Opiod Analgesics and Catholicism

[the_chemist]

I’m curious to see the experiences and opinions from the members of this forum concerning opiate medications; i.e painkillers.

There are two trains of thought I’d like to discuss, so feel free to share about the one you relate to most.

This is my first post, so before I get carried away I’ll just state my ‘prompts’ and let the thread take it from there.

1. Morally speaking at what point does opiate use become sinful? I expect many people to use arguments such as ‘moderation is key’ etc, as well as others who may say "if your not prescribed opiates, its a sin to use them’. But I’d still like to hear what some of our online theologians think in terms of painkiller (ab)use and morality.
2. I have interesting stories to share about the pains of opiate withdrawal. To keep things simple, I have had some people close to me claim that the experience of full fledged withdrawal from opiates being one of the strongest ‘religious’ experiences he ever had. Now for those of you unfamiliar with the physiological effects of opiates; withdrawal is a period of intense pain as the body attempts to regulate its natural responses to discomfort after prolonged use of painkillers.

Does anyone see any potential for religious experience during withdrawal? Or perhaps even during euphoria (the opiate ‘high’) or is that too taboo?

Looking forward to your responses.

 

[Camille_Alden]

I am a mother of 8 and have 5 at home still. I had a great career for 15 years when it was cut short by a chronic disease. I have a degree in catholic theology from the Univ of Dallas.

I also have a chronic painful disease. Recently I had a severe flare and was placed on Methadone and oxycodone (breakthrough pain) by a pain management center. It was the best thing that ever happened. Yes, there are moments of “high” but I see it as a huge sigh of relief. A gift from God. When I am in severe pain, there is nothing but the pain. There is no other thoughts round the clock. I sometimes could only think one word. Jesus, Jesus Jesus. I could not even formulate rote prayers I knew for 50 years. I was not present to any of my loved ones. I was caught between worlds during pain

I also stopped methadone after 2 years of use. It was a little painful, but my base pain had receded so much that the pain of withdrawal was not a big deal. I did it over 3 months and had very manageable symptoms.

Serious pain meds are a good. I don’t advocate recreational use of them because they can be a double edge sword and become hell. But under the supervision of liberal medical personal they are a blessing.

C.S. Lewis has a good book called “The problem of pain”.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

I am a mother of 8 and have 5 at home still. I had a great career for 15 years when it was cut short by a chronic disease. I have a degree in catholic theology from the Univ of Dallas.

I also have a chronic painful disease. Recently I had a severe flare and was placed on Methadone and oxycodone (breakthrough pain) by a pain management center. It was the best thing that ever happened. Yes, there are moments of “high” but I see it as a huge sigh of relief. A gift from God. When I am in severe pain, there is nothing but the pain. There is no other thoughts round the clock. I sometimes could only think one word. Jesus, Jesus Jesus. I could not even formulate rote prayers I knew for 50 years. I was not present to any of my loved ones. I was caught between worlds during pain

I also stopped methadone after 2 years of use. It was a little painful, but my base pain had receded so much that the pain of withdrawal was not a big deal. I did it over 3 months and had very manageable symptoms.

Serious pain meds are a good. I don’t advocate recreational use of them because they can be a double edge sword and become hell. But under the supervision of liberal medical personal they are a blessing.

C.S. Lewis has a good book called “The problem of pain”.

Tell me about it. I wish my surgeon had prescribed something for my post-op pain just now instead of insisting all I needed is Tylenol.

I also suffer from chronic pain and as a result my ‘pain management system’ is all messed up.

 

[The_Old_Medic]

The use of ANY medication when it is not needed could be a sin. The church has no position whatsoever on the use of any analgesic medication, so long as that medication is used to alleviate pain. If death is somewhat hurried by the use of analgesics, that is fine, so long as the purpose is to releive the pain, and NOT to kill the person.

To misuse any medication is wrong. Medications are for specific purposes, and to use them for recreation is likely sinful. To use them in order to experience a “religious experience” would most definitely be against the teachings of the church.

As to long-term use of narcotic analgesics, that is also allowed by the church. I have two significant compression fractures in my spine, and i have been on Hydrocodone for over 10 years now to handle the pain involved. I don’t take those pills to get high, I take them so that I can function appropriately. I have never experienced withdrawal (and I have gone as long as a week without medication), because I actually need that medication to live.

Just as misusing alcohol, misusing food, misusing sex, misusing of paim medications is simply wrong.

