According to the National Survey of Drug Use and
Health, an estimated 5.2 million Americans (age 12 or older) reported using prescription opioids non-medically in the past month (SAMHSA, 2007). Opioid abuse is so widespread that it accounts for 75% of all prescription drug abuse in the U.S. (Colliver, Kroutil, Dai, & Gfroerer, 2006). In fact, opioid analgesics reportedly cause more deaths nationwide than either heroin or cocaine (Paulozzi, Budnitz, & Xi, 2006). Birnbaum et al.