Opioid Addiction Doesn’t Always Start With the Doctor

Friends and family a major source of pills that eventually lead to addiction among opioid abusers

Overprescription can result in unused opioids in the community, with a huge store of pills relegated to medicine cabinets across the country. brokenchopstick

Nonmedical opioid users are more likely to start abusing the drug after getting them from friends or family members—not doctors—according to a new study.

Many people may think heroin abuse begins after doctors prescribe opioids and patients become addicted to them. When the government cracked down on prescription opioids and drug manufacturers began making pills more difficult to get in the late 2000s, users then transitioned to heroin because of its lower price and higher relative availability.