During the course of my 14 years experience as a State Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist/Psychotherapist I have worked with people who have various kinds of addiction. Whether it is substances like drugs or alcohol or more subtle addictions like work, sex, internet, gambling, pornography etc.; one of the more difficult contributing factors to addiction complications is pain.

Although there has been a growing sensitivity to minimizing potentially addictive pain medications some people are relatively unfamiliar with the concept of ADDICTION-FREE PAIN MANAGEMENT (APM).

Research shows that there are over 100 million Americans living with chronic pain. A conservative estimate is that 10 million of these people are suffering from prescription medication substance use disorders or full blown addiction.

My approach integrates the APM System with other eclectic techniques and has proven to be highly effective with my patients and those of my colleagues across the US. I was trained by Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead in the use of the Addiction-Free Pain Management System.

When addictive disorders and pain disorders coexist they negatively impact each other and there is a synergistic effect, which leads to additional problems.

ADDICTION-FREE PAIN MANAGEMENT is the concurrent treatment of Pain Disorders and Addictive Disorders. The APM System consists of three core parts: (1) Core Clinical Components using cognitive, affective, and behavioral interventions; (2) Safe and Effective Medication Management Components using an addiction medicine specialist; and (3) Non-Pharmacological tools.

Addictive Disorders are defined in part by the following symptoms: Euphoria, Craving, Loss of Control, and Continued use despite problems. Pain Disorders are defined by the following elements: Biological Pain, Psychological Pain, Social/Cultural pain. Pain is a signal that something is wrong, Pain receptors are nerve cells that detect when something is wrong. Pain circuits are a series of nerve-cells that transmit the message that something is wrong. There are 3 types of pain: Direct Pain, Indirect Pain, and Systemic Pain. Also, pain can be either acute or chronic.

ADDICTION-FREE PAIN MANAGEMENT is defined as the ability to manage chronic pain without the negative consequences of addiction. If someone is prescribed addictive drugs for pain by a physician and they keep to the prescription without abusing it then there is usually no problem. However if they find themselves needing more and more and are searching for euphoric effect -then they have left the realm of Addiction-Free Pain Management.

It is important that you take a team approach to Relapse Prevention of Addiction while promoting more effective pain management practices. Your Addiction-Free Pain Management Professional, and your prescribing physician or anyone else who is helping you manage pain such as an acupuncturist or hypnotist etc should work together collaboratively with you. I promise to work with you, not on you!

Paying for special Addiction-Free Pain Management Sessions and Materials can save you money and pain in the long-run and avoid the merry-go-round of costly remedies. The key is to integrate both models (Addiction and Pain) for symptom reduction or elimination.

By having someone to help you with Recovery Planning and integration of Medication Management Components you have more chances of having a higher level of Pain Management and Relapse Prevention. Learning how to analyze high-risk situations is key. Being able to identify irrational (addictive) thoughts, unmanageable feelings, self-destructive urges, self-defeating (addictive) actions, and reactions to others are some of the skills you need.

MATERIALS CAN BE SENT BY MAIL OR EMAIL TO SUPPLEMENT WORKING BY PHONE. CALL NOW FOR A CONSULTATION.

The Addiction-Free Pain Management is © Copyrighted by Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, 2007, 1996 and is based in part on the Gorski-CENAPS® Model.