Removing pain without removing its source can make the source harder to notice.

Pain is information, and quieting it without addressing the source removes the only signal you had. The situation continues, but now silently, and by the time it surfaces again the cause has had more time to grow and more cover to grow under. Comfort bought this way tends to be borrowed.

Relief is not the enemy; treat it as time bought rather than the problem solved. If you are numbing something, put a date on the calendar to look at what is underneath it while the pressure is off.