A Prescription of Addiction

  One of the most disturbing issues that keeps coming up in my conversations is with people who legitimately take prescribed pain medication.  It comes up in ways like Tracy-Lee described to me about a condition called Degenerative TMJ.  The Temporo-Mandibular Joint is the joint where the mandible (the lower jaw) joins the temporal bone of the skull, immediately in front of the ear on each side of the head. Each time you chew you move it. But you also move it every time you talk and every time you swallow (every three minutes or so). It is, therefore, one of the most frequently used of all the joints of the body. 

  Tracy-Lee suffers from a degenerative TMJ disease causing constant pain, for which she takes painkillers – Addictive narcotics that alleviate the pain and make it possible for her to function in daily life. 

  Her prognosis is grim.  She knows the condition won’t get any better and she’s resigned herself to living with the pain, and a prescription drug addiction that’s a side effect of constantly needing the pain medication. 

  Like so many others, Tracy-Lee is caught in the guilt of having become an unwilling addict. 

  Resources, which should be of help to Tracy-Lee, are almost non-existent, and ignorance of the facts makes the situation she and others face hard to address. 

  “Drug addiction” is about the abuse of medication as it’s seen in recovery programs. It’s treated with abstinence and 12 Step recovery.  But, what about those who have to take medication for legitimate reasons?  What happens when the illness is real as in Tracy-Lees’ case?  Does 12-step recovery address those people as well when the use of narcotics is essential and ongoing? 

All of us can and do get sick 

Becoming ill is something that happens to everyone including addicts.  So, what happens if I turn around and develop Cancer or degenerative bone disease and need to take prescribed medication to deal with real pain? 

  One Narcotics Anonymous member described his dilemma: "I was one person who believed that, if you used anything for any reason, it was considered a relapse.  Until I was faced with this situation in my own recovery, it didn't dawn on me that I might have to take medication.  I can remember going to meetings and having people ask me if I'd relapsed, and telling me to pick up a white chip.  This really hurt and scared me.  I felt rejected and very alone because no one seemed to understand that I needed strength and hope." 

A Drug Addict With A Toothache 

  A toothache re-ignited my addiction in 1993.  Nothing simple.  Extensive Periodontal surgery (Cutting the gums around the teeth and sewing them back together) coupled with abscessed teeth made my life a living hell!  One of the little discussed side effects of addiction.  Over years of using I’d paid no attention to my teeth, only to deal with the results in recovery.  I kept my teeth, but only after years of painful treatments that stretched the limits of my acceptance: And, a final resignation that I had to use narcotic medication to deal with agonizing pain.

  The lack of understanding in the recovery community was unbelievable!  I was repeatedly told: “You can’t take drugs and continue to be a part of the fellowship”.    

Between A Rock & A Hard Place 

  Judgmental attitudes and the black & white thinking (All or nothing!) of addiction kept me from getting the help I needed when I needed it most!

Pain medications are one of the most valuable tools in the medical arsenal and there is no problem when they are used properly.  The issue I faced then and everyday of my recovery was my previous abuse of those medications…not this very legitimate and painful condition! 

In Times of Illness… 

  There are pamphlets put out by both Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, which address the issue of drug use by recovering people.  Sadly, they are hard to find at meetings I’ve attended.

Both AA and NA take no position on the use of drugs for medicinal purposes.  They take no position on any issues outside of themselves including medications used by members.  However, they do recognize the realities faced by recovering persons who have to take medications for legitimate reasons.  Advice given is straightforward and practical.  Tell your doctor about your addiction.  Tell your sponsor.  Tell your friends so they can help you deal with the very real problems you’ll be facing and continue on your path to recovery. 

  Understanding is the key to facing the insecurities you have when taking prescription medications.  All of us can and do have to face this one in recovery.  Likewise, compassion and understanding have to be there in the people we deal with! 

  One caller suffering from Bone Cancer told me of his encounter with Narcotics Anonymous after my advice to contact them.  He said:  “They told me they could only help me if I wanted to stop taking my drugs: But, I can’t stop taking them or I’d be left screaming in agony!”

 Like A Long Tailed Cat in A Room Full of Rocking-Chairs… 

  There is always danger when I have to take narcotic drugs.  It happens rarely, but I have the awareness of the pitfalls and the people in my support network to help me when I need it.  We need more education and understanding about the use of prescription drugs.  A better understanding of “Who is an addict?”

  What seems to be forgotten by more zealous members is that the only requirement for membership in Narcotics Anonymous is “the desire to stop using.”  Sometimes using drugs is not a choice. 

The NA Pamphlet “In Times of Illness” and AA’s “The AA member-Medications & other Drugs” are now available online at www.markelliot.com/naillness.html

©2000, 2001 The Elliot Company Inc.