By Gordon Dickler- CAC, ICADC
Opiate painkillers 
are by far the most prescribed medications in the United States today. According to the recent U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, over 289 million prescriptions are written each year for analgesic pain relievers. And this is just the beginning. Recent studies show that despite making up only five percent of the world’s population, the United States now consumes about 80 percent of the world’s opioid pain medication.
The opiate epidemic is clear, especially as prescription drug addictions continue to lead users into heroin abuse and fatal overdoses. Fortunately, however, more and more people have begun to recognize the dangers associated with prescription drugs. Many, including those in recovery, are now actively looking for alternative pain relieving methods – methods that do not involve highly addictive drugs.
While opiates are undoubtedly effective at relieving pain, these drugs can also stir severe consequences when used repeatedly. A physical addiction, for example, can develop within just four weeks of prescription painkiller use. A psychological dependence to opiates, on the other hand, can develop in as little as two days. And this is just the beginning. Repeated opiate use can lead to chronic respiratory issues, depression, as well as damage to the immune system.
If you are working towards recovery, have addictive tendencies, or simply desire safer pain treatments, know that there are alternatives available that will not disrupt your balanced, substance-free life. Some of these safer options will come in the form of behavioral therapies. Some can be purchased right over-the-counter. Some may already be in your own home. Here are a few of the alternatives to opiates that Turnbridge* recommends for those who are living sober:
Natural Pain Remedies:
- Massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic care – Alternative therapies focused on the body, such as acupuncture, acupressure, and spinal manipulation, are safe and natural mechanisms for coping with pain. Not only are these methods used to ease pain, they also have been known to release dopamine-stimulating endorphins and improve body function.
Exercise – Exercise is always recommended, yes, but it is particularly important for those who experience chronic pain. Studies show that mild, low-impact exercise can greatly improve functionality and mobility in a person. And, exercises such as yoga have proved to relieve chronic back pain, joint pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other related conditions. If you are not likely to exercise on your own, you may consider scheduling physical therapy sessions for ongoing pain management.- Mindfulness and meditation – Meditation, not medication. Mindfulness (a meditational practice that focuses on self-acceptance) is an effective alternative to traditional painkilling drugs. This approach helps individuals spend less time thinking or worrying about their pain, and more time accepting the pain in efforts to reduce its intensity. Don’t believe it? A recent study of adults with chronic back pain revealed that, over the course of 26 weeks, mindfulness treatments actually resulted in great improvements in back pain and functionality. (To learn more about Mindfulness and how to apply the practice, please see this SMART Recovery blog post on the topic.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Chronic pain can bring about emotional as well as physical tolls on the mind and body. You may know this firsthand, how relentless and extreme the pain can be, how hopeless it can make you feel. This is normal, and is exactly what CBT aims to address. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective, psychological treatment alternative that alleviates the dysfunctional thoughts and attitudes so often associated with chronic pain, like depression. CBT teaches coping mechanisms for pain management by helping individuals recognize symptoms, control their perceptions of pain, put their focuses elsewhere, and develop strategies to adapt and conquer any negative feelings.
Alternative Medications:
- Over-the-Counter Acetaminophen – Officially recommended as a first-line treatment by the American College of Rheumatology, acetaminophen is an over-the-counter pill that is most commonly recognized in its branded form, Tylenol. Despite popular belief, this OTC medicine is truly effective in treating pain. A recent study from the Journal of the American Dental Association revealed that 325mg of acetaminophen taken with 200mg of ibuprofen actually provided better pain relief than oral opioid drugs for patients who had tooth extractions.
- Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) – Typically more potent than acetaminophen, NSAIDs are over-the-counter medications that relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and lower fevers. Ibuprofen and aspirin are of the most commonly recognized types of NSAIDs. While greatly effective in treating pain, use of these drugs should be taken with caution. Regular use of NSAIDs, particularly among older patients, can prevent blood clotting and increase the risk of ulcers, gastrointestinal problems, and cardiovascular issues.
- Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors – In other words, anti-depressants. Even if you are not struggling with a depressive disorder, anti-depressants can be taken as first-line treatments for nerve pain as well as muscular and skeletal pain.
Making a decision about pain treatment, especially for those in recovery, is undeniably difficult. Drug addiction now affects more Americans than cancer. All the while, chronic pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined.
Current pharmaceutical practice is, “Prescribe an opioid, make it better.” But with over 20 million Americans struggling with addition, this mindset is no longer relevant. Striking a balance between effective pain management and drug prevention will be key to overcoming these long-standing epidemics. Alternatives to opiate drugs will be key to the health and well-being of those walking the road to recovery – especially the adolescents and young adults who are particularly susceptible to substance addiction. Together, we can start making healthier choices regarding drug use.
