A local man is recovering from a drug addiction. Doctors said it's becoming more common to depend on pain killers.

"I never thought i could be addicted to anything, but it got me," said Jamie Shifflet, a recovering pharmaceutical drug addict.

Shifflett had been addicted to pain killers for the last two years.

"They're dangerously addictive. They're not just a little bit addictive; they're very addictive. It's the worst thing I've ever seen, you know when it comes to dependence. Like my dependence on them were...I couldn't cope without them."

He started using them to help his chronic back pain.

"My back got worse and worse and worse, and I went to my doctor and he prescribed me Percocets."

But it all went downhill from there.

"I mean they helped me. They made me feel good, and I was Superman again. I could work, no pain, and I didn't really know at the beginning that it was doing that to me, until one day I ran out."

That's when he realized he was addicted. Shifflett said he couldn't go a day without them.

When he saw his addiction ruining his relationships with family and friends, he realized he had to stop.

Shifflett isn't the only person to become dependent on prescribed painkillers. The Behavioural Health Manager at Rockingham Memorial Hospital said more and more people in recent years are becoming dependent on these medications. They don't know when to stop.

"We see a lot of people who become desperate when they try to manage their pain. Pain management, especially chronically, can be very tricky, and we see a lot of people who start to add to what their physician prescribed for them," said Behavioral Health Manager Jen Johnson.

Johnson said there are ways to relieve the pain without taking drugs that can lead to addiction.

Shifflett is now learning that as he tries to recover: even if he has to suffer through some back pain.

"I would rather have that, than knowing I have to depend on this pill for the rest of my life," said Shifflett.

Johnson said if you suffer from chronic pain, you should talk with your doctor. She said it's best to find ways around using painkillers like stretching or using over-the-counter drugs.

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