Sometimes mental pain can take over a CPers mind as well. Making a nubreed of pacients feeling pain from dependency along with their original chronic pain problem. A pacient then has to decide which road to travel:

A.Pain medication for a very long time with no plans on quitting
B.Trying other methods to help chronic pain and eleminate the medication slowly.

I think B. should be the choice of most, but people that feel complete while on certain medication, should have the right to continue it's use. Sometimes w/d symptoms are looked at as breakthrough pain and not actually noticed as medication dependency problems comming through. A person has to be in touch with their body and notice the changes the medication makes on neruo-pathways, downregulated receptors, tolerance, ect, ect. Over time any perfectly documented chronic pain pacient will eventually encouter some sore of dependency. This isn't bad, if the medication gives the person an overall somewhat normal life, but should be aknowledged. I'm always afraid of major dependency issues down the road, but the relief some medication gives me (mentally and physically) is worth the risk in the end.