I was at home, so no drugs at hand - but actually it never even crossed my mind. I was in labour for 24 hours. I used a nice deep birth pool later in labour when things were intensifying. I found I really craved comfort - I just wanted people to love on me! Their kind words, massage, touch and hugs - that's what helped. Lots of love and comfort. Walking around in early labour helped. Swaying from side to side during the really strong contractions at the end helped - I could manage the pain better that way than standing still and tensing up. Breathing slow and steady helped. Vocalising helped. Also, I stayed hydrated with Labour Aide - lemon juice, honey, pinch of salt & baking soda, and dissolvable calcium tablets - calcium boosts your pain tolerance apparently - and also, I think staying hydrated just helps you cope better and not end up feeling so wasted and stressed by all the effort.
The preparation and reading did help my state of mind - fear feeds on ignorance and knowledge grows faith and confidence. So, reading about Active Birth, Undisturbed Birth, Home Birth, and reading heaps of other women's birth stories helped me develop my own philosphy of what I thought would work for me.
I also did the Optimal Fetal Positioning very diligently, I really wanted the baby to be anterior, because I knew that would be quite a bit easier and less painful than a posterior labour. And the perineal massage! I found that helped because I could feel myself how tough and stretchy the tissues are - and how much more stretchy they got as after a few weeks of massage - with all those good elastin hormones kicking in as well. It made me feel more sure that I could stretch and wouldn't tear.
Warmest thoughts and wishes your way for a wonderful experience when the time comes.