Life’s Little Addictions – Part Two

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.  Like I have said before, I don’t understand why people are taken off medication when they are old or dying because “they might get addicted” to it.  That definitely does not compute in my brain.  Who cares if you are a 95 year old morphine addict if it eases your discomfort and helps you live until you move on to the hereafter.  And even if you are young, if you are at death’s door and in pain, what difference could it possibly make for you to die an addict?

I know that many will disagree with those statements.  I know that many oppose marijuana use for sickness and would fight tooth and nail to keep it from being legal.  I know that there are many who do all kinds of things to keep from taking medication when they are hurt or sick.  This does not make, in my opinion, those of us who do take medication weak.  It only makes us human.

I am an addict.  There are things that I take for pain, twitches, movement and such that I will only give up kicking and screaming.  Without these things I would not live even half the life I live now.  Without these things, life would barely be worth living.  Without these things, more of us would probably slip into a really deep depression or the suicide rate would go up.

Even though I take what I consider to be a large amount of medicines, there are countless others who make the medicines I take look like nothing.  I take a fairly popular pain medication twice daily.  I have a friend who takes it six times daily.  She is still in a lot of pain but fears that if she takes any more of the meds she will be unable to function.  Is this an addiction?  Most would say yes.  Those of us with diseases would say no………it is our way of  coping with the life we have now.

I know that people who have arthritis and different forms of pain take medications to try and ease their pain.  Unless it is an advanced, crippling type of this, most people would never consider trying some of the meds we try.  I know that arthritis is very painful.  I wonder if the people with arthritis know how painful MS is.

I am in no way advocating addiction or pain medication.  Well, I guess maybe I am.  But in a round about way.  Shooting up heroin and such, snorting cocaine or whatever, drinking till passed out and other types of things to retreat from society is not the type of addiction I am talking about.  These types are for people who don’t want to face life and deal with all the problems it can throw at one.  I feel very sorry for these people and wish they could make a better choice on their way to deal with life.

I think I am really talking about an addiction to life.  Of being able to function in a world that thinks only the prettiest, smartest, fastest, etc people are the ones that count.  We all count.  The ones who have to walk with a cane count.  The ones who have to walk with a walker count.  The ones being pushed in a wheelchair count.  The ones who are unable to get out of bed count.  The ones who cannot carry on a conversation count.  The list goes on and on and each person in every list counts. 

Each person on this earth has limitations and addictions.  No matter how special and effective we want to feel, there are things we cannot do or cannot do without help.  For those who feel they have none, God bless you……..it will really hit you hard when yours slap you in the face.

As it is, I think I will curl up in bed, drink a cup of coffee and watch one of my TV shows………I love my addictions (or most of them) and plan on enjoying them as long as possible………I hope your addictions are good ones and make life  better for you, too!