Where the Oxycodone Is

A reliable source tells me that my little town has the highest rate of Oxycodone prescription abuse in the state. This seemed strange at first. I know that drugs are sold in on Main Street, mainly by 20-something loser types. I've read that legal drugs have surpassed illegal ones in terms of US consumption. Kids steal them from their parents' medicine chest. I don't have to list who takes them and hypothesize how they got them. I'm more interested in the why.

Why do people self-medicate? Alcohol is the choice of many people because it's legal and relatively cheap.
Alcohol numbs the brain so that minor physical and psychic pain are masked. Under a doctor's care, drugs can be beneficial. Anti-depressants, anti-anxiety pills, sleeping pills can be very effective if taken as directed. I keep Oxycodone around for severe pain. Did you ever pass a bladder or kidney stone. Worse than natural childbirth. Just-in-case scenarios include tooth pain before you can get to a dentist, and possibly a compound fracture, although I've never had one.

Drug abuse for psychic pain is another story. I've felt so low mentally that I've sometimes popped an Ativan before I sank any lower. I may do this once in a while, not long enough to become addicted. As I said, I use Oxycodone in moderation, and only to reduce severe pain. I'm lucky though. I have great medical insurance, the support of family and friends, and the ability to "Just Say Sometimes." You have to walk a mile in someone's shoes to understand why they're hurting. I've walked maybe a quarter mile. I don't want to walk any further on that road. I just feel bad for the residents of my little town who've become addicted.