The Economist: The problem of pain

Devin Lyall had experimented with drugs recreationally as a teenager before a doctor in her hometown of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina prescribed her opioid painkillers after an ankle surgery. But it was only when she began taking Vicodin—one of the most popular prescription opioids—that she became an addict. She relished the sense of invincibility it gave her and began swapping her pills for stronger opioids on the black market… read the full article.