 

[ignatius777]

I’m curious to see the experiences and opinions from the members of this forum concerning opiate medications; i.e painkillers.

There are two trains of thought I’d like to discuss, so feel free to share about the one you relate to most.

This is my first post, so before I get carried away I’ll just state my ‘prompts’ and let the thread take it from there.

1. Morally speaking at what point does opiate use become sinful? I expect many people to use arguments such as ‘moderation is key’ etc, as well as others who may say "if your not prescribed opiates, its a sin to use them’. But I’d still like to hear what some of our online theologians think in terms of painkiller (ab)use and morality.
2. I have interesting stories to share about the pains of opiate withdrawal. To keep things simple, I have had some people close to me claim that the experience of full fledged withdrawal from opiates being one of the strongest ‘religious’ experiences he ever had. Now for those of you unfamiliar with the physiological effects of opiates; withdrawal is a period of intense pain as the body attempts to regulate its natural responses to discomfort after prolonged use of painkillers.

Does anyone see any potential for religious experience during withdrawal? Or perhaps even during euphoria (the opiate ‘high’) or is that too taboo?

Looking forward to your responses.

Very few things are bad in and of themselves. Opioid medications are certainly not one of them. They bring needed and welcomed relief and thats something to be thankful for. Things become bad when they are used for purpsose other then intended and when they bring trouble to us and those around us. Being trapped in addiction, dependence, abuse or whatever you want to call it is horrible and NO ONE gets out of it alone. It requires help from someone, its up to us to decide who is best suited to help us. Whatever we decide I am pretty certain God doesnt want us to be dependent on anything or anyone but Him. Many things can keep us from God and its not just drugs that have that power.

 

[Cracker_Mom]

I read recently that because of all the various side effects of anti-inflammatory meds we might be better off with the older opiate based pain killers, even though they have their problems.
They work well enough but can make you queasy & have very weird dreams.

 

[the_chemist]

I agree with you. Opiate medication can increase the quality of life to people who have been severely injured. I’ve seen proper pain management, and it truly seems like the word of God. It’s interesting to me though that you did not experience withdrawal over Methadone. Did you taper off of it?

I am also interested in more experimental ideas regarding euphoria and withdrawal.

I remember watching a man in withdrawal during my research at rehabilitation clinics, and I saw sweat pouring down his face like globs of oil. His body was shaking, his eyes shot, and his fingers gnawed away at every sore muscle in his limbs.

He was muttering nonsense to himself, and I thought he was just a wacko. It took careful listening before I realized he was praying, albeit crudely and with a lot of vulgar language.

It made me think deeply. This person is labeled by the world as a junkie, a druggie, an outcast. But this was a voluntary rehab clinic, he wasn’t legally forced to come, he did so willingly. He was making a sacrifice.

The similarity to Christ’s passion in the garden comes to mind. This man, perhaps for himself, but also perhaps for others (his family, friends, etc.) willingly subdued himself to excruciating pain in order to cleanse his life of the hurt his addiction caused. (Christ being perfectly selfless, underwent pain willingly in our stead for the hurt we caused.)

I feel like Catholic spirituality (and our unique understanding of penance and suffering as components of spiritual healing) can be an invaluable asset to either Catholics attempting to detoxify themselves, or Catholic run rehabilitation institutions.

 

[the_chemist]

The use of ANY medication when it is not needed could be a sin. The church has no position whatsoever on the use of any analgesic medication, so long as that medication is used to alleviate pain. If death is somewhat hurried by the use of analgesics, that is fine, so long as the purpose is to releive the pain, and NOT to kill the person.

To misuse any medication is wrong. Medications are for specific purposes, and to use them for recreation is likely sinful. To use them in order to experience a “religious experience” would most definitely be against the teachings of the church.

As to long-term use of narcotic analgesics, that is also allowed by the church. I have two significant compression fractures in my spine, and i have been on Hydrocodone for over 10 years now to handle the pain involved. I don’t take those pills to get high, I take them so that I can function appropriately. I have never experienced withdrawal (and I have gone as long as a week without medication), because I actually need that medication to live.

Just as misusing alcohol, misusing food, misusing sex, misusing of paim medications is simply wrong.

I agree with you that using medicine purely for its recreational purposes is an act of selfishness and probably falls under gluttony. However, I think much of the negativity surrounding opiate use is because it is perceived as being intrinsically harmful.

