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Many people turn to alcohol and tobacco as a way to cope with chronic pain in the short term because these substances can temporarily create feelings of pleasure. However, it is important to be cautious.
Both alcohol and tobacco can lead to dependence, more pain and, and various health risks linked to their use. Equally, if you rely on drinking or smoking to manage or escape the pain, each drink or puff can serve as a reminder of the pain, reinforcing the pain cycle. During my three-week stay at the Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center, alcohol consumption was prohibited. The program also offered classes designed to help individuals quit smoking. Learn more
Updated 3/27/24
Some people find medical cannabis helpful for chronic pain, especially in the short term, but there are questions about long-term effectiveness and safety. Cannabis wasn’t recommended by Mayo Clinic when I attended their Pain Rehabilitation Center in 2018 nor is it recommended by the International Association for the Study of Pain. A new systematic review and meta-analysis published November 28, 2022, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests cannabis is no better at relieving pain than a placebo. And relying on any sort of passive treatment like medicines and supplements can create dependence on the agent - producing a sense of helplessness and reminding the user of the pain. I have found I don’t need medicine or supplements to manage my chronic pain. Of course, your experience may differ. I know mine did earlier in my pain journey. My relief came by changing how I think about, feel about, and behave around the pain with pain rehabilitation using self-management. Learn more
Updated 6/5/25 Do you know?
Editor’s note: This article was written based on my experience and what I have researched about the topic. Everyone is different. The decision to use supplements should be a decision between you and your doctor. Many people use supplements as part of their pain treatment plan, often as substitutes for prescribed medication that aren't often effective or well, tolerated. However, supplements come with risk, including contamination with toxins, health problems, unwanted side effects, and interactions with conventional medicines. Unlike prescription or over-the-counter drugs, which must be approved by the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) before they can be marketed, the FDA doesn’t review supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are sold. We don’t know where the products are made, how they are made, what is in them, and if the dosage is appropriate. Safety is left up to the manufacturers and distributors of the supplements. Taking pills can reinforce the pain besides the safety concern, each time you take a pill or supplement, you're reminding yourself you're in pain - reinforcing the neural pathways and keeping you in the pain cycle. My experience As part of the multi-day Mayo Clinic fibromyalgia program I attended in 2016, I met with a pharmacist to review the long list of prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, and supplements I was taking at the time. My medicine cabinet looked like a GNC store. I was instructed to bring the actual bottles with me to the appointment, so I packed the bottles into a gym bag (yes, I was taking a lot of medicines and supplements) and went to see her. I was surprised as she read each bottle, making comments and recommendations about each pill – including product quality, labeling issues, ingredient safety, and dosing. When the appointment ended, my medicine and supplement list was much shorter with her recommending stopping most of the supplements and my gym bag much lighter – throwing away the pills was going to stop taking. I kept only one supplement - Vitamin D, which I no longer use. Bottom line You assume all risk when using supplements. While some may be helpful, many aren’t and some may even be harmful. And they can become a unhelpful pain behavior - reminding you of the pain. Review any supplements with your medical team to help you make an educated decision. Learn more
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