Escapism

We humans are sensitive creatures: We feel the need to seek some form of emotional relief when we are emotionally upset.  This “seeking relief” is based on a desire to feeling-wise remove one’s self from an emotional experience that one does not want to have . . .  either an experience that may happen (connected with anxiety) or an experience that one is already having (connected more to depression).

Dissociation is not a side effect of “using” behavior . . . it’s the intended effect.  The “high” is the sought after effect of deliberately altering one’s mood or feeling state. The person who is taking the opiate for actual back pain will complain about the fact that he or she is “sluggish” and “doped up” when taking it.  They’d prefer something that worked on the physical pain without producing the mental or emotional “dissociation effect.”

When “emotional inflammation” -- a persisting dispiriting of the mind or the soul -- is occurring, then there is great motivation for dissociating.  It shouldn’t surprise us that some folks who are managing quite well in life find their morale is kicked in the teeth when they are suddenly whacked by physical pain -- bad back, car accident, unexpected injury post surgery, etc.   Their morale has been affected, not just their pain-receptors. They now have the physical pain AND some emotional pain to medicate. This is what helps “recruit” addicts, leaving the ranks of those who are strictly and legitimately using a pain-killer as part of their physical regimen and joining the addict club due to their developing “emotional dependency.”   The “whole person” should always be considered when prescribing anything, let alone the opiates with their emotionally seductive pull. If the accident or injury “depressed” the person, or exacerbated their “normal anxiety,’ they now have two conditions that need treatment, not one.