People who receive a 10 day supply of opiods have a 20% chance of becoming a long-term user. On a 30 day supply, the probability rises to 30–45%.
I can fully understand how people get hooked after a medical event. The last major medical event I had was in 2016 when I had a major abdominal surgery on an emergency basis. The worst part of it was not the first 2–3 weeks after surgery. That’s when the pain was worst, sure, but I was off work, lounging around, and my boyfriend was practically waiting on me. The following 4–5 months were the worst part. I was still feeling bad, but not bad enough to stay off work, so I went back. I had to commute, which meant walking pretty long distances each day. I didn’t feel justified in having my boyfriend do favors for me all the time anymore either, so even once I got home I couldn’t rest. But I was still dealing with mild to moderate pain every single day. It was so tiresome. Half the time I wanted to die just to get some rest. And on the days that the pain got bad enough that I felt justified in doing it, I would pop a pill, and I would have a good day. And what a respite that was. This lasted for 6 months. I could easily have become physically dependent in that time.
Given the stats I linked above, I feel very lucky that I didn’t get hooked. I think the availability of legal weed here helped me transition off of the pain pills.