If they are addicted to pain meds then they get a sense of well being from them. They feel abnormal without the pills. Pain meds are very seductive because they are used to control pain but if used too long then your body will tell itself that it is in pain because it doesn't have the meds.

If a person has chronic pain for some reason, and receives a Prescription for a medication that dulls or even stops the pain and discomfort they are experiencing...it can be a rather wonderful thing. Unfortunately, if the problem causing the pain is unabated, or not corrected, it is possible that the human body will eventually become immune to the level, or type of the pain medication, requiring that the person either take larger dosages, or switch to something different. Medications for Back Pain are amongst the highest abused of such medicines. I'm sure too that the level of the individual as to being an ADDICTIVE PERSONALITY, which can be effected by both Genetics, and Environmental factors would have a profound effect on the likelihood of a person's susceptibility for being seduced by prescription medications. Some people are simply more open to finding the "perfect" chemically induced "High." They might be unhappy with their current life, and feel that there is nothing THEY can do to improve their situation, and so are comfortable turning to pills to create a different feeling in themselves. Others might have challenges sleeping and find it a lesser worry to swallow a pill, rather than work towards figuring out WHY they are unable to fall asleep or maintain a full nights rest.

Someone very close to me is addicted to prescription drugs, and when they started taking them, it was for the pain. But now the pain is gone and they are taking it for emotional pain to feel better. I had a talk with them last night, and made them realize it wasn't good for them and was causing more harm than good. I really hope it stuck with them and they are not doing them anymore.

Sometimes it is just a force of habit. People get this idea in their head that if they stop taking a certain medication that their original problem will return or get worse, even if it has already been treated. I've seen people get addicted to nose sprays. My mom use to spray her nose every night before bed until she realized her sense of taste had gone, and then she quit. You can become addicted to anything. People don't always get addicted to pain killers.

some are narcotics and some people in stead of dealing with ther promblems they chose to avoid them by taking drugs

The first thing to talk about is addiction; addiction is the body’s inability to properly function without a substance. Addiction, like allergies can just happen after trying it once or become developed over time. People addicted to narcotics are often it the latter group. The brain becomes reliant on the narcotic to block the pain and to say that a pain patient is addicted if the drugs are still necessary would not be correct, they are known as drug dependants. But if the drugs are not, needed it is fair to call it an addiction. But when saying that pain patients are addicts would not be logical, and by the same logic, I would be classed as an addict, pain meds are very addictive because they replace the need for the brain to block pain. This blocking of pain is what most patients are addicted to, not the drug itself, people in pain are not addicted to a high, they take to stop pain, but after this, the need of the brain for the drug may become very strong. That is addiction

everyone, shut up, you're wrong: sure it can be emotional, but usually it's PHYSICAL- habit-forming drugs, even those without recreational (psychoactive) potential connect to the dopamine pathways on the brain, and after enough exposure, quitting the drug makes the addict's body think that it's dying.

Just to add to the other answers... some people are at higher risk for developing a prescription drug dependency such as those with a family history of substance or alcohol abuse, depression, low self-esteem, and/or aggression issues. What people get out of them, is just a "high" like every other drug. http://www.teendrugabuse.us/prescription_drug_abuse.html

Because they make you feel good, physically and emotionally. The'll numb pain physically and emotionally. At least the opiate ones do.

The most obvious reason is that since they are opiate based they are physically addictive, but they also make you feel good and that's why people take them to begin with. Information on prescription drug addiction http://www.myaddiction.com/prescription_drugs.html

Prescription drug abuse amongst teens evolved into somewhat of a science. Teens now days now exactly which alcohols to mix with and which drug gives the best effects. http://www.parentingteens.com/index/Teen+Drug+Abuse/Prescription+Drug+Abuse+Among+Teens

Many prescription drugs are opiates (similar to heroin). This means that they have a very high potential for addiction.