You don't become physically addicted immediately, the majority of addicts did not start with prescriptions issued directly to them, and the vast majority of those prescribed opiates do not go on to get addicted. Pretending the exclusive cause of opioid addiction is people getting them directly from their doctor and accidentally getting addicted is profoundly inaccurate and a massive disservice to addicts since failing to understand causes won't result in good solutions. And indeed it's next to impossible to get them from doctors now, has been for years, and the collateral damage from this has been extreme. You have a sharp rise in pain related suicides and pain patients ODing on street drugs just trying to get relief their doctors won't provide, all because the CDC let the DEA run amok with no understanding of appropriate vs inappropriate prescribing.

Plenty of people know on some level what's going to happen when they continuously use again shortly after using. I certainly did. While there's certainly people who don't understand it, many are under no illusions about what will happen if you start using more often than once every week or two.

I spent a decade in active addiction. During that time I knew dozens of other addicts. Not one got addicted in the way you claim they all do. They either bought the pills illegally or were scamming doctors with fake paperwork or deliberately searching out pill mills to get prescriptions no legit doctor would give because they were already serious substance abusers and wanted a cheaper source.

Facile and largely specious take.