I mean, I do know that intellectually! The whole problem is all of the cultural baggage that is also in my brain that does battle with that knowledge - I did write this post initially thinking that articulating it would make me more able to recognize all the avoidance and your-pain-is-no-big-deal and etc stories that are so deeply grooved into my brain.

I am always amazed at people's astonishment that I could POSSIBLY be taking vicodin, that "but that's AN OPIATE!" attitude, argh argh argh.

And also at the doctors who tell me, basically, that I shouldn't take painkillers until I have no pain - not the ones who say "uh, sorry, that's not going to happen, probably, so let's try to turn it down as far as we can" but the ones who tell me that if I'm in no pain I've taken too many pills, that they're not ~for~ that.