Prescription opioids have become the nation’s drug scourge. The idea that mere willpower can fight this public health emergency is not only outdated, it’s scientifically misguided.

For many people, opioids are substances their brains are wired to crave in ways that make personal resolve nearly impossible. The good, if somewhat little noticed, news is that there is meaningful action on this front led by the National Institutes of Health, which is working in conjunction with pharmaceutical companies to develop nonaddictive, non-opioid pain killers that might finally end our somewhat tortured dependence on this formidable drug.

Given how addictive these drugs are, doctors should have foreseen the looming danger of prescription opioids long before their use was liberalized for non-cancer related pain in the 1990s.

The simplified explanation of this complex brain science is this: When opioids enter the brain, they bind to receptors known as μ (mu) opioid receptors on brain cells, or neurons. These receptors stimulate the “reward center” of the brain. This occurs in a part of the brain known as the ventral tegmental area, which results in the release of the neurotransmitter chemical dopamine. Over time, those receptors become less sensitive, and more of the drug is needed to stimulate the reward center.

The NIH is taking important steps in building a public-private partnership that will seek scientific solutions to the opioid crisis, including the development of non-opioid painkillers. Expediency and proper funding of this effort is critical to get effective alternatives to those who need it most – the people fully intending to “Just Say No” but whose brains will fight them every step of the way.

Read the full article about opioid addiction by Paul Sanberg and Samantha Portis at The Conversation.