There are many reasons people try opioids. A large percentage of opioid addiction came from being prescribed by a doctor. Some people try it because they are looking for a way to make their situation in life not hurt so much. It's what their friends/family do. I'm not going to attempt to go into all of the reasons any one has ever used, but you should be more empathetic than your use of sane
This part still puzzles me, because the opioid crisis is really well known about. How does "my life is shitty, I'll improve it by starting on the drugs that are famous for ruining lives" add up for anyone? Is "but cousin Bert does it and seems to be OK so far, so I can too" really that persuasive? Or maybe it's all ultimately down to prescription pills, except they might be somebody else's leftover ones, and starting there seems OK because it's medical and safe-looking.
I present to you the definition of sane: 1. : proceeding from a sound mind : rational. 2. : mentally sound. especially : able to anticipate and appraise the effect of one's actions.
Being over-dramatic about it doesn't change the fact that the person doing the self-harm is not in their best condition. Yes, I have been there with alcohol and drugs abuse, I have lost friends and family members too. Treating them as people capable of deciding with their best interest in mind definitely didn't help me help them.
Most of them transition to OTC pain management ASAP because they know the risks of addiction. I imagine people who don't know better take the full course, because that's what was prescribed, and end up at more risk for addiction?
I think that's the main factor which differentiates the US from the rest of the world. IANAD, but as far as I know at least here in Europe opioid painkillers are reserved for the terminally ill (mostly cancer), and the US shows why "normalizing" their use is a very bad idea...
To me, overdose deaths in people prescribed them by doctors are some of the worst. They’re frequently in younger individuals, meaning more life cut short; they were indirectly caused by a profession whose ethos is “first, do no harm”. To me, it is a sign that something has gone badly wrong in the medical profession and society at large and sows major distrust in our institutions.