I see that misdirected anger as well.
Pain patients think it's the addicts fault.
Many people like myself have used opioids over half my life now because they're the only thing that's helped my severe depression without all the horrendous side effects of traditional psychiatric medicine. Depression & pain are also interlinked. Many people like myself have to deal with wide spread aching that comes from my depression & often gets labeled as "chronic fatigue" and "fibromyalgia". And so what if I get feelings of "well-being" or "contentedness" from opioids???? Why has the medical community demonized these "side effects", when these side effects are useful at helping so many with depression & anxiety, insomnia, etc.. It's my brain & if I want to feel at peace with it every day, I should have that right & the ability to without worrying I'll go down for it.
The "maintenance" opioids suck for anything other than keeping people hooked IMO. Especially buprenorphine. They might have their uses, but they don't offer the same positive effects once you're tolerant & have so much built up in your system. Might as well let people use the opioid drug of their choice or at least offer some more options & less restrictions.
I can go to a regular doctor & get prescribed endless fentanyl patches (if you're lucky anyway) but if I wanna get on methadone, you have to jump through 50 hoops & show up for your dose every single day. This is ass backwards.
Not everyone who uses drugs is an uneducated fool either. Some how we've painted this picture that full grown adults are too stupid to be able to use opioids (although not too stupid to consume copious amounts of alcohol & then be trusted not to drive, apparently) or make their own choices.
The drug war should have been the original "my body, my choice". Once they can tell you that you can't take something that helps your pain (whether it's physical or psychic pain or both), then you've lost control over your own bodily autonomy already.