When they were first being used, opioid pain killers were prescribed at 10-12 doses per script. Now they can be as high as 400 doses with some 110 million prescriptions written each year. Dr. Merrill Norton, Pharm.D. and clinical associate professor at UGA, talks about the addictive nature of opioids, what they were intended to treat, and the level to which they are prescribed.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/4/529909/listen-insights-into-opioid-prescription-addiction