Author Traces America’s Painkiller Problems

Award-winning New York Times writer Barry Meier recently released a new e-book called “A World of Hurt: Fixing Pain Medicine’s Big Mistake.”

Published by the Times and Vook, Meier takes us back to a decade ago where he says drug companies and medical experts launched a “War on Pain” that promoted the liberal use of prescription painkillers for many symptoms and conditions, ranging from moderate to severe.

JoinTogether interviewed the author, who claimed that the introduction of Oxycontin and similar drugs played a large role in the opioid boom as well, which he says “ranks among medicine’s biggest mistakes.” In addition, the author stated that insurance companies also had responsibility in creating the problem by being convinced to pay for prescriptions rather than other forms of treatment, opting for a quick-fix solution that instead just contributed to the mayhem.

However, Meier doesn’t just condemn the over-use of prescription narcotics, he takes the time to introduce different forms of treatment for pain management that many experts feel benefit patients’ health as well as the general public.

While we’re not commenting on the merit of the book one way or the other, it is worth examining the problems in different ways to find multiple solutions. As we’ve documented on this blog, prescription painkiller abuse has clearly become an epidemic and tens of thousands of lives have been unnecessarily lost.

We would love to hear some of your comments on our Facebook page, and of course if you have a loved one struggling with a substance abuse issue, contact us for more information on effective treatments.

Blake Nichols

Blake Nichols is the Director of Operations at Desert Cove Recovery. Blake battled his own addiction to drugs and alcohol and was given the gift of recovery at the age of 23. Since 2008, Blake has dedicated his life and career to the field of addiction. He has experience in all aspects of addiction treatment including direct care, admissions, marketing, and administration.

Blake feels that the greatest reward of working in the recovery field is being part of the transformation that a person goes through from the time they arrive and begin treatment, through the hard work and the Miracle of recovery, and ultimately the change into a confident and capable person ready to carry the message of recovery.

“My career has focused on serving others. I have accepted ownership of my responsibilities as that is the key to working at the highest level of professionalism. I have worked to be positive and offer solution-based suggestions in my work and personal life.”