Addiction is powerful, and when dealing with extreme amounts of pain, it can affect anyone. In a recent issue of Ladies' Home Journal, Paula Abdul, who's turning 47 this month, opened up about her addiction to pain meds. For the first time in 12 years she's no longer dependent on drugs. Last Thanksgiving, determined to overcome her grueling habit, Paula checked herself into La Costa Resort and Spa, in Carlsbad, CA. She explains the withdrawal process from heavy pain medication like this:

"I could have killed myself . . . Withdrawal — it's the worst thing. I was freezing cold, then sweating hot, then chattering and in so much pain, it was excruciating. But at my very core, I did not like existing the way I had been."

To find out how her addiction evolved, read more.

While cheerleading at age 17, Paula suffered the first of a series of accidents that would lead to debilitating pain. She refused surgery at the time, since doctors told her there was only a 50/50 chance the operation would correct her back. On the road to fame, she broke her leg in 1991 while rehearsing a dance routine. This was followed a year later by a car accident. In 1993, an airplane crash left her partially paralyzed, requiring 15 spinal surgeries. All the while her career kept growing, and as a veteran performer, her attitude was "the show must go on." So she turned to addictive painkillers and not-so-addictive Chinese medicine for relief.

In 2005, Paula was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome, a condition that results in chronic pain. To deal with her agonizing discomfort, Paula began wearing a pharmaceutical patch that delivered a pain medication nearly 80 times more potent than morphine, and she took a nerve medication to relieve her symptoms. Sometimes she combined all this with muscle relaxers. These meds didn't relieve her pain entirely, which often led to sleepless nights, causing her to "get weird" during the day and sparking rumors that she was high during the filming of American Idol.

Thanks to her 15th spinal surgery, the pain is almost gone. Paula does yoga to clear her mind and take care of her body, and now that she's off pain medication for good, she's ready to make a fresh start.

Source

Love This Email Print Facebook Stumble It!