That's a really tough situation. Normally, alcoholics are advised to avoid any mood-altering medication but, obviously, in your case that's not an option. For a "normal" alcoholic I would just recommend AA and maybe a treatment center but I think you need to have a long talk with your doc. I wish I could say there's an easy answer. I'm sending positive thoughts your way.

From my exp having a near deat accident I was placed on phentynol then morphine. Narcotics are not meant to take all the pain away only to take the edge off. I do know this drinking while on narcotics is not a good thing and is warned against on the bottles. I was able to come off all the narcotis without being adicted to them. Like the previous poster I would go to your dr or a pain specialist. They shoudl be able to help you in my exp.

Your situaion is not particularly uncommon but is more complicated than most. Generall cancer pain necessitates narcotics for pain relief. However, you may be taking them for reasons beyond pain relief, as you also admit to a problem with alcohol. The fact that you are drinking while on a fair amount of narcotics is very concerning--you could go into respiratory failure (there is tolerance to the pain effects of narcotics but no ceiling effect with the respiratory depression--ie even someone who can take a lot of morphine and still have pain may die from the respiratory depression they cause....)
I recommend you seek help from a pain management specialist, generally they are somewhat familiar with addiction, and or an addictionologist. You may still need the morphine, but they can work out a plan for you re:amounts, acquistion controls, other techniques for pain management,etc.
Good luck to you....

I'm sorry to hear you have cancer. What a difficult place to be in your life. I have multiple sclerosis and suffer from chronic pain too, but not at the levels you are experiencing. However, I do keep ALL of my docs in the loop as to how I am doing and what problems I'm having. Your docs can help you figure out what to do about your sleep cycle, etc. Alcohol is not a good choice because your pharmacist nor your docs know you are doing this, so it may be feeding the cycle you are stuck in. Talk to your oncologist today (yes I know it is Saturday), he/she would want to know. Be good to yourself.

you can try therapy maybe i don't know, we have some ppl in AA that have cancer and other issues. I can tell you one thing for sure that happened to my grandpa if y ou drink with an illness you will get worse. take care god be with you, sorry your going through this.

make your health your priority at this point. make phone calls regarding pain management. be honest regarding your situation- to me it sounds as if pain management is not working. you can find someone to make it work. also, you may drink from depression- consider that.take control of your body and the answers are there. love you, devonh

IN MY OPINION INSTEAD OF TAKING ADVICE FROM NON PROFESSIONALS HERE ON THE SITE, I WOULD MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER, AND BE HONEST OF YOUR SITUATION.

Normally I would suggest this in an alcoholics message board. But first you have to want to be and get sober to get sober. You have to want it more than anything.

Your current situation is making that very difficult. Is your cancer in remission yet? If not keep working on that first, concentrate on that more than anything. That also means don't drink with your meds because we know that doesn't help one bit.

Then see a pain specialist and see if they can still give you something for your pain that is not so addicting. Hopefully they can but I have no idea.

If you have to just take your meds and stay away from alcohol. That is a beginning.

If you want an excuse to drink and use, heck just use the one I like...that you are still awake, conscious!