To attend a SMART Recovery meeting for help with an addiction to opiates or other substances or behaviors, you can find the schedule of meetings most helpful to you on our website.
*About the author: Gordon Dickler – CAC, ICADC. Gordon is the Director of Admissions at Turnbridge, a young adult drug treatment center located in New Haven, Connecticut. Here, his chief role is to help families in crisis find hope and help for their loved ones in need. As both a Turnbridge graduate and a board-certified substance abuse counselor, Gordon has an intimate understanding of Turnbridge’s powerful ability to help young men and women overcome addiction and mental health disorders. This unique perspective allows him to relate deeply to clients and families struggling with addiction, and to explain at a foundational level the many aspects of Turnbridge’s Preparative Care Program.
It’s also nice how you said that opioid free pain relief are a safer option. I also like how you mentioned that it can still relieve your symptoms. My husband is looking into opioid free pain relief.
Tell your husband the ONLY chance he has at a full and happy life is to ditch the opiates for thc/cbd pain options that your state may provide. I currently live in a MMJ friendly state and have been medically prescribed MMJ in place of narcotic pain releivers. I have a narcotic pain relief history of over 15 years, 2 back surgeries, 3 knee surgeries, a shoulder surgery, and one Achilles replacement. I played high level, high impact sports for the first 35 years of my life.
Since I started using MMJ , I have filled “0” narcotic pain med scripts. I have been on MMJ for 3 years now. I do require a daily med of thc/cbd to help. But, I am sober, awake, capable of holding a conversation, nice to people, lost 100 pounds (yes, 100 lbs. because opiates cause major weight gain), have 90% pain relief, and most of all, my relationships in life have improved dramatically since changing my pain options.
You don’t need to believe me, have him try it himself…
Marijuana helps trick your brain into thinking it’s comfortable. But it is NOT a pain medicine. If you have real pain (like from spinal injuries), it’s not going to do anything for that. If it works for you, then your pain wasn’t that bad and you probably could’ve just used motrin. It’ll make you more comfortable feeling pain essentially.
CBD made me test + for THC and I am facing disciplinary action against my liscense:( I have really bad luck. Bought it at 0.3 % THC 500mg CBD from a legal store in CT and is about to ruin my nursing career. The BON already upset with me for relapsing I tried CBD and was recommended by another person on the internet…hopefully I pray mercy on my soul I’m nearly homeless lost my job, about to be evicted from my apartment, and the program ATD here failed me for missing 2 quarterly reports from my therapist 14 months of sobriety lost down the toilet they just wanted my money. I’m devastated. CBD is so unregulated by the FDA that I won’t trust it to my random drug screenings…hope i don’t have to give my cats away to the shelter too. I am so sad that I made a mistake.
This is only effective if your “pain” is mild, temporary & you are generally a mentally “weak” person. Or if the source of your pain isn’t actually there…ie “phantom pain” after amputation
If you have spina bifida, trapped nerves, or other chronic conditions that result in bone on nerve contact these recommendations won’t help a bit. The best way I have found after 18 years and 7 pain management doctors (5 that did not prescribed opiates & 2 that did) is if you get high or a nice buzz off of opiates that so many addicts chase after then these alternative treatments will probably work for you. If you have real pain that is caused by legitimate nerve conditions then you will never get the attucks High. And instead will only get pain relief. This is why most people who have legitimate nerve damage and pain do not believe that they are addicts because they don’t ever chase the high. So they develop a dependency but not an addiction. And if you’re one of these people then all of these recommendations will actually do more damage than help as most of your antidepressants will cause and reverse reaction and increase your depression and/or suicidal thoughts, exercise will aggravate the nerves and increase the pain & the dosage level of NSAIDs and OTC meds required to give even mild relief will do significant if not major damage to your liver. So your best bet is either a medical marijuana, a spinal cord stimulator, injections epidural steroids, RFAs or opiates.
what really needs to happen is parents need to stop making excuses for their bored teenagers who lie about how much pain there in and get opioid prescriptions and then get themselves hooked trying to be cool. If adult patients would simply have integrity and be honest and if parents would actually take responsibility for their teenagers and stop looking to blame doctors instead of themselves when they’re precious babies get hooked bc they lie to Drs then those that actually benefit from these medications would not find themselves fighting politicians looking to get elected by making Drs scapegoats because millennials can’t deal with real life & parents don’t want to face the fact that they have raised addicts bc hyper medicating them when they’re young instead of sending them outside to play.
