Chemical abuse and pain management

This article provides additional direction for nurses in altering the pain management plan for individuals who are currently abusing chemicals. There is a definition of terms (i.e., chemical dependence, addiction, physical dependence, tolerance, and cross tolerance), to provide a foundation for this clinical practice. A review of the literature explains theories that explain what we find occurs clinically: that patients who are chemically dependent require more narcotic to control their postoperative pain.