Thank you for a very enlightening and insightful explanation of addiction vs. physical dependency. I do not crave opioid euphoria; I take my generic Norco as directed by a physician who is a pain specialist, and I find it more helpful than anything else I've tried. When the pain feels more mechanical than nerve-related, I take generic Aleve. These meds work on different pain receptors, and I think it's a good combination--for me, anyway. I've taken hydrocodone for many years without increasing the dosage or frequency of the medication; I've had to temporarily take higher dosages for post-surgical pain and for the extreme pain of two fractures. I suffer chronic pain--sub-migraine daily headaches and ongoing low back pain; I'm currently also experiencing pain from a shoulder fracture sustained 3 months ago, which is healing with physical therapy and calcium supplements, without surgery. My physical medicine doctor has suggested spinal injections at two specific sites for the low back pain; I continue debating that because I fear the worst (and least frequent) side effects, such as *paralysis.* Someone mentioned that they had stomach upset from taking opioids; I take generic Zofran for the nausea, and it helps me greatly. I hope everyone has courageous, sympathetic, and truly *helpful* physicians!