Dr Phil: Managing Pain Vs Addicted To Painkillers & How To Detox

Dr Phil: Spouse Addicted to Painkillers, Wife Verbally Abuses

Glenn doesn’t believe he is addicted to painkillers. He thinks that it’s the only way to soothe his long-term back injury. Jodi doesn’t believe her husband should use the pills anymore because he is developing a dependency and addiction to the pills. Dr Phil has told Jodi that her verbally abusive methods of dealing with Glenn are not helping.

Jodi and Glenn’s oldest sons feel torn apart by their fighting. They try to get their parents to grow up and act like adults, but know that if they are made to choose sides it will get ugly. They want to end the fighting and want everyone to be happy.

Now, it’s Glenn’s turn to take ownership.

Glenn Abuses Drugs & Finds Ways To Get Painkillers

Dr Phil doesn’t think that using these medications for the long run is healthy, and he should know. Glenn’s face was steeled for this information, almost as if he knew that he shouldn’t be taking it.

“You are using a short-term medication on a long term basis, and I suspect that you are lying to get it,” Dr Phil said. “Or you have found some incompetent doctors.”

Dr Phil said that doctors will “hand these [pills] out like chicklets.” He said that it’s easy to go to a pain clinic and say you hurt. Getting them from a doctor doesn’t mean Glenn’s not addicted.

Glenn defended his actions. He said he has visited spinal clinics around the country and knows he needs discs in his back worked on. He said he doesn’t “doctor shop” or search out the medication. Glenn said, believe it or not, he wants to get off of this medication.

When Glenn started taking this medication, he said it didn’t affect his personality and job like it does today. He wants to detox, but he would much rather be sedated and managing pain than in agony.

Dr Phil Identifies Drug Abuse

Glenn’s medication list shows that he is abusing the medication, said Dr Phil. He said that any doctor who is giving out this kind of medication is not doing their job correctly. It’s not healthy for anyone.

Jodi isn’t helping the situation be demeaning Glenn, especially in front of his kids. Her concern is legitimate, but her way of expressing it is only making things worse. Dr Phil said the correct thing to do is to challenge the doctors, stage an intervention, or have a supportive heart to heart.

“You never surrender to the disease of addiction, not ever,” Dr Phil said.

Jodi needs to attack the problem in a healthy way until it is resolved.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Offers to Help Glenn

As for Glenn, this problem is not healthy. If his back problem is legitimate, then he needs to get the proper treatment. When Dr Phil told Glenn that he deserves to be free of the problem, Glenn’s eyes widened as if he had never thought there was a solution.

Glenn agreed to go to neurosurgeon Dr Patrick Johnson at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. There he will get a full workup and find out what’s really wrong. From there, Glenn can detox and find a healthier way to manage his pain.