This is such nonsense, I am embarrassed. According to this article,
“…research reported at the American Pain Society annual meeting shows that, contrary to widespread beliefs, less than 3 percent of patients with no history of drug abuse who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain will show signs of possible drug abuse or dependence.”
This is evidence of the mental trap that we Americans are increasingly subject to. We believe that if you really, really, want something it will come true, or that “they” will figure it out with new “technology”. We really want to be able to prescribe opiates without fear of addiction, but since the 1600’s we’ve known that it doesn’t work. This amounts to nothing more than a wish.
Listen, history of abuse or not, long-term painkiller use leads to addiction. Many factors exist that contribute to severity, longevity, etc.—but the plain fact is that using opioids for more than a few weeks, leads to increased tolerance and chemical dependence. An argument can be made differentiating addiction and chemical dependence, but that is another subject. Dependence will occur, which means withdrawal symptoms if the medication is stopped, which usually means continuing the medication to avoid withdrawal symptoms. In other words, an addiction.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com
Tags: abuse, addiction, dependence, Painkiller
