I haven't posted much but wanted to get opinions about substance abuse vs. ...well...substance use.
I'm 55 and have arthritis, (which for those younger than me that don't have it...simply you wake up almost every day with dull pain in practically your whole body).
It's manageable but I take pain relievers (some stronger than others) on a regular basis and it goes away.
I do try to go a couple days a week without them but that's about all I do.
Then as the day comes to an end I usually have some wine or beer or mixed drink...almost every day...2-3...never to the point of getting drunk...but it is daily.
What can I say? I really enjoy a drink at the end of the day.
To cap it off, most nights I take a sleeping pill to get a solid 7-8 hours sleep...otherwise I wake up 2-3 times or more with a restless sleep.
So, I do not feel like I am headed towards increasing any of these substance "uses" but the daily useage concerns me.
Partly because of my physical makeup (I'm actually in good physical condition but have the damn arthritis), maybe my age,...
i don't know...but I can NOT see ever going without any or all of these "helpers".
What do you think?