Is it though? I remember having some opioids prescribed by dentist after a major procedure and I was on them for a week or two. Withdrawal was painful and I am saying that as a person, who dealt with bad headaches before. That was after 2 weeks. I can't even begin to imagine what people who have to take them longer ( surgeries, chronic pain and so on ). Those are still a useful tool, but the risk of addiction comes from several fronts and it is easy to get caught in a rather vicious circle.