Via the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Painkiller use soars in U.S.

People in the United States are living in a world of pain and are popping pills at an alarming rate to cope with it.
The amount of five major painkillers sold at retail stores rose 90 percent between 1997 and 2005, according to an Associated Press analysis of Drug Enforcement Administration data.

The increase was even higher in Pennsylvania (102 percent) and New Jersey (108 percent).

More than 200,000 pounds of codeine, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and meperidine were purchased at retail establishments nationwide during the most recent year data were available. That is enough to give more than 300 milligrams of painkillers to every American.

I am very aware that these prescription and over the counter medications are necessary in many cases but it seems with an increase like this, there must be other explanations.

Pain management can be very difficult but I do believe there are cases where meds are over prescribed and people become dependent on a pill doing all the work.