I was on percocet for 8-mos. for chronic joint and back pain. The...

I was on percocet for 8-mos. for chronic joint and back pain. The Doctors never found out what the cause was and piled on the percocet. I was in heaven. It made my pain go away and I felt like the old me, happy and super friendly. I laugh now because I did not know at the time that I was on opiates. One day I was explosively mad at some issue with the kids and my wife gently whispered, "...hon, maybe it is the pills that are making you this way.". I was floored. Mt beautiful wife lovingly stripped me of all doubt that I was addicted, and that they were changing my personality. I stopped "Cold Turkey" right at that instant. It was horrible. I was in such pain! Every fiber of my being wanted to ease the pain just a bit. A week into my withdrawals (perfectly described elsewhere), the pain was gone. I remember the original pain being much worse....I was wrong. It turns out that when I got honest with myself, I could live with the pain. It was/is far better than needing to "Dose-up" before getting out of bed. I still have chronic pain, but I lost the monkey.