He is proud not ashamed. Proud that he beat the addiction. An addiction to pain meds is the toughest thing to beat because its physically AND mentally addicting. Most other narcotics are physically addicting and the withdrawal symptoms can be deadly. But outlasting some pain and some minor sickness is NOTHING compared to the will power it takes to beat your brain telling you you need them. To the point that the drugs are the only thing on your mind when you dont have them. And when you do get them, you aren't getting high anymore, you are just brought back to normal operation.
The addiction is so powerful, it is not a matter of will power, it is a matter of who you have around you and hobbies and interests in your life that can keep your brain off of the drugs. Basically keeping yourself busy at all times. A very low percentage of people can beat an addiction to pain meds, but a very high percentage of people who beat it, go on to help others and openly talk about it.







