Chronic pain. Millions of people suffer from it and are understandably looking for ways to relieve this painful and life-altering condition. Although sometimes, it seems as if treating chronic pain might be one of those situations where the cure might be worse than the actual disease.

Take the way we often treat pain in the United States and other industrialized countries: drugs. Whether it involves using over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription drugs, for many people, popping a few pills sounds like a good solution to relieving long-term pain.

But is it? Many times, doctors prescribe powerful drugs in the opiate or opioid category. As their name suggestions, opioids are related to the drug opium. Opioids do block pain, but they can also alter users’ minds and make them feel high. Some users desire this feeling so they can escape their worries about the chronic pain and other problems in their lives.

As you know, however, drugs don’t make you high forever. Alcohol doesn’t make you drunk forever. Eventually, the effects of drugs and alcohol wear off, and users could feel even worse than they did before. This is especially true since drugs and alcohol could trigger or intensify other serious conditions, such as depression.

Because even though users chase the feelings or being high or drunk, they’ll never catch up. Their bodies will acclimate to a drug or alcohol, requiring the users to consume more and more of their substances of choice. This accelerated and increased usage can create dependency and addiction.

As bleak as this all sounds, there are solutions. Guidelines have urged doctors to consider pain relief options that don’t include prescribing potentially addictive opioids. Databases now monitor such prescriptions in an effort to determine who’s using and abusing such drugs. News stories have informed people about drugs and their power. Knowing about such drugs and their use can be a big step towards ending their abuse.