by Gena Robinson

Created on: February 22, 2009

I am forty three years old, and I just recently experienced the best day of my life. Many wonderful events have occurred through out my life, but the day that I discovered that I was taking too many medications, and no longer capable to perform various tasks because of being medicated; I came to the realization that I needed to reevaluate my life, and take measures to change it.

We all experience pain in our life, whether it be physical, or emotional. I have experienced a great deal of both. In the Spring of 1989 I was involved in a near fatal automobile accident. I spent just a few hours shy of seven days in the hospital due to my injuries suffered in the accident. After three months of physical therapy, hard work in recovering, and narcotic pain killers, i was able to return to work. I recovered rather well, but suffered long term physical problems involving my hip and my back. At the time of my injury I was working for a company that mass produces fiberglass boats. I absolutely loved the work I did there; inspecting and repairing the boats before shipping them out to the customers. But one of the big problems in production is that you are required to work until the job is completely finished; if you need to work fourteen hours to meet a deadline , then you have to work that fourteen hours. My banged up body couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to change my occupation. I then began working at a cheese factory as a machine operator/mechanic. Again, I loved my work; operating the industrial size cheese slicer, and delegating other tasks to my associates on my assembly line.
I worked there for 4 years when on the way to work one night, I hit a twelve point buck with my Ford Taurus. I totaled my car, and it felt as if I totaled my back as well. Working as an operator at the cheese factory was about to come to an end. My back seemed to be deteriorating more and more. I eventually had to give that job up as well, my physical condition would no longer allow me to work in a physical environment. I could take pain killers, but then I would be too doped up to operate machinery. That is when I came to the realization that I could no longer work, but instead of trying to better myself, I felt sorry for myself and got lost in my medications.
For nearly three years I was prescribed, and had consumed pain killers, muscle relaxers, anti anxiety medication, and anti depressants. When i think about, as I often do, it is no surprise that I had problems remembering things,

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