Right, because everyone knows that cocaine, pot, and heroin are exactly the same as percoset. It's really the same thing, going to a corner drug dealer for the first time to get your first dime bag, and going to a doctor for treatment for back pain. And a month later, robbing a store to get more crack money is EXACTLY the same as dumping the doctor who got you hooked on vicodin and percoset and, out of the exact same shame that nearly every patient hooked on painkillers feels, finding another doctor who has a different plan than "just quit 'cause crippling pain is better than being dependent on painkillers"
I've been taking painkillers for a blown out disc in my back for 8 years now, and after spending 5 years discussing back injury treatments with dozens of people, some of whom depend on IV painkiller drips even 10 years after surgery, I have a different perspective on this whole thing.
Equating illegal drug use, and illegal personal use of prescription medication does not make any sense at all unless the abuser entered into the addiction for reasons other than legitimate pain control. It is VERY well documented that Limbaugh's use started in a legitimate attempt to control pain, and like hundreds of thousands of others faced with severe pain in the US, he got hooked, didn't see or find a way out, and it got out of control.
I sit back and think "that could have been me"... I recently tossed out over 200 pills, mixed vicodin, percoset, and some other pretty strong stuff. I didn't use the stuff much because it has little effect on me which is why I ended up with so damn much of it, but if it had actually WORKED, damn it would have been hard to quit taking it. I've lived with pretty bad back pain for almost 6 years now and it affects my entire life. An hour without pain is a gift I cherish.
So yea I have a different perspective, and I stand by my statement that it takes a special kind of person to delight in someone else's medical problem and resultant painkiller addiction. I've been there, I view the use of illegal drugs COMPLETELY different than the abuse of addictive drugs prescribed to treat real problems, and it could have been me.