That is what makes this different from other drug epidemics; very “normal” people are caught up in it, often starting with exactly what you describe: painkillers for a legitimate injury. Here in NJ there is a lot of pressure on the medical field to stop prescribing so strongly and easily; they are absolutely ruining (or ending) lives to move as many pills as possible. Those doctors today are regarded in the same manner as cigarette advertisers...
Best of luck to your cousin; a difficult habit to kick.
A Navyadmiral mourns his son, dead of an overdose in his college dorm room.
No Family Is Safe From This Epidemic
My two boys will be tens before I know it and me two girls won't be far behind them. I struggled with alcohol and smoked cigarettes for years. I've since quit both but I know the addiction bug runs in my family. I worry about it as well.