brightlotusmoon:

via Kat Diane

“It’s apparently chronic pain awareness month, and I just have to put some stuff out there…

…Please stop advocating for policies that aim to reduce opioid addiction. Because while it’s a noble concept to want to help those in the thick of an opioid addiction, there’s some things you should know:

1. The policies that end up getting put in place are often ones that prevent chronic pain patients from accessing opiates for their pain. The uncomfortable truth is, for some of us patients, opiates are the only meds that consistently provide relief for our pain.
And what ends up happening when you make it harder to access opiates isn’t really that drug addicts stop finding sources for their additions, it’s that chronic pain patients have to fight 1,000 times harder to get care. They are also often accused of “drug-seeking behavior” and thus left in pain *and* stigmatized.

2. When you *do* make it harder to access opioids, and more and more chronic pain patients are denied care, this actually makes the opioid epidemic *worse*. By denying pain patients care in doctors offices, this can inadvertently push them to seek drugs on the street, which means they might end up getting what they *think* is, say, Norco, or Percocet, but it’s neither. It can also push them to use drugs like heroin simply because it’s the only thing they can access to manage their pain.

The risks of this are exponential. When a pain patient seeks care outside of a medical environment, they risk addiction, overdose, and death. If we simply allowed doctors to treat pain, no holds barred, pain patients would be far more likely to adhere to a pain plan, and stay safe.

3. Be honest with yourself– do you actually care about addicts or do you just want to make it harder for them to get opiates? Because as far as I’m concerned, policies like the above do nothing for addicts or pain patients. Addictions thrive in secrecy. If we decriminalize or legalize all drugs, the secrecy element is suddenly unnecessary. In turn, there will be less risk or shame perceived by addicts to seek care for their addictions.

It’s also important we do not rush the process of detoxing addicts. The chemical dependency of a given addiction should *always* be given precedent and due concern above the learned behavioral elements. Also, 12-step programs work for some, but definitely not most. Alternatives should be offered.

4. Finally, and I stress this– many addicts are also chronic pain patients. We do neither population justice when we refuse to treat their pain. I deem it far more reckless to deny addicts *and/or* pain patients care than to openly acknowledge that may be a concern for them, but prescribe them meds under your supervision and care. That way, the risks can be effectively managed, along with the pain.

Just please stop restricting care for those who need it.“