The Problem Isn’t Opioids Themselves – It’s Using Them Unnecessarily

In my attempts to help people struggling with opioid addiction, I’ve received some very strongly-worded messages. These have come from people who are on opioids because the level of pain they have to deal with daily is debilitating, and they literally can’t function without the drugs.

My messages aren’t directed to them. For some, opioids are a necessary evil. Something they have to take to find some semblance of a normal life.

I get that. I’m in no way dissing people who have no choice but to be on opioids and use them responsibly.

However, statistics show that over 2 million Americans abuse opioids and more than 90 people die from overdose on a daily basis. In fact, back in 2021, over 16,000 people died from prescription opioid overdose.

Many of these statistics talk about how these prescription drug users misused opioids. They go over how the user would take prescriptions that didn’t belong to them, take more than they were prescribed, and so on.

I feel this is unfair.

In my opinion, the thing that’s missing from all of this is the fact that so many of these people didn’t set out to “misuse” opioids. They didn’t plan on becoming addicted to the drugs and they certainly didn’t seek them out.

They were prescribed them. From a medical professional that they knew and trusted.

Many of these people didn’t understand the dangers associated with opioids. They didn’t know that the pills were highly addictive and would become a problem for them the longer they took them.

Many of them, like me, didn’t have doctors who monitored their prescriptions. They received opioids for anything and everything – root canals, standard gynecological procedures, and more. When they tried to get off the opioids, they didn’t receive any help or support.

These people didn’t need to take opioids long-term. What they needed was a doctor to monitor their short-term pain, then safely help them stop taking the medicine.

Misuse here should apply to both parties involved – doctors and patients.

Pain is horrible. But for many, it’s fleeting. As I said before, I’m not out to help people with chronic conditions who have no choice but to take opioids.

Their circumstances are different. But I do know that those who are prescribed opioids after an accident, surgery, or other things causing them intense pain, are in great danger of becoming addicted and having their lives ruled by a drug they only needed for a few weeks.

The amount of time a person should take opioids differs for everyone. I’ve had two c-sections since my days as an opioid addict, and both times, I took prescription opioids to help with the pain.

And, both times, I had responsible doctors who gave me enough opioids to get through two weeks of horrible pain, and that was it. I was able to manage the pain with ibuprofen from then on.

You might think this doesn’t apply to you. You might think that you would never let a substance control you like opioid addicts do, but if I’ve learned anything, it’s that awareness is key.

Awareness can make all the difference.

If you’re prescribed opioids, know that they’re dangerously addictive. Know that they’ve destroyed thousands of lives – lives of people who never thought they’d have a problem. People who didn’t do anything but take a prescription their doctor gave them.

Know that not all doctors have your best interest at heart. If your doctor refuses to help you stop taking opioids and tells you you need them when you feel otherwise, get a second opinion. Don’t ignore your instincts.

If I had listened to my instincts 2 months after taking opioids following my spine surgery in 2010, I wouldn’t have suffered from addiction the next few years. If I would have gone to another doctor, and realized that my doctor was making his advice based on the money he was receiving from my opioid use instead of on my well-being, I would have had the confidence to stop taking the medicine myself.

But I didn’t. I didn’t know what was going on, and I thought trusting my doctor was the most important thing.

The fact that my body craved the opioids when it didn’t need them was the problem.

And that happened because I didn’t need to be on opioids long-term. It happened because my doctor cared more about the money he was getting than the pain I was going through.

And it happened because I wasn’t aware of what I was putting in my body or the problems it would cause for me from the get-go.

So no, it’s not opioids themselves that have caused so much grief and pain worldwide. It’s the way they’ve been promoted, the money companies have raked in from people using them, and both doctors and people not understanding the danger that comes from taking them longer than you need to.

Opioids are a dangerous group of drugs. So while they can be helpful, you need to know what can happen if you take them unnecessarily.

That way, whether you or someone you love is prescribed them in the future, you’ll be prepared.