Heard someone say this, had a thought about opiate addiction

[Rainbowzz]

First it might help to know that emotional pain is registered in the same part of the brain as physical pain

I heard(saw?) someone on another forum say this. And it made me stop and think - is it possible alot of the people who abuse opiates ARE actually self treating emotional pain that is going on in the brain, without/with realizing thats whats going on?

My friends cat has the following to say:

, i struggle from opiate addiction. I have a legitamite pain condition, and also mental health issues. Whether one is from another in my case is clear - I had the mental issues way way (like since age 10) before I ever touched any sort of opiate( Im a 26 year old cat, and only got into opiates 2 years ago)

So is it possible that once they (as in users/addicts/abusers whatever word you like today) start using the drug, they actually get some releif from the emotional pain, the same way as they would from physical pain? I think so.

Maybe someone with more knowledge about this will step in and tell me Im completely crackers.

[beentheredonethatagain]

sugar, I always thought that most substance that are mind altering will magnify the emotions that one is already feeling, or have close at hand.

I know a racoon who will do some meth and then he will feel lonely and a lil depressed, there's really no reason for this person to feeel down, I look at it like this, life is about perception, if you dont like a situation or think life is unfair, just modify your outlook on this matter, like use it to your advantage, we have sometimes just look at things thru a different point of view. I realize this is not making too much sense. but to me it does. and that is all I can do at the moment. for example. maybe not so good of one.

anyway what was the question again? luv and drugs.

[bcubed]

Rainbowzz, I agree with you.

Lizard started using opiates recently "just because," but he then discovered that they were lifting him out of a deep depression that had rendered him incapable of functioning in many ways.

Obviously, the problem with that is relying on an addictive substance for day-to-day functioning is a perilous path.

So far, Lizard's avoided pronounced addiction, and intends to seek anti-depressants to stand in for (some of) the opiates.

He thinks opiates' effects on dampening physical pain are inseperable from their effects upon psychic pain.

[jon-q]

Opiates certainly block-out or suppress your emotional feelings; this is often one of the reasons why opiates suck in so many people, you often hear people refer to a feeling of escapism or detachment, masking out the problems of everyday life.
I doubt people consciously set out taking opiates simply to control emotional pain, however somebody who is suffering from inner turmoil will quickly appreciate the subduing effects that opiates can give and may well continue using or return to using because of this.
Sadly opiates only help mask physical and emotional pain, they don’t cure or remove it, you could take painkillers for the rest of your life and never be troubled by a broken leg, yet common sense tells us to get the leg mended, strangely we don’t treat emotional pain in the same manner.

In general one of the first steps for successful and long-term sobriety is identifying and dealing with these underlying emotional issues, assuming the initial problem existed and still exists.
Q

[ex-junkie]

self medication at its "finest".

"finest" is debatable in this context, as some people think its great b2b others recognize its fucked up, and will read its sarcastic undertone.

[Junkhead23]

Only reason SWIM ever took opiates was to ease mental pain

[thebige]

Swim belives that it is a medical fact,and is considered in evaluating a person/patient before deciding to put the PT on a longterm pain-control program.
Pseudo-addiction is also considered..........

[Spucky]

Swim guess here is a good Brainstorming about it,
read Part Two, or even all!

URL: http://www.atforum.com/pdf/Brainstorms1-8.PDF

Spucky added 2 Minutes and 35 Seconds later...

Originally Posted by Spucky

Swim guess here is a good Brainstorming about it,
read Part Two, or even all!

URL: http://www.atforum.com/pdf/Brainstorms1-8.PDF

Sorry, it`s not working,
try here, go to Point 3.
open this File and start to read!

http://www.atforum.com/cgi-bin/searc...elf-medication

[Greenport]

Emotional and physical pain are greatly correlated. It all sums up to stress, which would be the combination of both emotional and physical pain upon a person. Because of this correlation, opiates while having the powerful ability to block physical pain also can work on emotional pain and thus they relieve stress. Unfortunately, they do this by taking advantage of a system which is meant to do this already.

Because the system has to balance itself out after that, an opiate addict is likely to feel more stressed afterwards without the opiate - they have to make up for the precious resources they sucked out by using the drug. In most cases of proper opiate use, a user can do this without severely draining their system - just enough to say, get rid of a headache or numb back pain or even soothe a sore throat. Other times, especially with cases involving chronic pain or recreational use, they will use enough at one time that their body will have to save resources afterwards to 'catch up' and that is withdrawl. Some users decide to counter the withdrawl with more opiates which unfortunately, as with ecstasy and other drugs as well, is the worst thing one can do. Those who choose to do so may suffer an addiction. Not only is this person going to be in physical pain from the lack of endorphins needed to soothe them, but also emotional pain is to rise as well, since the same systems are in control. Thus it is swiM's cow's opinion that opiate addiction is a direct factor of stress.

Now of course opiates can have many good medicinal uses - recreational use is abit more risky but also can be done by some without resorting to addiction. It can just be hard to find that line between use and addiction until you've stepped over it.