Recall that the body’s opioid receptors—which typically respond to the body’s own opioids, such as endorphins—are responsible for both blocking pain and causing euphoria. When an artificial source of opioids is introduced, these receptors have both an immediate and a longer-term response. First, in the short term, they go wild, capable of both providing significant pain relief and releasing a euphoric rush the likes of which most people would never experience naturally; that is, you get truly “high”—a feeling that many describe as being wrapped in a warm, comforting blanket, with pain,
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