Oxycontin does have its uses. I used to get kidney stones, and they would give me pretty powerful pain relievers, but nothing ever came anywhere close to alleviating that awful pain. Only when one doctor prescribed Oxycontin did I get any relief, and it didn't just diminish the pain. The pain was gone, and I mean gone. The great thing was it didn't make me high at all. I wasn't aware of any cognitive changes. I also didn't crave the pills when I didn't need them anymore after I passed the stone in a few days. So in my experience that stuff works when nothing else will. I don't dispute that they are addictive because I didn't take them long enough to evaluate that.