Jennifer asks: Why do I cover this pain with drugs?
Sue Berger
Because drugs are an easy choice for instant and temporary relief. The trouble is that they don't solve the problem or heal the source of the pain.
I have a granddaughter who used turn into a screaming scared frantic emotional basket case at the prospect of removing a splinter. Now that she is nine she has finally resolved that having the splinter removed is less painful than allowing it to stay and fester. She also knows that the removal is not nearly as bad as her fears. This was a process of experience and maturity.
Most addicts are wimps emotionally. Because many of you started using early in life, at the first real onslaught of pain, you want to do whatever necessary to immediately make the pain stop. You have not had the chance to mature or work through a problem successfully. Recovery unfortunately is not painless. It will require some work and eventually some digging out of festering emotional sores. But like my granddaughter you will discover that the pain is not nearly as bad as your fears and that the relief is lasting.