The "Opioid Epidemic" -- A Personal Take

[Aristus]

6. I'm sorry to say your pain management advisor sold you a bill of goods.

You've been misinformed. One cannot simply choose to be not addicted to an addictive medication.

The opioid cellular receptors that respond to the narcotic effects of pain medication don't care if you 'really need' the medication over someone who just wants to get high. That's not how opioids work; it's not how science works.

Addiction and tolerance happen to anyone taking opioid medications for long enough. Long enough being different for every patient.

The United States uses 80% of the world's opioid pharmaceuticals, despite having only 4% of the world's population. Are we more addictive by nature? I don't think so. It's a combination of unscrupulous prescribing medical providers, fast-talking opioid addicts, a greedy, unethical pharmaceutical industry, and a medical establishment more interested in quick fixes than comprehensive treatment of the underlying causative condition.

"However, for people who actually need these medications for chronic reasons, addiction is not typically a factor."

It's understandable, having only your own point of view, that you would post that assertion. But it has no scientific validity.