I guess so, but I don't know. Nobody knows except the people who get hooked; they must get more of a euphoria from the meds than I do, because any time I've taken opioids I have quickly developed a distinct sensation of dysphoria... the opposite of euphoria. I feel tired, wasted, cranky, and nauseous. After both of my knee replacements I was off the narcs as fast as I could, and damn the pain.
I think there is probably a lot of difference in the reaction to opioids in different people just as there is to almost everything based on genetic makeup. The closest analogy is alcohol. Some people become addicts, some become occasional users and some become ill. Different genetic groups seem to have higher or lower percentages of each type.
My only experience with painkillers came after surgery on a broken wrist. I don't recall the specific narcotic, but I didn't notice any effect other than the desired elimination of the pain. There was no "high" or euphoria so no reason to seek more once the wrist healed and the pain disappeared.
Jerry
