I don’t run out of my medicine early due to wanting a buzz is very frustrating for me. So, to get people off my back, I made the phone call to talk with the psychiatrist openly and honestly. I wish I knew what to expect with Suboxone because I don’t know anyone who takes it. I know that your mind plays a huge part in how medicines work and I guess I don’t have a ton of faith in it. I rationalize that based on the fact that it sounds like all pain management doctors would want their patients on Suboxone if they’re worried about them becoming addicted or selling them on the streets. I read that the main ingredient was more powerful than morphine but Opana ER was supposed to be strong too. I didn’t get any relief from that either. Well, I really didn’t plan on writing you a book but I’m glad I found your sites. I look forward to reading all of the information you have on your websites. Thank you for being a caring and sharing doctor! Robert
June 10th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I have the view that depression is a disease which comes from total identification with one’s thoughts and emotions and have found teachings like that of Eckhart Tolle to help me recover. What do you think?