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INTRODUCTION

If you suffer from chronic pain and pain medications are not working for you, this book was created to help you. At a time when the medical field is moving further toward management of pain with prescription drugs and procedures, we have developed a tool for those with problematic use of medication or other substances.

Pain Recovery: How to Find Balance and Reduce Suffering from Chronic Pain offers a way to live comfortably, with some sense of ease, and free from habit-forming substances. You will learn how to develop healthy thinking about your pain, minimize suffering by addressing the emotional aspects of chronic pain, ease physical discomfort by applying adjunctive therapies and techniques, and restore well-being by developing your spirituality. In other words, you will learn how to find balance in your life, including your experience of pain.

Some of you may not identify with recovery because it’s a term that is traditionally associated with addiction. In this book we will define recovery as the process of moving from imbalance to balance. If you do not feel you are an addict, don’t let that interfere with the process. This method works just as well for those who are addicted to medication as for those who don’t identify as addicts but who are not getting positive results from their pain-management program.

Pain recovery will require that you try new techniques and be open to thinking differently about your pain. So in order to get the most benefit out of this book, we encourage you to let go of any preconceived notions, put your trust in the process, and proceed with an open mind.

The Four Points of Balance

Pain recovery is grounded in balancing the individual: 1) physically, 2) mentally, 3) emotionally, and 4) spiritually. The four points of balance provide a framework for you to use to identify the areas where imbalance has caused unmanageability in your life and with your family. These points are, of course, interconnected.

To find recovery, you must pay attention to every point of this model (see diagram) and the effect each has on the others. Additionally, your relationships and actions are a reflection of your internal state of balance. Chronic pain is a manifestation of imbalance, typically physical, but, as you will learn, also mental, emotional, and spiritual. Developing an awareness of the points and applying the necessary corrections to bring them back into balance is where the solutions to chronic pain and other life challenges lie. As a result of finding balance in pain recovery, your pain level will diminish.

Overview

Part One includes four chapters that explore chronic pain, addiction, and pain recovery to provide you with a foundation of knowledge and allow you to assess your particular situation. Chapter One explains the causes, characteristics, and effects of chronic pain. In Chapter Two we delve into the complex and sensitive subject of addiction. Chapter Three asks you to examine your use of pain medication and other substances and consider the possibility that you have addiction. Chapter Four explains pain recovery and the four points of balance in detail.

Part Two includes four chapters—one devoted to each of the points—that will help you discover the areas where imbalance is contributing to your negative experience of pain and teach you ways to rebalance them, thus decreasing pain and reducing suffering.

Part Three focuses on your recovery. Once you have identified where you are out of balance, you will be ready to take action and implement changes. Chapter Nine will address your relationships and emphasize the importance of giving and receiving support for recovery to be successful. Chapter Ten deals with actions and gives you an opportunity to create your own action plan for each of the four points to continually bring them back into balance. Lastly, a focused, long-term care plan is provided to help you proactively stay in the pain-recovery process.

To reinforce these concepts, throughout the book we have included the personal stories of individuals who have been and continue to be successful in pain recovery. They have shared, in their own words, their experiences with chronic pain, addiction, and recovery in an effort to help others who are struggling.

How to Use This Book

This book is designed for you to write in, highlight, take notes on, and refer back to. It may be helpful for you to share portions of your work with a counselor, therapist, family member, close friend, sponsor, and/or other professional health care provider. Although each chapter is written to stand on its own, we suggest you start at the beginning and do not skip any chapters. Pace yourself and take breaks when you need to. If you find yourself stuck or having difficulty with an exercise, do not stop working; rather, move on to the next exercise and come back later to the one you are having difficulty with. Don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way.

JOURNALING IN RECOVERY

Writing can be a powerful healing tool, especially when one first enters a process of recovery. We recommend that you keep a separate journal or notebook as you work through Pain Recovery. Taking some time each day to write about your journey can help you identify thought patterns, express feelings, maintain gratitude, and monitor progress. Documenting your experiences will allow you to reflect on your successes and will help you stay encouraged and motivated. My Pain Recovery Journal, the companion journal to Pain Recovery, is available through Central Recovery Press.

One of the purposes of this book is to help you conceive of a life free from the medications that have been creating problems for you. For those of you who successfully get off medications, be prepared for the likelihood that as they leave your system and the anesthetic effects wear off, your emotions and physical pain will intensify. This is only temporary, since you may feel things you have been numb to for years. Chronic pain has probably affected you for a long time, so be patient and expect a miracle, but don’t expect the miracle to happen overnight and don’t stop the journey before the miracle happens. Stay positive and hopeful that you will experience lasting improvement in your pain level without addictive substances, and begin to live in a more functional and comfortable way.

Now your journey of pain recovery begins, and it is time to go to work.

Important Information about Discontinuing Medications

CAUTION: Do not simply stop your medications. Over time, your body may have become accustomed to them and may be physically dependent on them. You must consult a knowledgeable health care provider or treatment center to supervise withdrawal from habitforming medications, including opioids, sedatives, hypnotics, and alcohol. Stopping these medications suddenly may be dangerous.