But as someone else mentioned, opiates when used therapeutically are far less dangerous than many other more accepted habits (tobacco, alcohol, deep-friend twinkies) It is the addiction that can result after prolonged opiate use, which tends to ruin lives.

However, I feel like there can be some sort of middle ground between selfish self-indulging recreation and medical necessity. There is, in my opinion, a place for the relaxing effects of opiates somewhere in between treating pain and ‘getting high’.

As for religious experiences, taking any substance in the hopes it will induce a religious experience is probably not only sinful, but superstitious. Since such practices are often done by shamans and those in the occult etc.

What I meant by religious experience was more of adding a physical sensation to a mental state. In the warmth of true painlessness, a glimpse of what a world without pain and sin can be imagined. And in the bitter pains of withdrawal, you can really meditate on how frail and ‘human’ our condition really is.

 

[the_chemist]

I read recently that because of all the various side effects of anti-inflammatory meds we might be better off with the older opiate based pain killers, even though they have their problems.
They work well enough but can make you queasy & have very weird dreams.

This is a big issue in the medical community. Two popular drugs: Vicodin and Percocet (among many others) combine an opiate based analgesic with APAP (tylenol).

This is done for a labeled reason, and an off label reason. The ‘press’ reason is because they claim that the tylenol and narcotic work well together for pain. But the real reason is because large amounts of tylenol produce negative effects as well as possible death. And so addition of APAP acts as a deterrent to opiate addicts.

Wonder if that’s ethical though, adding poison to food in your fridge so your roommate wont steal it.

 

[the_chemist]

Very few things are bad in and of themselves. Opioid medications are certainly not one of them. They bring needed and welcomed relief and thats something to be thankful for. Things become bad when they are used for purpsose other then intended and when they bring trouble to us and those around us. Being trapped in addiction, dependence, abuse or whatever you want to call it is horrible and NO ONE gets out of it alone. It requires help from someone, its up to us to decide who is best suited to help us. Whatever we decide I am pretty certain God doesnt want us to be dependent on anything or anyone but Him. Many things can keep us from God and its not just drugs that have that power.

I hope that one day like minded people will create a Catholic based opiate addiction program.

I would suggest that this program highlights the physical pain of withdrawal (one of the worst symptoms and principal relapse inducer in detoxing addicts) as a spiritual exercise of penance, capable of putting the sins of the addict’s actions into a real tangible experience.
Coupled with religious counseling, psychotherapy, and medications, a truly comprehensive mind, body, and soul treatment plan could be made!

 

[nov8r]

As for religious experiences, taking any substance in the hopes it will induce a religious experience is probably not only sinful, but superstitious. Since such practices are often done by shamans and those in the occult etc.

Exactly: it potentially opens up the mind and soul to spiritual toxins. Remember that Timothy Leary was keen on the use of drugs precisely because “cultures that use drugs are polytheistic.” The whole drug misuse “culture” (along with its concomitant “counterculture” sins like fornication, adultery, narcissism, etc.) is all about destroying Judaeo-Christian based Western Civ.

 

[Barbkw]

I don’t know what opiates are like, but in my younger life 30 years ago, the group I hung around did LSD and hash a couple of times.

Those two drugs take your mind for a walk, without need of your consent or assistance.

However the flashes of “knowledge” are so immediate and transitory that gaining insight is impossible (you are loaded after all).

For whatever reason, hash took reality and turned it into a comic strip. Changed the shape of rooms, faces, etc.

LSD can be insightful (again immediate and transitory with no medium or long term memory of the event) but it can also make you (make you) laugh uncontrollable even after your rib cage is aching. The 5 hour laughter attack was obnoxious.

Thank heavens we didn’t have Meth back then. My nephew became addicted to Meth out of high school, was caught selling a few years later and spent a year in the State Pen. for that involvement.

Hard lessons.

 

[ignatius777]

I hope that one day like minded people will create a Catholic based opiate addiction program.

I would suggest that this program highlights the physical pain of withdrawal (one of the worst symptoms and principal relapse inducer in detoxing addicts) as a spiritual exercise of penance, capable of putting the sins of the addict’s actions into a real tangible experience.
Coupled with religious counseling, psychotherapy, and medications, a truly comprehensive mind, body, and soul treatment plan could be made!

