WV pharmacies dispensed 31M fewer painkillers and other powerful drugs last year

[mr_lebowski]

10. Skyrocketing could be a stretch given we don't know the actual count ...

It's actually rare to die of OD from stimulants like meth & coke.

A '50% increase' might actually mean 'from 4 deaths ... all the way up to 6'.

What 'lack of control' do you mean? I've often thought a big reason by opioids got so popular is that it's a pretty subtle high. Compared to being drunk or stoned or wired out ... it's much easier to 'act normal' on the stuff, and hence successfully go about one's day ... even with a pretty solid opioid buzz going on.

Perhaps you've lived a pretty clean life & don't have much else to compare it to so in your experience it seems like a 'profound' effect ... but in the grand scheme of 'highs' in the world ... it's one of the more subtle drug experiences. Mostly a 'body high', your 'thinking' is not impacted all that much ... esp. once the user develops some tolerance.

At least, this is what I've been told by family members who've gotten involved with the damn things, and my own experiences after some surgeries/injuries.