“We have a genuine and devastating epidemic of opiate abuse in this country, and it is of critical importance that this problem be addressed. But we must do so in a way that doesn’t cut off an effective (and often the only) treatment for the chronically ill, many of whom are able to function in this world at all only because of the small respite that responsible opiate use provides.” AddictionStigmaChronic IllnessChronic PainEpidemicOpiatesChronic Pain StigmaPain ReliefOpioid UseOpioid AbusePain ManagementMedical NeglectChronically Ill Author:Michael Bihovsky
“My doctors, who are not cavalier with prescriptions, give me this medication because I have earned their trust. And yet, with mounting government and public pressure, my doctors’ hands are becoming increasingly tied. They apologetically explain to me why they are required to make the medication even harder for me to get, against their own medical judgment. If the day ever comes when they aren’t allowed to prescribe Percocet to me at all, it may well be the end of the minimal quality of life I fight so hard to achieve.” AddictionChronic PainOpiatesChronic Pain StigmaOpioid UseOpioid AbusePublic PressureMedical JudgementPain RefliefPerscriptions Author:Michael Bihovsky