Substance abuse and drug addiction are among the biggest problems facing modern society today. Unfortunately, opiate addiction is incredibly common. In a lot of situations, this addiction takes root following prescription medications. Opioid and narcotic drugs are only supposed to be used for short-term conditions. Unfortunately, many people end up relying on them to control chronic pain for prolonged amounts of time. Eventually, people get addicted to them. People may progress from prescription opioid medications to substances that are more deadly. Sadly, opioid overdoses are incredibly common. Why is this the case? What makes them different from other medications?