Painkillers such as Percocet can push everyday people into risky addiction

While the problem isn’t new, the repercussions are mounting. One government study released last month found that the share of substance abuse treatment admissions involving prescription narcotics increased more than fourfold between 1998 and 2008, from 2.2 to 9.8 percent. (The proportion of admissions tied to use of alcohol and such illicit drugs as cocaine, PCP and heroin declined.) A second study found that emergency room visits involving nonmedical use of these drugs jumped 111 percent over the same period, to 305,885.