I recently saw two interesting stories covering that on 60 minutes and Anthony Bordain of all people. I've taken Vicodin for my back off and on but never to a level that caused me a problem (and luckily, the cdc reclassified it to make getting it much more difficult, so I'm no longer tempted to try and get a script), but that OxyContin seems like a whole other level of scary. Never tried it but I had a doc offer it to me years ago for my back.
Speaking of books that one typically doesn't read, I recently read this book because I had actually met the author years ago when she worked in Dallas. Really interesting take on alcoholism and it actually gave me an interesting insight into the female mindset. Reading this book would never have crossed my mind if I didn't have some connection to the author, but it was a good read.