Less than an hour after scrambling out the back door of the Columbine High School library on April 20, 1999, Austin Eubanks was lying in a hospital bed, medicated on a variety of painkillers. That was the beginning of a decade-long addiction that led to a profound realization about the current opioid epidemic: how we manage pain is both the problem and the solution. In this moving talk, he dissects emotional pain's role in addiction and expresses his hopes and suggestions for ways forward.

Austin Eubanks: What surviving the Columbine shooting taught me about pain

What surviving the Columbine shooting taught me about pain

Over-prescription of opioids for physical pain without addressing underlying emotional pain fuels the addiction pandemic.

A survivor's journey from Columbine's tragedy to addiction, then recovery, underscores the need for comprehensive pain management.

Emotional pain fuels addiction; addressing it early can transform healthcare and society's approach to the opioid crisis.