I had surgery this summer to have a metal plate installed to stabilize my shattered wrist. When I woke up from the surgery I was in major pain. The surgeon gave me quite a *large* prescription for Percocet. The first few days I did take 1-2 daily, but didn't really want to take them so eased off. For a while I had to see the doctor weekly and at each visit, for weeks, he would ask "Do you need more pain pills?" I always said NO, but if I had said yes I certainly would have gotten more pills!

I wonder how long it takes to develop an addiction? Thirty+ years ago I had knee surgery and was in major pain for several months. I was also prescribed an opioid, and took 3-4 of them daily for months(in those pre-google days, never having heard of opioid addiction). Then one day I realized I was not in much pain anymore, so I stopped taking them. They never did anything for me except ease the pain, and when the pain was mostly gone there was no more reason for me to take any!