posted on Feb, 12 2009 @ 11:48 PM
reply to post by Good Wolf
Wellllll... yes and no. The House character is in pain, therefore he needs medication in order to simply function, but he treats his meds like candy,
has sought out stronger highs, has been proven to be addicted to the meds, etc--so yes, I'd say the habit is there...
The catch is, without the meds, his pain prevents him from functioning. That's the thing that most people don't generally understand about chronic
pain management; yes, things like Vicodin can make a person feel groovy, and our culture is one of "if it feels good, it
must be wrong," but
for people who are living with chronic pain, it's not a matter of getting high, it's a matter of getting through the day.
I think House's in-your-face attitude about his use of Vicodin is just part of the character, since he does the same thing with other
socially-unacceptable habits.
The tragic and compelling part of the character, though, is that the meds can only ease the pain in his leg. He's got way bigger issues than that.