We have an acquaintance who, many years ago, had a serious brush with addiction. Now, clean and sober for 20 years, many of the worst parts of addiction are behind him. He has emerged from the lows of addiction to become a productive member of the community, has found a mate and formed a stable marriage, is able to keep a job and contribute to the community in many ways. Addiction, however, is a chronic disease and he has to keep his guard up to prevent its return as a dominant force in his life. Recently he needed surgery and, after careful consultation with his doctors, underwent the surgery without complication. Some of the anesthetics used for surgery, however, were not an option in his case given his history. Other medication, used for pain control following surgery, seemed too risky to use. As a result he has had to endure more pain than some others who have experienced similar procedures.

Although our family has been fortunate to have avoided the kind of severe addiction that he suffered, we have significant understanding and empathy with the challenges he has faced in seeking appropriate medical care. Back before the Covid-19 pandemic my wife suffered a life-threatening reaction to a medication administered to treat her. The medicine, used to treat irregular heart rhythms, caused her to go into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, she was in the hospital at the time of her arrest and although she arrested a second time a few minutes later, she was successfully revived and after a stay in the intensive care unit with the assistance of a respirator, she recovered. Later she had surgery that addressed the arrhythmia and now is able to live a healthy life free of the need for heart medication. Her experience has left her with an entire category of drugs that cannot be safely administered to her including several drugs used for anesthesia for medical procedures.

In my background as well is a brush with medication. In 2001, after being burned, I was administered morpheme for pain control. I had a severe psychological reaction to the drug, became irrational and paranoid, and my reaction created problems with my emergency room treatment. Fortunately I recovered as the effects of the medication wore off, and now list morpheme as a drug allergy. I also have learned that pain mediations are extremely effective for me and that taking half of the recommended doses works best for me. On another occasion, I was prescribed an opioid for back pain. One dose of the medicine caused me to sleep for 22 hours.

We are very careful and reluctant whenever we encounter a need for pain medication. We have also found that we need to be active in seeking appropriate treatment and knowledgable about which medications to avoid. Despite the fact that my morpheme allergy is listed on my records at my dentist’s office he has twice offered to write prescriptions for pain medication for me. Both times were after I received treatment that required novocain for him to do his work. In both cases, I experienced no pain following the procedures. Once the novocain wore off, I resumed my normal life and had no residual pain. Both times, I refused the offer of a prescription for pain medication, confident that I would not require medication. I could have self administered Tylenol if I were to need it, but nothing was needed either time.

It would be very simple for a person suffering addiction to obtain a legal prescription for a medicine that is easily abused with dangerous results.

I was once told by a friend who is an emergency room physician that many, if not most addictions have origins in pain treatment. People experience pain that is difficult to treat and physicians prescribe medications that are potentially addictive. Once addicted to pain medication, those suffering addiction seek additional medication and if they are unable to obtain it legally they enter the illegal market, where dosages are imprecise and substances are often laced with foreign and very dangerous substances. Drug overdoses claim many lives every year. One of the most dangerous substances is fentanyl, a synthetic drug that is approved for anesthetic that can cause delusions and carries many dangerous side effects. It is highly addictive and imprecise dosage can be fatal.

Fentanyl poisoning has reached crisis proportions in many communities in the US and Canada. Naloxone, marketed under the brand name Narcan, is a life-saving nasal spray that is approved as an over the counter treatment for fentanyl overdose. First responders are equipped with it and trained in its administration. It is becoming more commonly available. In fact, I found a single dose container, still in its sealed sterile packaging, in the parking lot of our church last Sunday. Its presence is an indication of the presence of life-threatening addiction on the streets of our community.

As a society, we still have much to learn about addiction and its treatment. Dangerous mistakes are still being made in treatment. All people, whether or not they have experienced addiction, need to be aware of the dangers and take an active role in making decisions bout which drugs to take and which to avoid. Physicians are becoming better trained than they were a couple of decades ago when opioid prescriptions were common and many patients were becoming addicted to the drugs after experiencing relatively minor conditions.

Pain can be an important signal for humans. Not all pain is to be avoided. It can help us avoid further injury. But there is significant fear of pay that is experienced not only by the general public, but also by those who treat them. Doctors do not like to see their patients in pain and are generally aggressive in treating pain rather than understanding the role of pain in the process of recovery. I certainly am no expert and do not have the answers, but I am a witness to how deeply addiction can damage individuals and family systems. Learning to manage pain and the medications used to treat it is important not only for our recovering-addict acquaintance, but for all of us.