DrugBuyers.Com: John Walsh jumps on the bandwagon.

The sad truth is that many people who originally had legitimate pain concerns end up with addictions/dependencies to opiates or other medications. The drug seeking then becomes withdrawal prevention due to uninformed doctors "cutting them off." Many of these former pain patients end up on methadone or other "maintenance" programs. They are then stigmatized for life as being an "addict." There is a thread running right now about one of our own who falls into this category. How many of you also fall into this category and are too afraid to speak up? Let's not judge too harshly.

There are also flat-out addicts looking for the high, or to stave off withdrawal from an illicit addiction.

I don't know if the medical establishment differentiates between the 2 or even cares. I care, because I know people who fall into both categories. I also know alcoholics.

The problem here is that we cannot stop addiction by trying to preventing access to these substances. We can only educate doctors, our politicians and law enforcement personnel to change their antequated notions of good-vs-evil. The truth is, there is a HUGE gray area that many good, decent people fall into.

Any one of you who experiences withdrawal should be able to empathize with those who are in it and are unable to "justify" a continuing need for medications. Fear of withdrawal alone is enough to keep some people on opiates long past their therapeutic window closes.

Granted, media hype does nothing to educate or help anyone. The problem is that we can scream and scream about the unfairness of it all, but it really won't make a difference unless we all research our politicians, VOTE, and educate our friends and neighbors.

Ahem, time to step off the soapbox now.

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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.