Struggling with pain issues and alcohol *No JUDGEMENT*

CollieFit

It does indeed look like a very vicious circle. Your obesity causes you severe pain by causing your sciatica / arthritis etc or in the very least making it a lot worse. In an attempt to manage your pain (and I suspect also your misery...) you consume alcohol, which over time will not only add calories you don't need but will also cause it's own health problems and make is less likely for you to function well psychologically and physically.

You're in a hole and alcohol is your shovel with which you dig your hole deeper.

If I were in your shoes, I would try to find the courage to have a frank discussion with my doctor and look managing your pain more appropriately, support around reducing your problematic drinking and starting to reduce calories so you can reduce the weight, which causes the pain, which causes the alcoholism.

Best of luck.

ClosetBayesian

Silvervixen79 wrote: »

ClosetBayesian wrote: »

I dealt with opioid addiction years back thanks to a chronic pain condition which has led to nerve damage. Opioids are relatively harder to obtain than alcohol (I had a prescription for fentanyl patches), but I've definitely been on the addiction bandwagon.

Talk to your doctor. See if you can get a referral to a psychologist. I'm personally not a fan of the AA model of addiction treatment, but it works for some people; you may want to check it out; but I'd personally recommend the psychologist instead. See if you can get on a 'script for the arthritis. Obviously losing weight will help, and if you quit the alcohol, that may help you lose weight.

I quit Fentanyl cold turkey - no medical assistance, no inpatient treatment, no Narcotics Anonymous. I decided I had had enough, and I stopped. It was a long, unpleasant three or four days of withdrawal. And then it was over.

Not everyone can do that; I sure as heck don't suggest it. That was also not my first go-round with addiction, so I knew what to expect.

I mange the pain. There are days I hurt a little. There are days I hurt a lot. It never goes away. I've come to accept it as part of who I am. I have learned to modify things so I can function. Losing weight has helped - I don't physically struggle with as much, so my body overall is under less strain, and the mental relief of that is fantastic.

I have three small children, a full-time career, and I am a full-time PhD student. The pain is part of who I am.... but not all of who I am.

I did go to see my doctor about 2 weeks ago, I admitted that I have been drinking to cope with the pain issues and that it wasn't really completely getting rid of the pain and the resulting weight gain is just adding to the problem. So she prescribed me Tramadol. When I got back home I decided to research Tramadol as its not something I've taken before and I always get paranoid about starting new meds (I've had allergic reactions to all sorts in the past) and basically the warnings and people getting addicted to them etc really scared me... so to date I have not tried them Maybe I will try it, not have any alcohol but try the Tramadol instead... have you tried it?

I was far beyond oral meds.

If you do take it, you absolutely, positively cannot drink on it. Period.

Did you tell your doc you've been drinking to cope with the pain, or that you are an alcoholic? Because there's a distinct difference between the two.

You need to flat-out ask for a referral to a psychologist who specializes in pain management.

CollieFit

No! No drinking on Tramadol!!!

mbaker566

do not drink with tramadol. it is not a good combination.

@Tweaking_Time fellow friend of lois. it's been such a great help. There is nar-anon which is specifically for families and friends of narcotic addicts too

brb_2013

Address the alcoholism before you worry about weight loss. It's most important, it should come first. Seek out AA. I bet you'll see your weight decrease as you get control of your drinking.

It's good that you're seeking help. My roommate has a problem with alcohol and it's hard to watch someone so healthy decline so quickly. I'm sure your loved ones will be pleased to see you work on your addiction!

ClosetBayesian

brb_2013 wrote: »

Address the alcoholism before you worry about weight loss. It's most important, it should come first. Seek out AA. I bet you'll see your weight decrease as you get control of your drinking.

It's good that you're seeking help. My roommate has a problem with alcohol and it's hard to watch someone so healthy decline so quickly. I'm sure your loved ones will be pleased to see you work on your addiction!

For folks who are in chronic pain, the pain is probably the bigger issue. The OP's loved ones can be happy all they want, but that is irrelevant in terms of the OP's quality of life.