It's been quite a few years since these drugs forever changed our family. I was a very young girl, about ten years old, who didn't understand what her father had to live with. All I knew was that daddy was a monster on the medication, and all I could do was live with it.
Can a doctor who prescribes pain medication be classified as a drug dealer? Absolutely and here's why.
My father was not himself for a decent amount of years. After having two back surgeries he was prescribed pain medication. It wasn't very long after that he realized he couldn't live without these "pain killers". The effect they had on our family over time was tremendous.
He would scream and yell at us for no apparent reason. He wasn't nice, and if I even forgot to put his shoes away after he came home from work they would end up being thrown across a room to me. He wasn't my daddy, he wasn't someone I looked forward to seeing. I was terrified to go near him most of the time because I never knew when those spontaneous outbreaks would come along and take him from me.
He did try. He always tried to spend time with us when he wasn't working, but it wasn't long before he'd get mad at something or someone and flip out. I try my best everyday to cherish the good memories with him, but the bad ones always seem to take over my memory. These were times when my bedroom became my safe haven. It was somewhere I could run and hide to when things took a turn for the worst. Then came the decision that both of my parents knew had to happen eventually. In this case, it was sooner rather than later. My mom couldn't take it anymore, my dad refused to take the medication, and it was time to put a stop to these tiny pills that were destroying our family.
One pill was left in the container sitting on the ledge above our kitchen sink, while my dad was locked inside the bedroom. He was not allowed to come out until he was clean. My mom made sure of this. I don't know exactly how many days later he came out, but that monster was finally laid to rest. My daddy never took another pain killer again.
Pain killers are a drug. Pain killers temporarily destroyed my family and our relationships. Pain killers took over the man who was a husband and a father to two very young girls. Pain killers made a once warm home a cold house. They are a drug.
A lot my family and friends know our story, and some do not. But, we are not ashamed to tell people what my father suffered with, we are more than willing to help others going through the same thing. I am proud to say that to this day the relationship I have with my dad is a million times better than what it once was. I spend all the time I can with him now, and we have more fun than we ever had.
I know girls who envy the relationship I have with my dad, but they have no idea how hard it was to get there.
