In contrast, if the patient is using the drugs to escape life, such as family, social and financial problems or using them for purposes other than those for which it is normally intended, or in a manner or in quantities other than directed, than that patient is using the drugs inappropriately. Drug addiction is a chronic and progressive psychiatric illness, which arises from the inappropriate and compulsive use of one or more substances that results in psychological and physical harm. Research has demonstrated that chronic pain patients rarely become addicts. They use meds to get back into their lives. Patients not in pain, take the meds to get euphoric.
Currrent research demonstrates that the risk for addiction is minimal for chronic pain patients.
This is a common behavior of pain patients receiving inadequate pain medications. Pseudoaddiction begins with poor pain management. The patient is given some pain medications, which work for them. Encouraged, they then ask for more and are met with anger from their medical care team. The team then avoids and isolates the patient.