There are many good pharmacological interventions for dealing with the physical aspects of addiction/depedence/abuse. Its been my experience that more often then not relapses occur as a result of the emotional/psychological/spiritual aspects of the problem. “Relpase” cant really occur unless there is a period of abstinence. Since abstience is the absence of using the physiological/physical aspects of the problem can not be said to be a contributory factor in the relapse. Dealing with these aspects of the problem are much more complicated then the physical and no medication makes that easier.

 

[the_chemist]

There are many good pharmacological interventions for dealing with the physical aspects of addiction/depedence/abuse. Its been my experience that more often then not relapses occur as a result of the emotional/psychological/spiritual aspects of the problem. “Relpase” cant really occur unless there is a period of abstinence. Since abstience is the absence of using the physiological/physical aspects of the problem can not be said to be a contributory factor in the relapse. Dealing with these aspects of the problem are much more complicated then the physical and no medication makes that easier.

You are correct. Sadly, many addicts are not aware that there are pharmaceuticals designed for help in recovery. Many addicts also do not know that they are physically addicted, not just psychologically. So when they fail, or when they are experiencing physical withdrawal, they attribute it to a lack of determination.

The fact that they can’t quit makes them feel psychologically weak, and oftentimes worthless. Psychiatry is also lacking in treating opiate addicts, since they either rely too heavily on medication or not heavily enough. Not to mention the fact that psychiatry tends to remove the power of spiritual healing from the detox process, degrading emotional and psychological issues to a simple chemical deficiency…

It would be interesting to integrate the power of Catholic healing and reconciliation with the science of suboxone/methadone treatment. Our Church is also well positioned in the medical field, as it operates more hospitals than any other religion. As the next generation begins to reach that age of maturity where the ‘glow’ of drug abuse subsides and they are left holding the bag of addiction, the Church needs to position herself in a way that makes use of spiritual healing with medical knowledge, to help its children out of this hardship.

Let’s pray that providence will help those who are caught in this viscous cycle…

 

[the_chemist]

I don’t know what opiates are like, but in my younger life 30 years ago, the group I hung around did LSD and hash a couple of times.

Those two drugs take your mind for a walk, without need of your consent or assistance.

However the flashes of “knowledge” are so immediate and transitory that gaining insight is impossible (you are loaded after all).

For whatever reason, hash took reality and turned it into a comic strip. Changed the shape of rooms, faces, etc.

LSD can be insightful (again immediate and transitory with no medium or long term memory of the event) but it can also make you (make you) laugh uncontrollable even after your rib cage is aching. The 5 hour laughter attack was obnoxious.

Thank heavens we didn’t have Meth back then. My nephew became addicted to Meth out of high school, was caught selling a few years later and spent a year in the State Pen. for that involvement.

Hard lessons.

Unlike opiates, as of right now LSD has no medical application. In my opinion the mental delusions that occur form LSD use are so unnatural that it probably lacks any spiritual benefit. Those who experience ‘religious’ highs from LSD and psychedelics are almost always not referring to what we as Catholics understand as spiritual experiences.

Drugs that dissociate the mind from the body are contradictory to the way God designed our psyche and body to operate.

As for meth… thats just all bad.

 

[zenith15]

HI

As a new forum member who is currently in RCIA, I hope I won’t offend anyone by commenting on this.

I spent almost 20 years addicted to prescription opiates. I was not in pain–I used them as a means of self medicating a seemingly untreatable depression. I went through 13 different abstinence based rehabs without lasting success. Each time I became abstinent, the depression returned, worse than before and no amount of time seemed to lessen it–I was once clean for four years, and they were utterly miserable years.

I attended thousands of 12 step groups, worked all the steps, prayed, did all I was told to do and more–and still, the misery was unending. I was treated with counseling, anti depressants of all types, biofeedback, accupuncture, you name it.

Finally, in desperation six years ago, I enrolled at a local methadone clinic. I expected it to be the end of my life. In fact, it was just the beginning.

I know most folks know very little about methadone maintenance treatment–I certainly didn’t–and most think it is just “trading one addiction for another”. However, this is just not true. In the intervening years I have become a Certified Methadone Advocate, and I now administer patient websites, lecture on MMT to policymakers and politicians, teach orientation classes at the clinic I attend, and try to educate people about MMT.

What most folks don’t understand is that when we use opioids for a prolonged period, it shuts down the brain’s ability to manufacture natural opiates–endorphins. This can be temporary, or it may be permanent. The younger the patient and the less time they spent using, the better the chances that it will be temporary. However, some patients begin using opioids in the first place precisely because they did not produce sufficient endorphins to begin with–why we do not know–and were attempting, as I was, to self medicate.

