I know quite a few people that were on big pharma's pills and they had been on them so long that they built up a tolerance and had to keep taking more and more to get even a little relief. That all changed why they switched to MM. They were slowly able to ween themselves of the narcotics. They felt great since they weren't walking around in a fog or sleeping all the time. They have actually become more productive and some have been able to go back to work. It's quite amazing what one little plant can do...if you don't like smoking there are many alternative means to ingest...check out tinctures, candies, edibles, vaporizers, oils. In fact, eating is a much better method than smoking as it effects your body rather than your head. You'll also want to look for strains that are higher in CBD as this is the anti-inflammatory agent that helps with aches and pains and does not make you loopy.