A friend of mine has become addicted to painkillers as a result of a severe injury. It is not fun to watch when he runs low, or thinks he is going to run low, on his meds. The new SAIF magazine has an article on opioid painkillers (Vicodin, Oxycontin) and it is very sobering. Consider:
- The U.S. consumes 80% of all opioids produced and 99% of the oxycodone.
- More people die from opioids than heroin.
- In Oregon in 2008, 53% of all prescription drug deaths were from opioids.
- Nationally 38,000 people died from opioids in 2007, the last year records are available.
These are scary numbers and they have gotten worse each year since 1996. Pain is not a great thing, but there has to be a better way to address it than using this stuff on a long term basis.
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