Because being sober feels more terrible in your situation?
As for how they get started, I've been prescribed a large bottle of powerful painkillers for having my wisdom teeth removed. It's not hard to get exposure under doctor's orders in the US.
When I had my wisdom teeth pulled out, the dentist prescribed Vicodin for me. He told me to take it if I need to manage the pain.
For some reason, I chose not to take it and just endure the pain. In an alternative universe, maybe I chose to take it and got addicted to pain killers.
Thinking back, it's so easy to come across these powerful legal painkillers in the US.
The US is the only place in the world AFAIK where you will get prescribed opioids for something as trivial as a wisdom tooth extraction (kind of like one of the cases cited). It is also the only place in the world AFAIK going through the opioid epidemic.
Every other country in the world has got the problem of painkillers figured out. So it can't be that complicated.
Not really. I am surprised at the ridiculous hoops Americans have to go through to get controlled drugs from the pharmacy. Photo ID, special prescription pads for the doctor, a special copy filed off with the federal government... here we just pick up the prescription. As far as I can tell the difference is doctors are just less willing to prescribe opiates here for minor or transitory pain. I've always gotten Tylenol after dental surgery for example. I groan about it but it probably hurts less than a smack addiction would.
People also take painkillers to recover from surgery...That is how many folks get hooked, and in some cases, eventually switch to heroin (because they can't afford the pills off-script at black market prices)
Move to Europe where we don't get as many drugs prescribed? I think the only time you get opioids is after major surgery. Personally I don't know anybody who had to take them.
As OP says, many became addicted because of normal painkillers prescriptions from their doctors, not because they wanted to act cool in front of their friends.
You don't generaly second-guess your doctor's prescription.
I am always amazed how quickly they give you hardcore painkillers. I have taken Vicodin once when I had my orbital bone smashed but otherwise I never fill the prescription. I don't know how prevalent this but I have seen stories in TV where people had kidney stones, got super strong painkillers and got addicted. The doctors notice this and cut their supply off cold turkey so the only way out for those people is heroin.
The US loves to sedate. You guys get absolutely blasted when you have your wisdom teeth removed. In most of Europe you get strong pill painkillers for the first few days and then it’s paracetamol.
people experiencing legitimate pain are becoming casualties of our crackdown on "inappropriate" prescribing.
Perhaps in America they are so easy with the opiates because people have a real or perceived need to get back to work. When I had to have two impacted wisdom teeth removed the pain and swelling was completely under control with ice bags, aspirin and two days off work. A low wage at-will worker in the US can't do that.
I had this told to me and had family members told this by doctors. A large number of addicts started from medical prescriptions for legitimate pain. I have been scolded for not taking pain meds.
Well a lot of reasons people turns to drugs in the USA is because doctors and pharmacists give them strong painkillers way to easily to begin with.
For instance oxycodone and many powerful painkillers are afaik not available as tablets in many countries, only given through IV's and injections in hospitals for serious enough conditions, or under serious constraints like palliative treatments. If you are recovering from an injury and are allowed to leave hospital, all what you should be allowed to take is paracetamol or ibuprofen for a limited time and that's it.
We shouldn't have to enter war against pain. Pain is not necessarily harmful, they are useful signals that can let people assess their recovery and physical state. Trying to avoid pain is trying to avoid reality. It is deemed to fail.
Nobody should take opiods painkillers for minor injuries and ailments, it just doesn't make sense.
Because they work. When I had a relatively mild hip fracture (greater throcanter broken clean off) they enabled me to walk and sleep. I went off them as quickly as I could and switched to paracetamol only, but the first week would have been hell without them. Sure I could have survived on week of pain but one week of opiates has no risk of addiction.
When I was living in Europe and had my wisdom-tooth removed I only got a local anesthetic so I wouldn't feel the cutting. Recently I heard a friend of mine (here in the US) say she was given vicodin afterwards. To me that's just insane. Sure I was a little uncomfortable for half a day but I'm not going to take bloody opioids because of that. It might also be the case that people just don't ask for it as easily as in the US (I mean, it's much more common to hear Americas place food orders with a bunch of custom stuff, Europeans usually just order what's on the menu).
I was given strong Opioids (Hydromorphone etc) for less than 3 weeks after major surgery. They clearly worked, but even that much exposure IMO was not worth the risk as I very quickly started to get cravings.
Even without getting high, freedom from pain is a ridiculously powerful motivator. And because they have such strong peaks and valleys you make a very strong association with those pills.
I didn't get any pain pills after wisdom teeth. I had local anesthetic and nitrous oxide gas to ease me, but not enough to sedate me (and obviously, no IV).
Some people are given pain pills because their teeth are impacted and the doctors have to break bones; the surgery is far more painful in the recovery stage than if it goes normally.
Even still, a common theme amongst my friends who got vicodin after the surgery was them not taking the pills, or only taking a single dose the day after to manage the pain.
I've met a few people who got addicted to pain killers at 15/16 years old. It started with a small prescription after dental surgery or similar, their parents left them to their own devices to take meds as needed. When the prescription was up they then went out and bought it on the street because they wanted the feeling to keep going. Some people are simply vulnerable, and even a little temptation is too much.
This may be the case in the US. However in the UK, doctors are scared to prescribe pain killers. As someone who suffers from chronic pain (accident early 2012), it took two years to get even close to adequate pain medication (from a pain specialist in the end).
I work hard and if there was a better option than pain killers, I'd happily pursue it. Being tarred with the same brush as addicts is quite offensive. Also, I have a BMI in the mid 20's so further exercise isn't going to help.
I'm honestly shocked how American doctors seem to give out opioid prescriptions for any illness or pain. I've not once heard from somebody here (Germany) that was prescribed opioids by their dentist after a surgery. They usually tell you to take some tylenol and rest at home, I've never heard of somebody getting opioid for that. But I've heard it mentioned multiple times regarding american dentists.
There surely are more examples where the docs seem to be a lot less careful about giving out these drugs. Also I think, and that's not only regarding the US, but all of the world, people should be getting way more education about what these drugs are, what they cause, how they should be taken and how you should stop taking them / what risks it bears if you don't.
As for how they get started, I've been prescribed a large bottle of powerful painkillers for having my wisdom teeth removed. It's not hard to get exposure under doctor's orders in the US.
reply