Opiate abuse for normal function

If I’m not mistaken, I believe the question related more to those individuals, for what ever reason, say after a knee surgery, or other pain inducing event have to take pain medications and discover that they are more effective and calmer producers, I.e. Focus better, get more work done, improve at work, have drive and ambition, where as people remark, wow, what’s different? And overall they have a more general sense of well being. So everything that has been told, sleepy, drugged, mental clouded, hazy etc… That happens on pain medications, the opposite occurs. In western medicine it is thought of as a “paradoxical medication/drug effect” my entire family experiences this. My thoughts, and why I have return to TCM is that the western medication is one size fits all whereas, TCM focus on individual traits to devise the best road to wander/ travel. I believe the underlying issue that is being unknowingly treated by the opioid medication is typically either a chronic pain issue, or more likely anxiety or attention/ focus deficit. Some individuals/families have these paradoxical drug effects will see how much better they do medicated, and when they are going to run out they become anxious, so the cycle of fear kicks in, which increases pain, furthers the imbalance so they legitamily experience pain, so they are prescribed more medications and thus the cycle of “self- medicating begins” the problems occur when tolerance develops. I encourage you to continue the self discovery and start working with an experienced TCM provider/acupuncturist and explore the possibilities that anxiety (it’s not in your head, apparently it’s in your liver and spleen ) that you may have battled/adjusted to your entire life, may be the cause. Imbalance is definitely at play here and many people spend their whole lives battling the waters and never getting any tranquility. Forgive me for being verbose, this is a subject near and dear to me as many of my family struggle with this exact issue and what amazes me is those who sought out a TCM provider and are utilizing the herbal preparations to great effects, are on…various different preparations… Yet all are doing well.