Addicted to Vicodin: One Woman's Recovery Story
Growing up, words like substance abuse and addiction were never even a part of my vocabulary. I lived in a small community, and during the 1980s, the only activity we participated in that involved substances was having the occasional keg party!
It wasn’t until I was 37 years old that I was introduced to pain medication after undergoing a complicated and excruciating operation on my left foot. Unfortunately, approximately six weeks after my surgery that I began to understand the wonderful, and of course later, devastating effects of Vicodin.
During this time, I could not walk and was only allowed to use my crutches if I needed to use the restroom. I had four two-inch pins sticking out of my foot, so I needed to make sure I never hit the pins on anything. I also had two young sons to take care of, a house that was not getting the attention in cleaning and laundry that needed to be done. Being a perfectionist, those issues really began bothering me.