The father of a deceased addict accuses Big Pharma of lobbying to keep opioid addiction going strong.

Addiction, once you have it, is not a choice. However, it is possible to avoid addiction by remembering each time you use opioids that you're standing next to the top of a cliff. From what I've read, although it wasn't recently, addiction develops when you take more than your pain requires. So remind yourself to move away from the cliff step by step. Today you may not need as much painkiller as you needed yesterday.

I have opioids, and I use them on the rare occasions when I feel great pain. The last time was when I had dental implants inserted: I needed 8 pills before the pain went down to a level where I did not need them any more.

How did I know when that time had come? After the first day, I made a point to delay taking the next pill to see how long I could stand it. I took another pill only when the pain compelled me to. As time went on, I could stand it for longer — because the wound was healing. Eventually I never needed the next pill.

Please do not force people suffering from great pain to suffer it without the help of opioids!