A really big part of the problem is the over-prescribing of opioids by doctors and Big Pharma actively pushing doctors to freely write scripts for the pills. It is almost ridiculous how easy it is to get opioids legally, let alone illegally. I had a bit of surgery at the beginning of April and, on leaving the hospital, I was given a large number of Vicodin pills to help my post-surgical pain. Aside from the fact I had expressly voiced concern about taking opioids, the amount of pills, if I had taken them as prescribed, would have lasted me at least a couple of weeks; given how Vicodin is considered a highly addictive medication, it is easy to see how a person could develop and addiction. In my case, I have a pretty good threshold for pain, so I only took the Vicodin when the pain was really, really bad; I now have nearly all the pills I was given unused, but the expiration date ends in late 2021, so I'm holding on to them in case there is a need in the future and I can save the expense of a new script...
If I can get so many pills for a non-critical, non-chronic situation, I wonder what its like for people with really severe, chronic pain who are prescribed such dangerous addictive drugs...
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