I have CRPS caused by nerve damage from auto accident in Jan 2010 Or could have been the 23 subsequent surgeries to save my left arm. The arm was outside while SUV rolled 3 times. Everything between hand and elbow basically toast. That was 9 years ago when I was diagnosed with CRPS and the pain or should I say type has never left. One of the benefits of this nerve disorder is its for life and it can and often does include other body parts. In my case both legs and fee other arm and have lost all but 5 teeth. Prior to this I had 2 cavities. I celebrated 32 years sobriety on May 18th yet I have been on 2 different opiates the entire time. I don’t get a high they are a tool. I also have 2 no one spinal stimulator’s from Medtronics. I use other meds 8 to e precise. I attend support groups and use bio feed back. Also I get 2 spinal injections a month. One every two weeks. Ive had 224 to date. Why should I be labeled an Opiate addict yet I am. How is this even considered fair. Ive never once went outside my DRs orders nor have I considered it.
Stop about parents these days. You’re being prejudiced and repeating stereotypes. Many words to express an opinion instead of facts, you’re no expert
If Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and meds such as NSAID’s really worked the opioid epidemic wouldn’t be this massive once you have taken opioids these probably do work but your brain and nerve receptors are not the same you usually do not make dopamine the way you did before pain killers so it take much more of a pain reliever to reduce pain. Also these drugs are super hard on your liver and stomach sometimes causing worse effects than taking pain killers. Someone need to create or even go look for something in the rainforest that will help us all.
Why don’t seek our ancestors and shamuns recipes ?
Something natural I really feel there is something out there waiting to be discovered that can help us all.
Look for NKTR-181 and AT-121, both currently in development.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/spurred-opioid-epidemic-new-pain-drugs-may-lower-risk-overdose-and-addiction
Courtney do you realize people read comments such as yours and actually believe you. You are so off base and your comment has no proof. What is your medical background and experience in treating Chronic Pain and Cancer Pain. I have CRPS my pain levels can exceed that of a woman in labor. I don’t say that lightly I delivered 3 of my 4 children and assisted on 1. You have no idea what its like to have even a breeze of air against your skin feel like a hundred biting fly’s. Read my previous comment. Opiates are a medicine and like many medicines they can and will be abused.That doesn’t make the patient who needs them to enjoy a quality of life we all do this makes him or her not an addict. Would you say the same about diabetics if suddenly there was a way to get a high from the drug. would we require only specialized Drs treat and dosages controlled by our government,Yes its true!. Say nothing until you’ve lived my life Mamm.
Alcohol use causes a thousand times more deaths. social and financial damage due to loss of time. Destroys thousands of families. Is behind probably behind the highest percentage of rapes,sexual assaults and armed robberies in fact all crime in general. Not to mention deaths on the roads and not even when drunk. I would wager there are many accidents caused by the hung over inexperienced driver the next day.
No Opiates are not the problem . The problem is we live in an additive society and until we solve that there will always be the next drug causing a scourge to our communities. In the mean time leave the chronic pain suffer out of it. Because we are committing suicide by the thousands everyday you refuse us our medicine.
My son needs oral surgery and 16 teeth have to be removed at one time (hospital). He has had a lot of pain/ infections and Motrin and Toradol have not helped much.the last couple of months He has successfully recovered of an opioid addiction and started a program (BAART) 2.5 years ago and never had a relapse and is determined not ever to go back.
The oral surgeon surgeon and Kaiser does not want to give him opioids , but Tylenol instead It is a very painful procedure the dentist said.
His counselor at BAART said that it is OK as long BAART monitors it, but they can not prescribe the medicine.
What is the solution? I really appreciate some suggestions. My son lives with me, I am retired, we moved away and I know exactly what is going on with him. Dirk
A friend of mine took CBD as a replacement for opioids after a shoulder surgery and said it worked great.
CBD & or medical marijuana if you can’t find that let the kid smoke a joint. The pain that kid is in it is unfair do not give him proper pain care simply because he may have a relapse. When he is in legitimate pain he will not get high off of opioids. So monitor him and as soon as he says he is feeling high off the opiods start tapering down and he will be fine. But don’t let the kid suffer.
I had teeth removed, bone grafts and implants. Once the teeth are removed, he shouldn’t have pain other than ache from the wound. I got by with Motrin. If he has infections, he will need antibiotics. A dry socket is extremely painful but manageable without opiates. I’ve seen too many people addicted so even when my daughter had her wisdom teeth removed, she used Motrin. Excedrine Migraine works very well. Good luck to you guys.
I have used opiates for fifty years. I have been told that I look forty or so years old. T
Besides the terrible scarring on my arms and hepatitis, I suppose my addiction has not really manifest itself too severely. I am not glorifying the addiction and the lifestyle associated with it but I really feel and live fairly well. I am always holding my breath for the next shoe to drop and my health to take on more critical ways.
