NPR shots: How Do Former Opioid Addicts Safely Get Pain Relief After Surgery? By Craig LeMoult.

“Nearly one and a half million Americans were treated for addiction to prescription opioids or heroin in 2015, according to federal estimates, and when those people get seriously hurt or need surgery, it’s often not clear, even to many doctors, how to safely manage their pain. For some former addicts, what begins as pain relief ends in tragedy.

Max Baker is one such case.”