[travisjungroth]

Implying it's not a real addiction because it's a coping mechanism is so off. Like you're not really an alcoholic if you just drink to escape the trauma from when you went to war.

My understanding is that addiction is avoidance at its core. You're either avoiding the cravings, the withdrawals, or something else all together.

There doesn't have to be some other underlying issue. People get hooked on opiates in hospitals. Then they keep doing them to avoid the withdrawals. Doesn't mean they're avoiding something in their life. But it still counts as addiction if they are!

[jrochkind1]

Aside from the obvious that they are using opioids to avoid the "underlying issue" of physical pain, I wonder if those whose prescribed hospital opioid use becomes addiction (vs those whom it doesn't) are more likely to be those with underlying "somethings in their life" they are trying to avoid. But then, who doesn't have underlying "somethings", so.

At any rate, I will agree it's not a useful diagnostic to determine if something is "really" addiction or not. It may be useful self-reflection for "treating" the addiction though. (Or may not, at any rate if the person isn't recognizing it there is no value to forcing them to try to fit to your narrative).

[travisjungroth]

Oh yeah, I would bet heavily that likelihood of addiction to prescribed medications is correlated with the context of your life.