Endorphins are the chemicals that enable us to feel happiness and pleasure–to enjoy our lives in a normal way. Without them, life is misery. Methadone replaces the missing endorphins, without causing any high or euphoria in stable, tolerant patients. Study after study shows they are able to drive, work, operate heavy machinery, etc without impairment, as long as they are tolerant to their dose and not using other drugs.

Many patients with long term habits, due to the permanent changes in brain chemistry, will require long term treatment. When patients remain IN treatment, the success rate 9for abstaining from illicit drugs and alcohol) is 65%–higher by far than any other method. . For those who leave treatment, 90% relapse within one year. Yet, patients are often pushed and urged to leave methadone treatment by well meaning family members, employers, friends–sometimes even by uneducated clinic counselors.

As for trading addictions–there is a big difference, from a scientific viewpoint, in physical dependence and addiction. Addiction involves not JUST physical dependence, but also, a set of behaviors that are not present in stable, tolerant MMT patients, such as continued use despite harm, lying and manipulating to get more, escalating use without permission, etc.

When we abuse drugs, it affects our life in a negative way–it becomes chaotic and unmanageable, we are unreliable, unproductive, and not trustworthy. We may be unemployable. Our health suffers, as do our relationships.

However, when we use a medication as prescribed, for a legitimate condition of the mind or body, we benefit from this use–our lives become more ordered–we are reliable, productive, employable, stable. This is not trading one addiction for another.

I know now that the reason the antidepressants did not work for me is that they target different chemicals in the brain–serotonin, rather than endorphins.

At any rate, I just wanted to point out that now, I am able to live a full and happy life, and consider the state of my spirit and my faith, rather than my every thought being about opiates and how to get them, and I am no longer miserable and unable to get out of bed. I am now able to volunteer my time and give back to others. SO yes, in many cases, opioids can be a great benefit medically.

 

[kenofken]

I’m curious to see the experiences and opinions from the members of this forum concerning opiate medications; i.e painkillers.

There are two trains of thought I’d like to discuss, so feel free to share about the one you relate to most.

This is my first post, so before I get carried away I’ll just state my ‘prompts’ and let the thread take it from there.

1. Morally speaking at what point does opiate use become sinful? I expect many people to use arguments such as ‘moderation is key’ etc, as well as others who may say "if your not prescribed opiates, its a sin to use them’. But I’d still like to hear what some of our online theologians think in terms of painkiller (ab)use and morality.
2. I have interesting stories to share about the pains of opiate withdrawal. To keep things simple, I have had some people close to me claim that the experience of full fledged withdrawal from opiates being one of the strongest ‘religious’ experiences he ever had. Now for those of you unfamiliar with the physiological effects of opiates; withdrawal is a period of intense pain as the body attempts to regulate its natural responses to discomfort after prolonged use of painkillers.

Does anyone see any potential for religious experience during withdrawal? Or perhaps even during euphoria (the opiate ‘high’) or is that too taboo?

Looking forward to your responses.

The second part is interesting. Withdrawal, like any physical ordeal, can become a gateway to religious or spiritual experience. That’s well established since the oldest forms of shamanic practice and also within Catholicism itself. All of the more extreme forms of penance - self flagellation, strict fasting, the bloody and intense re-enactments of the crucifixion I’ve seen in some corners of the Hispanic and Filipino communities - they all work the same way as you suggest opiate withdrawal does or the sweat lodges and three-day drum and dance shamanic rituals I’ve attended. The idea in all is the same - to use ordeal to break you out of your self and comfort zone and workaday concerns to open you up to a more direct experience of divine.

It’s actually all on the same spectrum of consciousness changing rituals as the more mundane ones you would encounter in the Mass or which I use in my circles at full moon each month. There’s really nothing about the physical space and experience of a church ritual which is integral to the theological elements of the Mass. But everything about it can enhance that experience or put you in a more productive mental space to engage it. The high ceilings, the light from stained glass windows, the incense, the organ music. They all can cause a subtle but real change in consciousness which signal that you’re entering a sacred space externally and internally and leaving for a time the world of iPads and football games and balancing checkbooks.

All that said, I cannot recommend inducing opiate withdrawal in oneself as a path to God, but I suppose if you have to go through it, you might as well turn it to your advantage.