Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

To be fair, US scripts for opioids increased dramatically over the last 15 years. According the the CDC reports I've read, many of these scripts were not necessary.

But, instead of taking a rational approach to reduction - which would include continuing to prescribe to those in need, helping those addicted get the right help, and providing better guidelines to help doctors and patients decide if opioids have a role in their treatment plant, we've gone from prescribing them to just about anyone to not allowing anyone to have them.

As you noted EeFall, it's quite crazy - there are MANY people who are being hurt by this policy.

One of the true issues here is that addiction is seen as some sort of failing, rather than as a disease that about 7% of the population is predisposed to. No one wakes up and says, Gee, I'd like to get addicted, have to do all kinds of things I would never want to do to support my habit, lose my family and friends, potentially die because of an overdose!

I don't know if there are countries where the public perception of addiction is more compassionate. I hope it exists somewhere so that eventually the US might find its way to adopt that culture. Even if there is someplace, I have a feeling we have a long way to go to get to that point, if we ever can.

I have read many science fiction stories, even older science fiction classics, where drugs were not regulated at all for adults. I know the world is far from this now but I would make it so. People need to take responsibility of their own lives. In my future if someone becomes addicted to a drug then they either check themselves into a medical facility to get off them, or start taking something like methadone or Suboxone, or continue taking the drug at higher and higher doses.

Addiction is more about people trying to fix a hurt that can't be fixed. It is usually a problem within themselves. I have known many people growing up who had horrendous lives and they used drinking and drugs to to survive. Now that I am 59 I can look back and see that most of them did not live past 50 years old, but many others I knew ended their lives by their 20's because they could not live with their screwed up lives.

I'm not sure how to fix that without fixing people. I'm sick of society trying to save us from ourselves. Society should try to help with education, as in how not to screw up your kids, how to find a good job, how to live a good life. The odd thing about science fiction is it often becomes true, and much quicker than even the science fiction writer believes it could happen. Regulation of drugs seems to be going the opposite direction but I think some day they will look around and wonder why half our prisons are filled up with people in there for drug related crimes.