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.
network marketing says
I enjoy reading through an article that can make people think. Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment!
Karen says
Very well said Joshua!
Vincent says
Thank you for publishing this article. As a 9 year recovering addict from drugs and alcohol. I am a perfectionist that works on myself on a daily bases with my addictive and perfectionist personality. Minimalism has helped me in that I have less stuff and with less stuff I have less stuff to be perfect. I am very grateful to have found your website. I have incorporated minimalism into my recovery and it works well together. Thank you!
Vince says
Things are heading in the right direction. I think a lot of these problems will be worked out sooner than later.
http://whimsicalwolfblog.com/ says
What an insightful post! I really enjoyed reading it. I myself am a control freak lol. My name is Brandy and im new to the blogging community, so its nice to meet all of you. I hope you have a lovely day http://whimsicalwolfblog.com/
Ann Price says
The article quoted, your opinion piece, and the comments (far as I can tell) 100% ignore the other side of opioid “abuse”: improper care of those with chronic pain and disabilities. Those with chronic pain are ignored, dismissed, fed antidepressants, treated like convicted dope dealers, and otherwise put through the wringer. We ignore treatable conditions because we can’t bear the idea of one more stranger questioning our pain as “drug-seeking” or “blowing things out of proportion.” And now the government is pushing an agenda that will leave tens of millions without any care at all, not even mental health or drug abuse treatment. Maybe stop feeling superior about “whiny Americans wanting a perfect life,” and take a hard look at all sides of the equation?
Tracy says
I totally agree, Ann.
Judy says
Hang in there! Things will get better! :)
Tina B says
Amen! Well stated. Many people don’t understand real, chronic pain.
Josefine says
Hello from Europe!
I am not sure that we accept pain, but we tend to be critical and not swallow everything (at least in northern Europe where I am from). We try to fix things with healthy food and exercises rather than to take a pill. It might be this difference because our healthcare are almost for free, due to high taxes wich I gladly pay because it help others in need.
Of course you need to take your medication if you have some kind of disease and of course we have people in this part of the world that act like you discribe in the article. Where I am from we don’t look up to people with the biggest house or the nicest surface. We tend to value other things.
Tracy says
Josefine:
I appreciate your perspective. I’m tired of hearing sweeping generalizations about Europeans and Americans. The truth is that there are addicts and health buffs, hoarders and minimalists, educated and ignorant, every extreme in both places. I do not feel as an American that I live in a fundamentally ignorant or unenlightened society. Thanks for providing some balance there.
And in general:
As a back pain sufferer for many years, I offer the idea that there is a broad spectrum of pain and pain management; it’s not simply suffer agony gladly or demand perfection. There is a certain amount of back pain that I’ve walked around with from time to time, and then there’s a point where, without medication, I’m reduced to spending all day sitting around suffering. It’s not “demanding perfection” to use medication to allow me to function on those days, especially as I don’t find that medication restores me to a perfect state anyway. (No, I don’t take opioids regularly.) I just don’t see the wisdom of insisting on suffering for its own sake, in the belief that it represents some kind of enlightenment. I say time is too precious to squander it when relief is available.
Candace Glenney says
We all need to learn to do our best and let go of the rest! It is great to have drive, ambition and goals, but life is too short for perfection.
John says
I was in law enforcement for 26 years and noticed how many people have holes inside them. Holes they fill with drugs, sex or gambling/overspending. They want perfection in their lives, but perfection is illusory. As the line in an old Alabama song says:”We’re only here for awhile, so why not smile, hey living ain’t all that bad.”
Dave Sage says
I agree with everything said here, but one thing not said is in America, our greed fuels are politics, which has fueled this epidemic. Big Pharma is one of the biggest lobbyist groups in America, spending hundred’s of millions a year to get laws passed that make it easier and easier to prescribe opioids. It’s not necessary a case of demand creating supply, but a case of supply creating demand. And it’s all in the name of greed. More profits, more campaign contributions.
joshua becker says
Dave, those political and economic issues are addressed in the original Washington Post article. My post was not a critique of the medical industry in the US—that’s why they were not brought up here.
Lizzy G. says
I blame the Opioid abuse on the good old-fashioned “high” it gives people. With Opioids you don’t worry as much, and little things don’t bother you. Perfectionism isn’t an issue when you’re on them because you just don’t care. The peace you get by trusting God is better than taking Opioids and without the side effects or cost.