When we talk about addiction, most of us immediately think about substances like heroin, cocaine or other drugs that are obviously associated with addiction.

But what about something you picked up at a pharmacy?

Painkillers are medicines. We take them because we have a headache, an injury, back pain or after surgery. And because they're medicines, we don't necessarily think of them as something we could become dependent on.

In a 2024 study, more than 80% of pharmacy professionals surveyed said patients believe over-the-counter codeine medicines are safe, while almost 9 in 10 were concerned about a lack of awareness around codeine dependence.

And dependence doesn't necessarily look like what we imagine addiction looks like.

You could be someone who started taking something for genuine pain and then found yourself needing it more often, feeling uncomfortable when you don't have it, or taking it simply because you don't feel normal without it.