TED-Ed

What causes opioid addiction, and why is it so tough to combat? - Mike Davis (2020x53)

: 07, 2020

In the 1980s and 90s, pharmaceutical companies began to market opioid painkillers aggressively, while actively downplaying their addictive potential. The number of prescriptions skyrocketed, and so did cases of addiction, beginning a crisis that continues today. What makes opioids so addictive? Mike Davis explains what we can do to reverse the skyrocketing rates of addiction and overdose. Lesson by Mike Davis, directed by Good Bad Habits.