With nearly one-third of Americans reporting in a 2018 national poll by the American Psychiatric Association that they know someone who is or has been addicted to opioids or prescription painkillers, personal injury attorneys must prepare to represent a new type of client: the seriously injured plaintiff who—intent on not becoming a statistic—refuses to take medically prescribed opioids.

We submit that this will require a new (or at least modified) mindset as to how we communicate with, and advocate for, our clients.