In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote:

SteveB wrote:
"Phisherman" wrote


All of the prescription pain medication I've taken (after joint
surgery, back pain, etc.) made me sicker than a dog, then vomit. I
prefer heating pads, ice pack, and Chi Gong to deal with the pain.

I have no problem with anyone handling themselves any way they wish. I
only object of people who feel it necessary to criticize another's
method of coping.


Exactly. As our instructor in the "Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs" class said
while holding up an Opium poppy: "It's not all bad. If you have severe
burns, terminal cancer, or a broken back, you'll thank God He put this
little machine on the earth. Morphine is the standard by which all
analgesics are measured."

The patch that my terminally ill friend is using is more powerful even
than morphine. But for those who hope to recover from their ailments,
even things as apparently as innocuous as ibuprofen can be pretty hard
on the body, permanently damaging the liver in a very short time, for
example.

I have another friend with severe neck and back pain who is on an ever
increasing daily dosage of oxycontin. Besides being highly addictive, a
lengthy course of narcotics *permanently* reduces your pain threshold.

It's nice to have the heavy artillery in the arsenal, but it marks
either a short road to recovery or a long road to hell, IMO.