Pain recovery for families [electronic resource] : how to find balance when a someone else's chronic pain becomes your problem too / Mel Pohl ...[et. al.]

An interactive guide that explores the challenges families often face when living with someone who has chronic pain and problematic use of addictive substances. Includes easy-to-implement methods that can restore physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance. Pain Recovery for Families provides a solution-oriented approach for family members to maintain a healthy life balance while providing support to someone with chronic pain. Chronic pain is a life-changing condition, and not just for the person in pain; chronic pain afflicts the whole family. Even a well-functioning family is likely to be thrown out of balance when one of its members has chronic pain. Family members commonly report experiencing feelings of guilt, helplessness, depression, anxiety, and even resentment. Yet their suffering is often overlooked. In many cases, the pain sufferer's problematic use of painkillers or other substances prescribed for pain management adds to the family's confusion and distress. Includes self-assessments and writing exercises designed to address the many facets of chronic pain and addiction and their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual effects on the family.