Chronic Pain, Addicts, Apples And Opiates...oops Oranges ;)

The Opiate Crisis in America is at an all time HIGH... Yep pun intended Ha yay me I made a funny!!! OK seriously The problem with this problem is that many people who suffer from severely debilitating chronic pain causing conditions need these opiates to function on a day to day basis. I know it sounds crazy to someone who has no problem getting up in the morning, jumping in the shower, throwing your clothes on, grabbing a bite to eat and heading off to enjoy a typically normal and opiate free day, but that's not the life of a chronic pain sufferer. People With Chronic Pain live in a body that has completely betrayed them of all functionality. All bets are off when it comes to functionality and even a shower, or putting on shoes, or standing, or sitting, or even laying down, can bring about spine curling pain.

I am a Patient advocate for the fight against pain and suffering. This means I don't believe people should be in pain if they don't have to be. Sadly because of the many people who suffer from depression and other emotional ailments that have lead the masses of opiate abusers to self medicate, Tens of Thousands of people in Chronic Pain suffer unjustly. The war on opiates is a necessary war, the abuse has gotten out of control and the heroin addicts it's turning out are in the multitudes, but their are many victims of friendly fire in this onslaught of mass media attention and the demonizing of opiates all together. Opiates allow some people whom would be bed ridden and riddled with pain 24/7 to get up and function and lead a normal life. that is a miracle that needs to be highlighted and not overshadowed by the darkness of the self medicators of our day. Honestly if it wasn't opiates we all know it would be something else, the issue is not their addiction to opiates it's their need to escape reality or suppress feelings. Most people who depend on opiates to relieve physical pain hate the side effects they bring including the chemically addicting properties which make changing medications or withdrawing once surgeries or healing has taken place and the medication is no longer needed, but imagine what one spine injury opiate user described as his life before opiates he said: "It was like I had a sword in for a spine and I could feel every razor blade disk, it cut into me into my feet my arms my legs, all day, all night. I just wanted to die. Opiates gave me the freedom to move again, i'm not totally pain free but I can play with my children and hope to go back to work soon, that's how good I feel now." Can you imagine a man like that being told he can no longer get his medication and will be returned back to a life of pain because of the "WAR ON OPIATES."

We need a more realistic dialogue about this problem and REAL CHRONIC PAIN SUFFERERS need to be included in it. Listening to perfectly healthy people tell people in Chronic Pain they think they don't need their pain medication is terribly sad and off balance. People abusing opiates need real treatment not just a pink slip, but a withdraw plan, treatment centers, mental evaluations, let's stop putting band aids on pussing sores, because creating a whole new generation of heroin addicts is starting to look like
"The Master Plan," and because there doesn't seem to be any other plan in action.