Recently, I read an important article in The Washington Post. The title reveals the content: Americans Use Far More Opioids Than Anyone Else in the World.
The title describes accurately the premise of the article but the specifics tell the deeper story. Not only do Americans use more opioids than anyone else in the world, we are prescribed about six times as many of the pain-relieving drugs per capita as the citizens of Portugal and France. And almost twice as many opioids as the second highest nation on the list.
Equally alarming, Americans consume more than 99 percent of the world’s supply of hydrocodone. More than 33,000 people died of opioid overdoses in the United States last year—more than gun homicides by an almost 3 to 1 margin.
This is, indeed, a significant problem.
But what was even more fascinating to me was the author’s identification of the reasons why the statistics are the way they are.
Keith Humphreys, the author of the piece in The Washington Post, is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University. As part of the story, he sought to understand why America would lead the world in this troubling category. It’s not, as he begins, because we are aging. Other nations have older populations than the US. There must be other economic, political, and cultural factors at play.
This is where it gets really interesting.
One significant reason he identifies for America’s addiction to pain-relieving medication is “relative to Europeans, Americans have more faith that life is perfectible (e.g., all pain can be avoided).” He explains:
Consider, for example, a 55-year-old who feels acute back and leg pain after doing the workout that was easy when he was 25. A European in this situation might reflect sadly that aging and physical decay must be accepted as part of life, but an achy American might demand that his doctor fix what he sees as an avoidable problem by prescribing him opioids.
In other words, our desire to eliminate all pain from life and experience perfection regardless of circumstance may be contributing to the level of opioid addiction and death in our nation. In this specific case, the need for perfection may be literally killing us. A sober thought.
Whether the doctor’s hypothesis is correct or not, the idea is important.
The constant need for perfection in life is a harmful way to live. (tweet)
Whether we are talking about the negative effects of pain-relieving medication or any number of other scenarios, the need for perfection often results in negative outcomes on our lives. Not only does it distract us from happiness, it routinely sends us down paths away from it.
The search for perfection in our work may send us jumping from one career to another constantly looking for that one job with no bad days. But that job does not exist—the most beautiful rose still has thorns.
The search for perfection in our relationships causes us to give up too quickly on other people. But there are no perfect people and relationships, at their core, require commitment. Without patience, grace, and faithfulness, there is no opportunity for love.
The search for perfection in our homes often results in the accumulation of unnecessary possessions. Marketers routinely promise comfort and better living in their newest offering. An unhealthy pursuit of perfection makes us more susceptible to their falsehoods. These excess possessions quickly begin to monopolize our time and energy and focus.
The search for perfection in our external image gives rise to unhealthy body image pursuits. Rather than seeing them as instruments through which we accomplish our life’s goals, we begin to see them as ornaments to impress others. Sometimes even, while we never experience perfection in our own minds, we seek to present that reality to the world around us.
The search for perfection in our actions often prevents us from trying new things or experimenting with new skills. By its very nature, the desire to commit no mistakes or ever having to admit failure keeps us from attempting new things in life. But every expert started as a beginner.
As noted in The Washington Post article above, the need for perfection may cause harmful addictions to take root in our life, resulting in ruined or destroyed lives.
But even before that most extreme consequence, the desire for perfection or the avoidance of pain can still be harmful. It causes us to lose opportunity to experience happiness in every circumstance.
Life is not perfect. It never has been and it never will be. But this can be good news. It means we can stop pursuing the mythical, perfect life. It means we can stop chasing perfect skin, the perfect job, the perfect house, or the perfect spouse. And it means we can find freedom to live victoriously even within our imperfections.
Kristin says
I wonder too if we need to reframe what we think is “perfect”. Our definition may be part of the problem. Thanks for your thoughts!
Judy Bx says
One of the first things that struck me when I began to study at the Option Institute was “We are all perfectly imperfect”. How liberating.
Debi says
If your life was always perfect, you wouldn’t have any good juicy stories to tell during conversation hour or to your grandkids. I’m a perfectionist trying to get over it so I can have some good stories to tell about when life wasn’t perfect, and what we did about it.
Char says
While looking through old photos recently with my Mom I noticed something. The kids in the pictures (my mom, aunts, uncles) were dressed in mismatched clothes, barefoot in summer, had messy hair. Many photos included beloved pets. Life was far from perfect and definitely not easy or pain free as the pictures showed; but, they were for the most part all smiling, looked happy and healthy, as they are today.
Annie Burke says
Joshua, what an eye opener for me! This article can open the eyes and hearts of many. It is really so simple, we are bombarded daily with images of perfect, then we strive to have it all…then the pain and disappoint of never reaching these insane goals has us reaching for ways to get rid of the pain! If only we could look and see what is happening to us…we Americans have so much, yet it is really not much at all. We strive after what is killing us…I find what I need and work at is quiet and introspection and trust in One greater than I. I am learning to look for all the awesome subtlies around me, regain the wonder of childhood. Life in itself is awesome. Ann
joshua becker says
Thanks Annie.
Stevie J says
Oops, I kinda messed that up.
Donna says
It seems to me that all of society’s pursuit of perfection in jobs, houses, possessions, and image is rooted in the need to have some kind of need met. There is a longing inside of people that they need to have filled. I have read that addictions are rooted in the need to be loved. I believe that receiving the unconditional love of God that we receive when we know His Son Jesus is the only way to have that need met. What makes it difficult to receive God’s love is the misconception that God expects us to be perfect just like the world does. We don’t have to be perfect, because Jesus is. That is what is setting (present tense because I’m still a work in progress) me free from perfectionism.
Judy says
true :)
Pat O says
Thank you for this article. I have read the comments as well. You need this to go viral as it says more than I have ever read in a way that is very understandable .
Thank you
thierry says
What’s the perfection ? It’s in pain that progress is being made.
Sarah says
The opioid addiction in this country is indeed very troubling. While you bring up some interesting food for thought, I question if the primary driver is a need for perfection. The epidemic is largely driven by the pharmaceutical industry and “addiction” is a key component. Addiction is a disease. Pain used to be managed by professionals, often in a hospital setting. Not anymore. Young people, have an incredible tolerance for pain (from getting wisdom teeth out…to outpatient surgery) yet have easy access to highly addictive drugs AND many a physical vulnerability to addiction. Seeing the young people in our communities caught up in this perfect storm is heartbreaking.
joshua becker says
Sarah, I did not focus on the other factors raised in the article by Dr. Humphrey—mostly because this post was not a critique of the medical or pharmaceutical industry. For comments on which economic and political factors may also be contributing to the epidemic, I’d refer you to the original article in The Washington Post.