The Dangers of Legal Drugs

I read this article about the epidemic of prescription drug abuse. I was struck by how it all started: Oh, you're in pain? Here, I've got something for that.

Short-term, immediate relief. No consideration as to why the pain existed, or how to remove the pain in the long term.

Of course no one wants to be in pain. And, of course, short term pain relief is sometimes warranted. But could it be that part of a recipe for addiction is thinking only in the short term?