alcoholic drug addict with a pain problem! Looking for a solution

I'm a recovering alcoholic drug addict with a pain problem. Ive been on almost every pain killer on the market and very high doses. Ive become somewhat of a professional withdrawler. I'm looking for ways to deal with chronic pain other than narcotics. i've seen addiction docs and they recommend fentynal patches or methadone for someone like me. I've also seen a pain specialist and he recommended hydro morph contin  or ms contin. The patch gives me some pain relief and i don't abuse it, but I also get extremely depressed when I take it. Ive never tried methadone, my situation doesn't really permit it. i'm told that addicts should avoid short acting opiates like tylenol3 or oxycontin etc. short acting opiates trigger the obssesion and compulsion in the amygdila(not sure how you spell it) part of the brain. There is a new drug out apparently called suboxone that is supposed to work great for withdrawl (withdrawal). Someone like me who has to take narcotics occasionally being an addict I have to get off them as soon as possible. Painkillers are not evil they are a god send for people in pain. I'm so friggen miserable and bitchy and hate life when i'm in pain, nobody wants to be around me and I can't help it. I'm going to a pain clinic for a couple weeks, hopefully I can gain some knowledge there. If anyone has suggestions for someone in my situation i welcome them with an open mind. I believe if I don't find a solution I will probably have an early death. I love life and love being clean and sober. I suffer mentally, physically, and spiritually when i'm in pain and on pain killers. But I really dfriggen suffer in pain without painkillers. I know there is a certain mind body connection. I know my mind can cause pain or more pain when i'm really not in that much pain, b ut m y addict mind tends to go into overdrive sometimes. I start to rrationalize as to why I should take one more pill so I can feel that much more better...anyway it's a vicious circle.. Anybody know what i'm talking about?

[worried878]

yes...I do...but u have said it all it seems

[professionalwithdrawler]

Well surely you have something to add?lol....i'm on a journey to find some answers to addiction/pain. Drives me nuts sometimes

[worried878]

drives me nuts too!  LOL  I guess i could say you need to quit but u already know that..i have a chronic pain problem secondary to severe scolosis since i was 26...so 22 years....the pain pill started causing me more pain than my back...so i quit...but it took a while...i was sick and tired of being sick and tired...as said before..when i was sick and tired to the hilt...i quit...i did a quick taper and then i quit...is my pain worse than before?...not really...do i miss them sometime?  yes....is it worth the tolerence i was building and owrry about where i would get my next supply?  No...just my solution to an evergrowing problem to  a person i used to know...me...that was turning into an isolated person i did not know....so i quit...it was not as easy as it sounds in words tho...and u know that i think

[worried878]

oh... and non-narcotic pain relief i do get is thru yoga, massage, chiropractic, ice/heat and steroid injections ever 4 months......like right this second i am not hurting...so that is good for me

[professionalwithdrawler]

Yes i know all to well, but sometimes my pain is far to great to try and wait for it to pass. I'm living the right kinda life now at least. i make sure i'm honest and open to all concerned when i have to use. Do I enjoy it? No, not really. I would much rather be mentally, spiritually and physically well. Being clean and sober is the greatest gift ive ever been given. I know I don't want to lose it. But when it comes to drugs 1000 is to many and one is never enough ;)

[professionalwithdrawler]

I'm going to a pain clinic Monday, so hopefully I will get some help there. I`ll take all the help I can get. I don`t wanna lose what I have. I`m lovin life. I`m pain free as we speak too, and that`s good enough for me today.

[professionalwithdrawler]

i can`t take nsaids anymore either my stmach is screwed from them. I did figure out that some of my pain was depression related and i`m allot better now that my depression is not getting me. I`m way to young for all this ****. I`ll have plenty of time to search for a solution as long as i`m alive

[worried878]

I dont take nsaids anymore either....not enough help for the problems they can cause...muscle relaxers help me i think more than anything but i rarely take them...ice is my best friend...and exercise....i have decided to do the best i can drug free as i did not like my life the other way...doctors in this area will not prescribe the amounts i would have needed had i kept using....and the forum scared the stew out of me watching some go thru patch wd....so i am better off hurting a bit here and there than mentally hurting all the time...wasting...i would have eventually lost my job at the rate i was going...as a matter of fact...I am lucky i kept my job thru all this quitting stuff...worried me for a bit but at the time i just did not care if i lost my job or not....it was all i could do to get up every morning for a while and i was so envious of the people who did not have to work....i hate to admit that but i was....keep posting

[professionalwithdrawler]

Ya i lost everything with my alcoholism/addiction. The only thing I managed to keep was my job. Now because of my back problems and chronic pain I might not even have a job anymore. My tolerance is so high. I ended up in the emergency ward in Nov and they couldn't give me anough painkillers. Not only was I in the worst pain of my life, but no amount of painkillers would help and that scared me something bad. But since ive decided to stay clean and sober ive always seemed to make it through the worst times. Sometimes i wonder if i'm gonna make it through it, but I always do Thank God! Like I said Sobriety is the greatest gift ive ever been given and I don't want to lose it. It's been nice chattin with ya, but I gotta go. Keep poting me. I'll reply when I get a chance....Take Care;)