In January of 2018, I underwent extensive shoulder surgery. This was the first surgery I would face since ceasing all pill usage. I established a plan and shared it with my partner and amazing support system. We brought the bottle of pills home as a “just in case,” because I did not know what to expect…I had always treated surgical pain with pills. I successfully treated all post-surgery pain with a variety of cannabis products and did not touch one pill. I was not sick, irritable, or weak like previous situations. I did research and chose items tailored to my needs. I organically decreased cannabis use, to a “use when needed” agenda, and the day I dumped the full bottle of pills in the amnesty box at the VA was one of the most cathartic events of my life.