Why are people hung up on the pain killer point? It was a few days AFTER surgery. They'd chopped off his nut, removed his skull and cut out part of his stomach. He hasn't told me he was on pain killers, but it seems highly likely. That could relax you enough to believe you were in a room with close friends.

Rest of your post was very good though. People use this black and white judgmental mentality that doesn't meet any reatity based criteria.