The Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Long-Term Prescription Painkiller Users and Their Household Members

This partnership poll from The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation examines the long-term use of prescription painkillers by exploring the views and experiences of adults 18 and over who they themselves have taken strong prescription painkillers for a period of two months or more at some time in the past two years, other than to treat pain from cancer or terminal illness. The survey, conducted at a time when the nation is struggling to address the ongoing prescription painkiller and heroin epidemic, takes a closer look at long-term users of prescription painkillers to better understand how they started taking these drugs, their interactions with medical providers, their concerns and experiences with addiction, and their views of efforts to stem the abuse of painkillers. In addition, the survey also included household members of long-term users in order to capture their unique insight into how the drug use has impacted the individual.

This survey is the 30th in a series of surveys dating back to 1995 that have been conducted as part of The Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation Survey Project.

Read The Washington Post’s Coverage

One-third of long-term users say they’re hooked on prescription opioids

Opioid drugs make pain tolerable, most long-term users say

An opioid epidemic is what happens when pain is treated only with pills

Editorial: The great opioid epidemic

The doctor you see in the ER may put you on a path toward long-term opioid use