Addiction to any substance is a serious problem. Barring certain circumstances, addiction to pretty much anything can become a serious problem. While most people believe that addiction occurs only if certain emotional factors are present, that is not the case. Any substance that the body comes to develop a chemical dependent on can be addicting. The part that most people don’t fully realize, however, is just how simple it is to get hooked on a substance. Among the sordid world of medications and drugs, some have argued that the most likely substance someone will become addicted to other than alcohol and nicotine, would be pain relief medication.
As stated before, virtually any substance that has a substantial enough effect on the body, and needs to be used often enough for it to become habitual can becoming an addiction. It doesn’t help that pain relief medication has a history for being used as a means of getting a fix. Substances such as morphine and opium have been used to help people fight pain for centuries, and both have been recognized as dangerous, addictive substances. Some opium-based substances, such as heroin, have also been used by addicts in...