PAINKILLERS, HEROIN, AND THE ROAD TO SANITY Real Solutions for Long-Term Recovery from Opiate Addiction, By Joani Gammill Author of The Interventionist oani Gammill, a recovering alcoholic, was struggling with a back injury and the pain it caused. After surgery, she was prescribed a cornucopia of opiate-based drugs including Oxycontin, which her doctor said was a nonaddictive painkiller used especially for recovering addicts (information that came straight from the drug company).