Despite possibilities of addiction leading to death, more and more patients are being prescribed opioids the US every year. Most people start off taking them for medical reasons, but a lot of people end up at going on to abusing these medications. What is worse is that several people who have leftover prescriptions hand them to family members and friends who then go on to abuse them. Practitioners need to do a better job at assessing pain management and how much if any of these drugs should be prescribed.