Pain & Opioid Issues
Overview
What you need to know about Pain & Opioid Issues:
- Pain and Addiction: Opioids are risky for people in recovery, but uncontrolled pain is also a serious relapse trigger. Fortunately, non-opioid based forms of pain management can provide significant relief.
- Opioids and Depression: People with chronic pain face a substantially elevated depression risk. Research indicates that longer use of higher opioid doses increases this mental illness risk.
- Psychological Therapies for Pain: Pain begins in the body but it affects the mind and spirit as well. Psychological therapies, like cognitive behavioral therapy, are research proven to reduce pain.
Depression, Chronic Pain & Opioid Misuse
Learn how opioids can lead to depression, how depression worsens pain and what to do when you have both pain and depression.
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In Pain? Assess Your Addiction Risks
Should you take opioids? Pain and addiction go hand-in-hand. Learn why pain ups addiction risks and who’s most at risk to develop a problem.
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Opioid Addiction Treatment for Chronic Pain Patients
Three opioid addiction treatment options for people with chronic pain – including options for people who still need opioids for analgesia.
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Reducing Pain and Relapse Risks by Controlling Stress
Pain ups stress and stress worsens pain – and BOTH increase relapse risks. Learn how to control stress to manage pain.
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Change Your Life with Pain Self Management
Read on to learn how to reduce pain and disability, avoid mental illness and achieve greater quality of life.
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The 8 Commandments of Opioid Safety
Scared to use opioids? Worried about overdose, addiction or diversion? Well for most people, cutting your risks substantially is as easy as following the 8 recommendations from the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
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Use Opioids? Be Sure You Can Answer These 10 Questions
Don't consider (continue) chronic opioid therapy unless you can answer the following 10 questions.
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42 Ways to Manage Pain without Using Opioids
Worried about taking opioids or wondering how you’ll manage pain without them? Here are 42 largely side-effect free pain interventions to try.
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CBT for Pain: Why It Eases the Hurt
Changing your thinking can make a huge difference to your outlook, mood and disability level. CBT is research proven and gets you results in a hurry.
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Self Test: Pain and Quality of Life
Does your pain limit your quality of life severely enough to warrant opioid treatment? If on opioids, do they improve your quality of life enough to justify their risks? Test yourself to find out.
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Opioid Guidelines for Those Still Using or in Recovery
Pain leads to relapse, but opioids are dangerous for people with substance use disorders or addiction histories. Get pain relief while reducing your relapse risks by following SAMHSA’s opioid guidelines.
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Negative Attitude Worsens Pain
In pain? Your attitude predicts more about your long-term chances of future pain and disability than your disease or your current pain level.
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Opioid Use Self Test: 15 Signs of Misuse
Do you use opioids (or does someone you love)? It’s so easy to slide from responsible use to dangerous misuse. Test yourself to make sure you’re not falling into addiction.
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