What 'addiction' really means

An essay on Slate by Jerrold Winter, professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, looks at the death of Prince and what it reveals about how much we don’t understand about chronic pain management. Winter discusses the differences between physical dependence and addiction and notes that in those with chronic pain, “many patients can be treated with an opiate to the point of physical dependence for an extended period of time without adverse medical consequences, resulting in a much higher quality of life.” He suggests that those proposing restrictions on such painkillers should be wary of unintended consequences.

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http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2016/05/prince_s_death_reveals_we_have_no_idea_what_addiction_really_means.html