I'm often asked how I can function, how I am able to work while taking pain medication. It sucks. It really does. I don't get high, I don't get that euphoria addicts speak of. I don't get high. I get relief. I get decreased pain. I'm never pain free, but with it being decreased i am able to still function.
Don't be mistaken, after years taking narcotics your body does have some sort of dependency, but it's different than an addicts dependency. When my meds wear off, if I'm not in bad pain, I don't take them. I only take them when I hurt. Sometimes that means I have symptoms of opiod withdrawal. They aren't pleasant, but they wont kill me. I yawn, horribly and almost nonstop. My nose runs, my eyes water, and I look like I have severe allergies or a cold. That's the start of withdrawals. I tolerate it, because I have the mindset that if I take them when I don't need them for what they were prescribed for, I'm an addict.