Sometimes, this disapproval of how you are managing your pain crosses over to disbelief that you are in as much pain as you say you are. They don’t believe that your pain is a legitimate enough reason to rest or nap or cry or take narcotic medications or not go to work or to go to the doctor. They might think that you are making too big of a deal out of it. They doubt the legitimacy of the pain itself.This kind of stigma is the source of the dreaded accusation that chronic pain is “all in your head.” It’s as if to say that you are making a mountain out of a molehill.

~ Murray J. Mcalister

Murray J. Mcalister Accusation All In Your Head Analogy Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Stigma Debelief Disbelief Invalidation It S All In Your Head Judgemental People Lack Of Compassion Marginalized Narcotics Opioid Use Opioids Pain Pain Killer Pills Pain Quotes Pain Relief Painkillers Physical Pain Questioning Your Reality Stigma Stigmatization Stigmatized

There are a lot of victims when it comes to addiction. I know there's an overdose epidemic. We see those faces. But then I see these other faces - the ones who commit suicide because they can't handle the pain. Those faces mean just as much to me.

~ Donna Marsh

Donna Marsh Addiction Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Stigma Opiates Opioid Use Opioids Pain Killer Pills Pain Management Painkillers Suicide Unbearable Pain

Since my symptoms began 13 years ago, I’ve tried every form of pain management I could access — NSAIDS, nonopioid analgesics, neurologic medications, acupuncture, laser therapy, physical therapy, prolotherapy, massage, and trigger-point injections. Most of these have been unhelpful; others provide temporary relief, often at great expense. At the end of the day, when my body is fully depleted of its resources and in the most pain, a single dose of Percocet is the only tool that silences the pain enough for me to fall asleep.I honestly don’t know what I’d do if Percocet became unavailable to me, and the very thought scares me. I’ve been taking it for five years. To avoid any chance of addiction, I only take it at night and have stayed on a consistently low dose.

~ Michael Bihovsky

Michael Bihovsky Acupuncture Addiction Alternative Treatments Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Stigma Opiates Opiod Abuse Pain Killer Pills Pain Management Pain Relief Painkillers

I will be living with chronic pain for the rest of my life. I don’t have the mobility, energy or life options I used to have. I work hard to manage the pain, and I want the medical system to be a respectful and effective partner, not a jailer. The opioid crisis is not my doing.

~ Sonya Huber

Sonya Huber Addiction Chronic Illness Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Stigma Judgemental People Opioid Use Opioids Pain Killer Pills Pain Management Painkillers Stigmatization Stigmatized

There’s a saying that goes something like: ‘We are all one drink or pill away from addiction,’ and I know this is meant to destigmatize what addicts go through, but I feel like I’ve been seeing variations on this ‘common knowledge’ more and more lately being used (on social media) as a cudgel to remind patients to not overdo it,” Anna says, speaking to the dual-edged sword of awareness. A motto designed to humanize the experience of addiction has been turned into a weapon that targets people who rely on opioids for pain management, and that translates to real-world stigma.

~ S. E. Smith

S. E. Smith Addiction Anti Stigma Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Stigma Opiates Opioid Use Opioids Pain Killer Pills Pain Management Painkiller Stigmatization Stigmatized

I take opioids to treat chronic pain. Stigmatizing them will harm me.

~ Sonya Huber

Sonya Huber Addiction Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Stigma Drug Addiction Opiod Abuse Opioid Use Opioids Pain Killer Pills Pain Killers Stigmatization Substance Abuse