You have the right idea about what the argument has to be. Like Payne, I'm wondering if your attorney has given you an idea of what to expect.

I got SSDI a year ago. Mine went pretty smooth, but I read up on all the pitfalls, just in case. My reading told me that an attorney won't even take your case, unless he/she believes that you will ultimately win. So stay hopeful. Also, by federal law, no attorney charges for representing someone on getting SSDI, unless the claim is successful, as you probably know.

Since you have a lawyer who believes in your claim, you probably will eventually get SSDI; it's a question of when. Unfortunately, the longer it takes, the bigger a chunk of the initial payment that will go to the attorney.

Mainly, you want to emphasize that you did have a very serious and disabling condition before you got into misusing the meds. As your lawyer has told you, I'm sure, you need evidence for that. Evidence would be, like, a series of job losses related to your disability.

Good luck, and keep us posted.