Hi I know someone that is in recovery from addiction and is sick every other week or every few weeks is there something for his immune system that can help like a vitamin for every day? Please let me know thank you
Fibromyalgia attacked my mother body more than 3 years ago after her knee surgery. She has been in a wheelchair for about six months, and she used a cane for another six months. She did not even know how to walk anymore. We fought the fibromyalgia with a lot of pain pills and tears not until we had to give a try on natural formulas, we purchased a herbal treatment from totalcureherbsfoundation.com which help her a lot and bring her back to normal again, the herbal formula reverse the symptoms dramatically and she’s totally free from the Fibromyalgia that cost her pains for ages .
We fought the fibromyalgia with a lot of pain pills and tears not until we had to give a try on natural formulas, we purchased a herbal treatment from totalcureherbsfoundation c om which help her a lot and bring her back to normal again, the herbal formula reverse the symptoms dramatically and she’s totally free from the Fibromyalgia that cost her pains for ages .
lol
I am finding that I’m having an addiction problem with my pain medicines. My symptoms have become obvious when I don’t take them. I’m scared because my son took his life because of drugs and I’m facing back surgery and a possible hip replacement. I know I’m going to need pain medication and am scared. This can’t get better if I keep taking them and I don’t see how I can get through this without them. I’ve only had these withdrawal symptoms for about 2 weeks but I’ve been on them for over 6 months. What am I going to do?
I suggest u dont take no opiates throught the entire surgery…endure the pain..not only are the opiates a physicall addiction they are a mentall additction..be smart dont start smoking if u dont have to..iv been addicted 10 years to opiates..and know it only gets worse..
Crazy true,it sucks the life out of you!!!!!!
It is great to see that you have come to a self realization regarding addiction vs dependency. I was on pain management for two years (fentanyl/oxy) for chronic back pain and neuropathy and the best decision I ever made was talking to my doctor and scheduled an inpatient detox. It has been 4 months and I am still in PAWS (post acute withdrawal syndrome) which absolutely sucks but mindfulness makes every day feel a little better. The major issue at this point is severe lack of dopamine/norepinephrine which I have been using L-Tyrosine to combat the low levels. L-Tyrosine is the precursor amino acid for your body to naturally produce dopamine/norepinephrine and works GREAT. There is plenty online clinical studies/trials showing that is indeed effective and since I included this into my regiment, it’s a night and day difference. I need to have a spinal fusion and also surgery on a couple toes (used to be elite level powerlifter) and am in the same boat regarding surgery/avoiding opiates. Keep us updated as to what your plan is and I’m sorry to hear about your lost one. Best of luck in any decision you make. Personally step 1 would be to get off opiates ASAP! It will only make your recovery time longer and your brains chemical balance more screwed up. Cheers.
I just had a spinal surgery and the doctor started tapering me off the moment I left the hospital. I have arthritis and am not allowed to take my NSAIDs for three more months. Even after I basically had to beg to get a prednisone pack; My pain from surgery isn’t under control. Yet, the amount they give me is smaller and smaller. They’re not even bothering to do scans to see what’s going on. Is there a medicine that I can ask for that is as good as an opiate at treating post surgical pain? They have to give something to people with allergies to opiods, right? I’m so lost and at the end of my will to endure this. It’s like we have to know exactly what to ask for or they won’t even bother. They treat me like a criminal when I call them crying. But I can’t help it. Accupunture, massage, mindfullness… none of that is going to help the level of pain I have. I’m already on anti depressants and anxiety meds. It feels like I have the jaw of a sharp-toothed animal in-bedded in my lower back.
Thanks for giving information about Natural Pain Remedies,
It will be very helpful to me.
All of the suggestions listed in this article will only work for minor pain. I’ve tried them all.
Thank you for mentioning that regular exercise can help those that experience chronic pain. Ever since he got into a car accident, my uncle has been taking pain killers to help him cope with the pain, but I am worried that he may start to get addicted. Maybe it would be best to find some sort of alternative treatment.
I had back surgery I had back surgery last August it was supposed to take 2 hours and it ended up being 6. I had herniated disc problems, sciatic nerve and I don’t know what else. It has left me evidently with my nerves being affected. My right foot toes and up my leg is numb tingling. The top of my foot is bruised. I also had a blood clot I wondered if this caused all this. I just had a steroid injection a few days ago it doesn’t seem to be helping. Of course they want you to do another one so I don’t know what to do. It cost every time you have one of these. They say do not take Percocet or anything well I tried not taking it but the pain is really bad so I took a Percocet. It help me get through the day I could at least do some things. I guess my question is if my nerves are damaged or more back issues what is my alternative thank you
Experience is the best teacher.
And everybody reacts differently.