I guess I am addicted

Since I was a teenager, having a cold meant reaching for the box of Contac . Now I am not usually one to take medications of any kind but I can not stand to have my nose run. As a matter of fact I did better with the pain after my c sections than I do with a runny nose. Unfortunately, the cold that I am battling has come with the customary runny nose that has the potential to drive me mad. Because I have a feeling that my doctor , though a personal friend,will not even listen to the pros of putting me into a medically induced coma until my body naturally fights off this cold, which is usually only three or four days max for my super charged immune system, I once again reached for the box of Contac that was in the back of the medicine cupboard . As always I took two tablets and knew that within a few minutes my nose would dry up and I could once again go on. I waited the customary half hour , but my nose still ran. I waited an hour more, still nothing. Four hours later, when it was time for another dose, no change. I figured that maybe I had a bad box so I dug for another. I repeated the process with the same results. By this time I was crawling out of my skin.I found an old box of Tylenol sinus and took a dose. Finally I got some relief.Too bad that there were only a couple doses in the box because when I made a special trip to get more of the same, came home and took it, it didn't work either.Being the brilliant person that i am I read the box. The new Tylenol sinus and the Contac basically contained the same active ingredients. Neither contained psudoephedrine hydrochloride, which the older box of Tylenol sinus contained. As a matter of fact the Contac box and the new Tylenol sinus box both proudly declared in big letters on the front of the box, that it contained none.That must be the problem I thought as my nose ran like a leaky faucet.I headed to Wal Greens, where a friend of mine was working as a Pharmacy assistant. I spent almost an hour reading labels. Most had the "NO Psudoephedrine HCL" markings on the box and even those that didn't "brag" about leaving this out , didn't seem to have it listed in the ingredients. I called upon my friend Jan, to help.Jan looked at a couple boxes and then called the Pharmacist to listen to my pleas for this medicine which I knew would help me. My heart sunk as the Pharmacist told me that these drugs were no longer putting Psudoephedrine HCL, into their OTC medications because drug addicts were buying these drugs and using then to make Crystal meth. He assured me the the new ingredients worked just as well. They don't work just as well, I told him, They really don't ! After looking at me for a minute , as if to deceiver whether I intended to make meth or if I really wasn't getting relief from this new formula, my red runny nose convinced him to tell me that Wal Greens still used Psudoephedrine Hcl to make their Wal- Phed cold and sinus medication. He informed me that I could buy one box at the pharmacy ,without a prescription, if I had two forms of ID on me and was willing to sign that I was not going to make Meth. I agreed.The process of reading the "I will not make meth" paperwork, signing it, giving my two forms of ID to the assistant,( my friend who knows I am not a drug manufacturer)My information being entered into the computer, and so on took about a 1/2 an hour. Finally I paid and was on my way out with one box of Wal Phed and a paper cautioning me to not leave this medication where anyone could get it and stating the date when I could buy another.I got into my car ready to scream. However I calmed down, opened the package took a pill and within fifteen minutes The faucet was off and I could breathe. Oh the whole hassle was worth it ! I guess I am addicted, just not in the way that they are protecting against. Once I got home as suggested I hid my Wal -Phed, where only I can find it !