Opioid addiction

The name of the substances came up in the movie I saw yesterday. Indeed I didn't k km now what it was before Michael Jackson's death made it famous worldwide.

We swallow painkiller fairly often in the modern life filled with so much pain and stress. Then soon I realised that the effect only last me an hour or so. So I started to take Panadeine. There was a stage that I admit I was dependent on it because it surely worked better and the effects don't wear off too soon.

Then I heard at my local chemist that the medicine was taken off the shelves completely and not even generic ones were available. Codeine, one of the two active ingredients is decided to be too addictive. See the details of what happened: https://creakyjoints.org.au/news-and-features/changes-codeine-prescription-regulations-australia-will-affect/
They are right about some people misusing codeine by mixing it up with alcohol or taking the amount well over the dosage limit, which probably the cause of many deaths illustrated on the article.
People with any sorts of addiction I think has a certain personality and are prone to getting addicted. Bust is Panadeine that harmful? I think it's debatable. There is an element of hypocrisy to what happened to the medicine, and I tell you what. While Panadeine became unavailable over the counter, Panadeine forte, which contains over twice the amount of codeine has been still prescribed by the doctors and the dentists. Even Opioid, I heard, is still legal.

So what's next?
All those painkillers, Panadol, Avril, Neurofen, etc. don't do anything for your pain, and you get more dependent on stronger painkillers.
If or when eventually Opioid painkillers are illegalised (apart from the use as an anasthetic), it'll be  replaced by something equivalent in strength and more likely be addictive.

I was feeling safer taking only 1 pr 2 panadeine every 2 or 3 days to keep my pain more bearable, rather than going to the doctor and get him to prescribe me Panadeine Forte.
This really shouldn't have happened because Panadeine was far more benign in comparison to some other over the counter painkillers.

If they keep taking off less addictive painkillers, Australia might head to the Opioid epidemic like how it's happening in the US.

Your thoughts?