Less Pain, Fewer Pills

Beth Darnall, PhD, is a clinical associate professor in the division of pain medicine at Stanford University. She has more than 10 years’ experience treating adults with chronic pain and lived through her own chronic pain experience. She lives in Palo Alto, California.

• One Girls Story; A Painkiller Trap?; Prescription Opioids: Know Your Specific Risks; Be Aware of These Opioid Pitfalls; Know & Treat the FULL Definition of Pain; Calm Your Nervous System to Reduce Your Need for Prescription Opioids; Shift Your Thoughts & Emotions to Reduce Your Need for Prescription Opioids; Changing Your Choices will Reduce Your Need for Prescription Opioids; Tapering Off Prescription Opioids: Tips for Success; Putting it All Together in Your Empowerment Program; An Example of Mindful Use of Prescription Opioids; Appendix: Historical Notes; Resources; Glossary.

“What we forget is that opioids don’t simply dampen pain, they dampen everything—joy, energy, memory, social interactions, personality, life itself. If you want to fully experience life, you can—even if you have chronic pain — but not if you let opioids rule. Read this book and learn how to take back what you may have lost.” —Jane C. Ballantyne, MD, Professor of Education and Research; Director of the Pain Fellowship, University of Washington