Medication and Sobriety
Dateline: 07/21/99For those who are trying to stay sober, prescribed medications can be a stumbling block to their recovery, but for others it's no big deal.
There is one line of thought in the recovery community that if someone is not drinking, but taking pain medications or even drugs prescribed for other mental disorders, that the person is not truly "sober." This stance seemed to be a bit extreme, so we asked the question on the Forum bulletin board here at the Alcoholism site to see what others thought.
On that bulletin board thread, one member of the community posted a story that demonstrates an example of the attitude about taking medications. Here's the example:
I had a friend who was in intensive care in the hospital after almost dying and having an operation to save her. Her sponsor (who was in the I know exactly how this program works mode) came to see her and told her she would now have to change her sobriety date! ...the lady was so upset. I was pretty upset too...The consensus of those who replied on the bulletin board was that as long as medications are taken exactly as they are prescribed, and for the purpose they were intended, it should not threatened anyone's sobriety.
As Prescribed...
One response put it this way, "I feel that if a person goes to a health care professional and is honest regards any addiction/substance abuse problems, and also their current and recent situation in general, and is then still yet prescribed drugs, they should take them AS PRESCRIBED and not give further consideration to sobriety dates."Another member put it this way, "When they did retire me the doctor did give me some pain pills which I never took. Well last year the pain did get pretty bad at times and I did start to take a pain pill now and then. The difference here is that I needed a pain pill for the pain and not a high, and when I did finally ask the doctor for the pills, I made sure he knew I was in AA and did have a bad drug problem at one time. Next month I will be sober and straight 17 years and I defy anyone to tell me different."
But, any substance can be abused. It's up to the individual to determine for themselves their "motivation" for taking the medication. As another member said, "I gotta throw using drugs in a recreationally way in the equation. I was drinking when I used drugs for effect. Now that I am sober, I choose to not use. I would change my sobriety date if I got stoned on drugs not prescribed by a doctor."
"...each of us has to look within our own hearts to decide our reasons for "medicating" and just what we are medicating," another member said. "I have no right to make that decision for anyone but myself. I can only share what happened to me. For me to take a mood altering drug -- narcotics, sedatives, anxiety drugs -- is to poke the sleeping dragon of my disease and run the risk of relapse down the road."
Don't Take the Chance
Another consensus in the group was if someone is still new to recovery and "shaky" about their sobriety, it might be best to delay the use of any medications, if possible. First things first!So, what do you do if you need something for pain, but would rather avoid taking prescribed medications? Donna Glett, the Back and Neck Guide at About.com and an expert in dealing with pain, has put together some suggestions for alternatives for those in recovery.
Alcoholics and Addicts in Pain
For dealing with "lesser" pain, alcoholics and addicts have many alternatives available.Alcohol and Pain
The use of alcohol to depress the effects of pain is as old as the fermentation process itself.
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