Speaking only for myself, in a half-century of living, I've taken codeine for assorted broken bones, abcessed teeth, and a variety of other injuries, and the stuff just makes me feel slow and stupid.
You may recall that right before 9-11, the usual suspects in the Jackal Pack Press were trying to paint oxycontin as the new Demon Drug-- there were stories of crazed codeine-heads driving maniacally all night through trailer parks to get their fix.
I though it was a pile of garbage, and still do.