Awareness of co-occurring conditions like substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health disorders has grown. Yet, the connection between SUD and physical health challenges like chronic pain is often overlooked. According to the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 52–74 % of individuals with SUD experience chronic pain. It is vital to recovery to address co-occurring conditions to support whole-person healing for sustained recovery.
At Driftwood Recovery, we believe in taking holistic approaches to treatment and recovery for whole-person healing. We know that chronic pain has physical and psychological aspects that impact your well-being and recovery. Pain is an averse experience that can contribute to physical, psychosocial, and economic burdens. With holistic approaches to whole-person healing, you can address co-occurring aspects of chronic pain to maintain your recovery.
Yet, you may question how an alumni program can help you address chronic pain in recovery. Understanding chronic pain and the mind-body connection can provide greater insight into the holistic tools that can support sustained recovery.
What Is Chronic Pain?
There is no one way that pain feels. Everyone’s experience with pain is unique to the individual. However, as Medline Plus notes, pain is a signal to your nervous system that there may be an issue. In general, pain is an unpleasant feeling that can range from a sharp or dull prick, tingle, sting, burn, or ache. Moreover, pain may be felt in one area or all over your body. Further, pain is complex and can come in a variety of forms. As the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) states, there are three primary patterns of pain:
- Acute pain
- Sudden with a specific cause
- Ends after treatment
- 6 months or less
- Sharp pain: Signals threat from injury, disease, overuse, or other environmental stress
- Strained muscles
- Cuts/burns
- Infection
- Dental work
- Broken bones
- Surgery
- Labor/childbirth
- Episodic pain
- Irregular
- Comes out of nowhere/known triggers
- Associated with long-term medical condition
- Sickle cell disease
- Painful periods
- Migraines
- Chronic pain
- Ongoing
- Headaches/migraines
- Arthritis
- Joint pain
- Nerve pain
- Back and neck pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Cancer
- 6 months or longer
- Acute pain becomes chronic
- Continues after an injury or illness heals
- Can appear without a past injury
- Co-occurring acute and chronic pain
- Multiple chronic pain conditions
- Ongoing
Difficulty with chronic pain is not a rare condition. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes, 51.6 million (20.9%) U.S. adults experience chronic pain. Moreover, 17.1 million (6.9%) adults experience high-impact chronic pain. Both chronic and high-impact chronic pain can significantly impact functioning in your daily life. Experiencing high levels of consistent pain in your daily life can have a detrimental impact on your mental health.
Impact of Chronic Pain on Mental Health
Chronic pain and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety commonly co-occur. Not only is chronic pain physically stressful, but the emotional stress takes a toll on how you feel, think, and behave. Together, physical and emotional distress impede your ability to function in every domain of your life. Listed below are some of the domains that chronic pain can impair:
- Work performance
- Daily tasks
- Chores
- Difficulty sleeping
- Unable to participate in social activities and hobbies
Being unable to do daily life tasks, be productive at work, socialize, or do the things you enjoy can be devastating. Your self-esteem decreases, and frustration grows as you feel like you are not in control of your life. Thus, unaddressed chronic pain in recovery reflects a lack of whole-person healing. Without whole-person healing, you are at a greater risk for SUD and/or mental health relapse. However, understanding the connection between chronic pain and SUD can highlight risk factors for relapse.
Understanding Chronic Pain and SUD
According to the Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain, understanding the pathways to the inter-relationship between chronic pain and SUD is valuable to improving health outcomes. Some of the pathways that can contribute to the prevalence of SUD and chronic pain include:
- Self-medicating
- Difficulty coping with physical and emotional challenges
- Exposure to opioid medication
- Misuse/abuse of opioids for untreated pain
- Exposure to prescription opioids for acute/chronic pain
- Use of opioids for emotional pain
- Recreational opioid use
Looking at the pathways to co-occurring SUD and chronic pain highlights unaddressed pain and interconnected emotional distress. Therefore, whole-person healing that addresses treating each condition in connection with each other is vital to maintaining recovery.
Addressing Chronic Pain for Whole-Person Healing
Recovering from SUD alone has its challenges. Adding mental health challenges and chronic pain can feel like an impossibility. Despite the complications chronic pain adds to SUD and/or mental health recovery, sustained recovery is possible. With support, you can build a pain management and recovery plan that supports whole-person healing. Listed below are some of the ways you can engage in whole-person healing for chronic pain:
- Explore nonpharmacologic and pharmacotherapy treatment
- Non-opioid medication
- Medication-assisted therapy
- Physical therapy
- Psychotherapy
- Holistic modalities
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Acupuncture
- Exercise
- Nutritious diet
- Sleep routine
- Pain journal
- Peer support
Everyone’s experiences and needs for managing wellness are unique. With support from an alumni program, you can work with your support network to build the recovery plan that best fits you.
Power of Community: Whole-Person Healing at Driftwood Recovery
Engaging in an active alumni program gives you access to a wide variety of services and resources to support recovery. Whether you are looking for support with medication management or nutrition, an alumni program can support you. Further, an alumni program gives you access to a deeply connected sober community.
At Driftwood Recovery, we know meaningful connection with peers and community is vital to chronic pain, SUD, and mental health recovery. Fostering a supportive community of peers, loved ones, and medical professionals empowers physical and psychological wellness. You gain a sense of belonging and shared experiences that remind you that you are not alone. Thus, a supportive community can help you find strength for resilience and self-advocacy.
Recovering from SUD alone is challenging. The addition of co-occurring chronic pain and mental health disorders can make recovery feel impossible. Chronic pain in recovery can impair performing daily tasks, productivity at work, and socializing. As a result, chronic pain can erode your mental and emotional well-being. Moreover, unaddressed chronic pain and co-occurring mental health disorders increase your risk of developing SUD and or relapsing. However, with holistic continuing care, you can access social connections and other resources for whole-person healing. At Driftwood Recovery, we are dedicated to providing an alumni program with services and resources designed to meet your specific needs. Call (512) 759-8330 to learn how an alumni program helps build a community of support.