If you had a magic wand that take away pain, but didn’t use it when someone was in pain, wouldn’t you use it?

That may be how the current opioid epidemic started. Physicians were told by pharmaceutical companies that their new opioids were magic: they took away pain better and weren’t addictive. They seem to be mistaken inadvertently or intentionally, on both counts.

First, they don’t take away pain forever. Sometimes they don’t even take away all the pain even for a short period. Even when they do, they have to be taken again in a few hours, and patients swiftly build up a tolerance which can turn to substance use disorder, dependence – or even addiction – before the initial prescription runs out, even when taken as directed.

The sad fact is that opioids are no good for chronic pain, only short-term pain or occasional pain (take as needed). If you have a pain that won’t end soon, then you’re playing roulette with your sobriety.

Pain didn’t begin as a biological or psychological mistake. It’s necessary. It alerts you to the fact that you are hurt, tells you where, and incidentally discourages you from taking part in the activity or action that led to the pain in the first place.

The problem is when pain goes wrong, serves no purpose and won’t go away. Phantom limb pain, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease and some back pain all fit in this category. But drugs aren’t a good way to deal with such pain either.

So what’s the alternative? There are herbal remedies (some people swear by ginger or turmeric), cannabidiol or CBD (a non-euphoric cannabinoid in marijuana), and physical therapy and exercise.

First, try to find a pain management clinic at a hospital in your network. Insurance might cover it. Many hospitals have a pain clinic, where you learn to manage pain with physical, behavioral, and psychological therapies. One is the Pain Rehabilitation Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The three–week program can help patients learn ways to control or cope with pain without medication.

Other strategies include:

• Immersive Virtual Reality. A headset and simple graphics surprisingly can distract the patient during painful medical procedures without drugs. Dr. Hunter Hoffman, of at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, came up with “SnowWorld,” in which the patient must defend against attacking penguins with snowballs. VR can reduce the intensity of pain by 30% or more.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy. Basically psychotherapy, this also helps manage addiction.
• New forms of non-addictive painkillers. Science and Big Pharma are always looking for the next wonder drug.
• Holistic, spiritual disciplines such as yoga, meditation, and hypnosis. When your body relaxes, de-stresses and is made strong and flexible, pain is less noticeable and debilitating.