Are ‘Addicts’ to Blame for Prescription Opioid Crackdowns?
/By Crystal Lindell
It’s been nearly a decade since the CDC released its infamous 2016 opioid guideline. In the years since, millions of pain patients have endured immense suffering, as doctors significantly reduced the amount of opioid medication they prescribe.
But who is really responsible for all that pain?
It’s tempting to lay the blame for all the crackdowns on “addicts.” After all, if it wasn’t for them, the rest of us could still get opioids for pain relief, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not so simple.
The real culprits are the DEA, CDC, and the medical community at large, all of which have worked together to criminalize pain and punish patients.
But blaming ‘addicts” for the crackdown on opioids is exactly what the people with real power are hoping you will do. First and foremost, it has the effect of pitting opioid users against each other, when in reality we’re already on the same team. And as the old saying warns: United we stand, divided we fall.
Many people who use opioids illegally have chronic pain or other health issues that opioids help address. In a country that does not have guaranteed healthcare, much less guaranteed pain treatment, they are left to fend for themselves. So, it’s no wonder that some of them turn to illegal drugs for relief.
Using opioids illegally will get you labeled as “an addict,” regardless of the circumstances. In fact, that’s a big part of the reason why I no longer use the word “addict” when talking about illegal users. It’s a murky diagnosis that's often given to deprive patients of a controversial but effective treatment.
Furthermore, blaming people who use illegal opioids for the fact that many pain patients can’t get an opioid prescription only serves to let the true oppressors off the hook for their crimes.
We have to remember, it’s not “legal users vs. illegal users.” It’s “all users vs. the DEA, CDC and the medical community.”
I understand where the desire to blame “addicts” comes from. After all, illegal users make a very tempting target. It’s much easier to hate them than to admit that maybe your doctor, who has a lot of power over your life, is actually the one causing you harm.
It’s also human nature to want to identify yourself as “one of the good ones.” As in: Yes, I use opioids. But I’m different and have a legitimate medical need.
I mean, obviously, it’s not that simple. But I get why pain patients want to tell themselves that it is.
The thing is, there are real solutions to the lack of access to opioid pain medication. But we won’t achieve them unless we all work together.
For example, we could advocate for selling hydrocodone the same way we sell nicotine, alcohol and caffeine: over-the-counter and without a prescription. Eliminating doctors from the equation would help countless pain patients finally get relief, whether they used opioids illegally or legally. And it would be a whole lot safer than the Russian Roulette of drugs on the black market.
That’s the kind of solution that’s only possible if all opioid users unite in the fight against opioid restrictions. But it won’t happen as long as pain patients insist on telling themselves that there are “addicts” out there that aren’t as worthy as they are.
Because that’s the crux of the issue, isn’t it? Deep down, a lot of pain patients think that people using medications illegally are a separate class of people that need to be banned from accessing opioids “for their own good.”
Here’s the secret that your doctors won’t tell you though: The medical community has already put you into that group as well. They already think you need to be kept away from opioids “for your own good.”
In their eyes, both legal and illegal users are one group – so we might as well embrace it. After all, we’re all worthy of pain relief. And all of us should have the right and the ability to treat our own pain as we see fit.
If we all work together, maybe one day we can make the right to pain treatment a reality.
