Have you or someone you know ever used opioids? If you or someone you know has taken opioids before, did you know of the potential harm of them? Doctors who prescribe opioids frequently add to the increasingly growing rate of addiction and overdoses in America. Opioid addiction in America is not something new, the first outbreak of opioid addiction started after the American Civil War when people were treated with morphine. (McGeachy) Opioids are drugs prescribed to help re