Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jun 2001
Source: The Herald-Dispatch (WV)
Website: http://www.hdonline.com/
Copyright: 2001 The Herald-Dispatch
Contact: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/hdinfo/letters.html
Address: 946 Fifth Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701
Author: Laura Jackson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?186 (Oxycontin)

ADDICTS HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT THEMSELVES

I am writing in response to the numerous articles and controversy over the 
painkiller OxyContin. Once again this goes to show how in this day and age 
circumstances and other people are to blame for the addiction to this drug.

Everyone wants to blame the doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and so forth 
for making this drug so readily available. How dare they create a 
painkiller meant for those people with illnesses and attempt to ease their 
pain?

What we really need to be saying is "How dare those people who abuse this 
drug place blame on everyone and everything else but themselves?"

I am quite certain this painkiller was not created to get people addicted, 
have them steal from family and friends and ruin their lives. The purpose 
was to ease the pain of those inflicted with an illness and/or chronic pain 
and this is the purpose we need to keep in mind. This is a time when we 
must realize that only we are responsible for ourselves and our actions, 
and thus the addiction is of our own doing.

Laura Jackson

Huntington
- ---
MAP posted-by: GD