As I reflect on why this wave of opiate addiction is so rapidly gaining hold in America, I realize that the answer lies in the new realities of how doctors must practice to earn their livelihood.

Children are learning that success comes not by training, practice and hard work, but by taking shortcuts. We tell young people, "Don't use drugs," but our beliefs and actions encourage them to win at all costs.

If you or someone in your family needs a prescription painkiller to manage pain -- as many people do -- you and your doctor can take steps to avoid accidental overdoses.

Plans for the manufacture and sale of hydrocodone pills five to 10 times more potent than is now available is a warning sign of an escalation of what we might call the "prescription opiate arms race" among pharmaceutical companies.

Women today face more responsibilities than ever before. For this reason, more and more women are turning to sleep medication -- or as the New York Times dubbed it in a recent article, "Mother's New Little Helper."

The work ahead is not about keeping pain medications from patients in need. It is about good medicine and public health.