The bigger issue is the medical system in this country doesn't allow enough time to be devoted to patients to properly manage the use of these drugs.Psychological addiction may be different, but avoiding physical addiction to narcotics doesn't seem much different than managing physical addiction to alcohol. When you start building up a tolerance, it's time to back off.
I shattered my wrist, many moons ago, and after gluing it all together the doctor put me on Percocet. Because I had a percocet's volume of pain I wouldn't get high, but it definitely affected my sense spatial relations and closure. Definitely not good to drive on the stuff. While I didn't feel a psychological dependence, I definitely had the beginnings of a physical dependence when I stopped taking it. I had about three nights of really restless attempts at going to sleep as my body was missing the dose it was use to at bed time.
I didn't have a problem with getting off the pain mess, but I have sympathy for those that do.