Oh good God.
It is not an “epidemic”. It is man-made, if you will.
These people choose to be obsessed with drugs. It is a moral problem, not a health or natural-disaster problem.
By 1900, about half the male adult population of China was addicted to Opium. Might have been a "moral problem", but it turned into a major National crises for China.
Thank you for your words, I feel the same way.
Moral problems in turn rest on spiritual problems. People don’t appreciate God, so they get a soulful of the devil instead, which carries them to a hell on earth if not also ultimately off earth.
In the older days, this would be seen as the bailiwick of the preacher or priest.
Here’s where I wish Trump’s spiritual advisors were savvier. We are looking in the wrong place for an answer. This is political correctness that is also going to make it harder for honest sufferers to find pain relief.
At first, it is a problem of bad choices, if the person starts using recreationally. Unfortunately, the drugs physically damage the brain in such a way that it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to resist the allure of the drug. That is addiction.
stop taking drugs, period...so simple....
And, they make it impossible for responsible people to get pain meds. I have an infected tooth. Have to wait for the infection to clear up before I can get the root canal. Ibuprofen is not cutting it. My dentist told me today he is not allowed to prescribe any opioid meds until trying a number of things and even then, it would be a grand total of 6. So, here I am, popping ibuprofen, using orajel, loading up my mouth with clove oil and praying I will be able to sleep. I hate the government and stupid addicts (not so stupid) who can get anything they want. Yes, I am a little irritated. lol Funny thing is, I hate pain meds and the way they make me feel. But, a toothache makes me willing to put up with it.