Stop letting the Dentist shove opiates down your throat.

I was standing in my office in downtown St. Louis when my phone buzzed to let alert me that I had received a new text message. My best friend, Brandon Reid, had just had seen the Dentist and was leaving the appointment. He stopped to message me from his car. Brandon is a well-known leader within the social services arena and within the LGBT and recovery communities. His text caught me off-guard as I glanced at my phone.

Brandon:

OMG I’m at the dentist, They just prescribed me an opiate. I don’t know what to do.

Aaron:

Take Ibuprofen. Give the prescription back.

Brandon:

I know that…

Aaron:

Then why did you ask what you should do lol

Brandon:

Well I have a very serious infection in my tooth. They are concerned the pain is going to be intense. I am on antibiotics.

Aaron:

Is the pain bad? Worse than when you were dope sick in a St. Charles County jail cell?

Brandon:

No, lol. They said ONLY if I need it.

Aaron:

Don’t even fuck with that. Take Tylenol and Motrin.

Brandon:

I know. I’ve just never had anybody prescribe me an opiate since I got sober.

Aaron:

Any they shouldn’t have. Did you tell them that you are in recovery?

In the moments after I read the message, my mind recounted the numerous, and by now familiar, cases that started similarly. I have seen it countless times, the path of dependence and subsequent addiction begins with a legal prescription for powerful opiates. More than 40 percent of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths in 2016 involved a prescription opioid. This situation is especially frustrating since other medications work to relieve pain and discomfort. Our society believes that the only tool to address pain is opiates. As a result, the pharmaceutical industry has thrived.

As I responded to Brandon, initially, I was concerned, but the concern soon changed to anger. I was not angry at…