How We Hurt: The Politics of Pain in the Opioid Epidemic

How We Hurt explores the institutional and cultural dimensions of the opioid epidemic, arguing that the problem of pain is the linchpin underlying its evolution in North America. It traces the trajectory of opioids in pain management, examines the problem of pain in opioid regulation, pharmaceutical branding, and the self-help industry, and applies the analysis of pain to the problem of opioid addiction in popular discourse. The book concludes by considering the implications of its findings for drug policy and future research on public health disasters.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 07 November 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

How We Hurt delves into the multifaceted dimensions of the ongoing opioid epidemic, encompassing institutional and cultural factors. In a comprehensive examination of pain management, opioid regulation, pharmaceutical branding, self-help, and public discourses on opioid addiction, Melina Sherman makes a compelling argument that the central issue underlying the evolution of the opioid epidemic in North America is the problem of pain. By unpacking the politics of pain across various domains, How We Hurt reveals the origins and shifts of the crisis, as well as the reasons behind its current manifestation.

The book's chapters begin by tracing the trajectory of opioids in pain management, where decisions regarding the measurement of pain inadvertently led to the association of opioids with pain relief in medicine. The subsequent chapters delve into the problem of pain in opioid regulation, pharmaceutical branding, and the self-help industry. In these areas, a disastrous convergence of strategic ignorance and deep-rooted connections between public health entities and pharmaceutical companies resulted in the widespread influx of opioids into the market and into our homes.

The penultimate chapter of the book applies the analysis of pain to the problem of opioid addiction in popular discourse, highlighting how the opioid crisis has unfolded alongside evolving conceptions of addiction and the individuals who use opioids, particularly those whose pain is deemed legitimate while others' pain is not. Finally, the book concludes by considering the implications of its findings for drug policy development and future research on public health disasters. It emphasizes the need for an interdisciplinary and multi-faceted approach to studying pain and its place in American culture.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197698235