I've lost three people this year to opiate related deaths and I've lost 8 over the last five years. Each loss has been heartbreaking because, in each case, the deceased left behind families who were destroyed from the grief and loss.
Here's the thing: no one grows up wanting to become a drug addict. People do not go down this road willingly. In each case, it began with an injury and a prescription.
When the prescription ran out, the pain didn't stop and an addiction was already developed.
We tend to think of opiates as being an "evil" drug, but I don't think that's the case either. The problem isn't with the drug itself, but rather with the way we manage pain.
The truth is that pain and injury can be made less severe with better life practices. In this episode I discuss ways of managing pain without opiates.
As I mention in the podcast, I am not a doctor, and everything I discuss here should be done only with the approval of your physician. I also implore you to advocate for yourself in your interactions with your doctor in determining treatments that will work for you.
To learn more about other resources to manage pain, check out the following episodes:
https://warriorsoulagoge.com/podcast-show-notes/chris-bell-2