Pain is usually a short-term process and temporary in nature. When pain remains consistent and ongoing, pain turns into chronic pain. Chronic pain and the medications used for pain control will create reliance on these medications and leads to emotional distress. People who use/misuse and/or abuse pain medications often have problems with occupational, social and recreational activities. These activity deficits create feelings of isolation, depression and physical deconditioning all leading to increases in pain itself and the perception of pain.

Our program is directed toward these areas and focuses not only on pain medication reduction but also how new skills can have a dramatic effect on your overall quality of life.

• 13.8 million opiate dependent patients in the United States receive chronic opiate therapy.
• 40 percent of chronic pain patients who take opiates regularly misuse or abuse their medications.
• 60-80 percent of chronic pain patients experience depression and/or anxiety.
• 60-80 percent of addicted patients suffer from depression and/or anxiety.
• Idaho ranks fourth in the country for narcotic medication prescriptions per capita.

Our focus is a three-tiered process that includes:

• Assessment, evaluation and determination of opiate use, overuse and/or addiction.
• Any associated underlying psychiatric conditions related to chronic pain and potential for substance abuse.
• Medical conditions/problems identification through assessments/evaluations that may complicate recovery from pain medication use, overuse and/or addiction.

Primary Goal:
To reduce total daily opiate dosage by 50 percent and patients’ “perception” of the pain by 50 percent.

Associated Treatment Goals:

• Regulate pain through elimination or significant reduction in narcotic medication
• Develop healthy coping skills to reduce chronic pain
• Find relief from pain in order to re-establish relationships and be able to perform activities of daily living (taking care of yourself)
• Develop a better understanding of the relationship between chronic pain and addiction
• Understand and participate in medical management of chronic pain disorders
• Reduce the impact of medical problems on recovery and relapse potential
• Reduce daily suffering from pain and substance dependence

Who will benefit from this program?
Patients that experience:

• Pain beyond normal healing process (more than nine months) and use pain medications and/or other substances as a primary coping skill
• Use, overuse and/or misuse of their medications
• Decreased or elimination of activities (work, social, relationships) previously enjoyed as a result of pain medication use or substance use or abuse
• Depression/Anxiety related to chronic pain and/or abuse
• Medical problems that would complicate recovery from addiction
• Inability to self-administer or utilize narcotic medication safely and appropriately
• Need to self-medicate for chronic pain through use of mood alternating substances
• Negative emotions associated with the medical illness that led to medication use, overuse and/or addiction

For more information, contact us at (208) 377-8400 or (800) 321-5984.