Painkillers are prescription drugs that people take to manage pain after injuries or surgeries, as well as illegal opiates such as heroin that are also used for pain. Approximately 9.3 million people in the U.S. misuse prescription pain relievers each year. Painkiller addiction can lead to physical, emotional, and behavioral problems. Understanding these different issues is important, because these symptoms can interact with each other and cause worse problems as a result. Painkillers is one of ten titles in the Young Adult Drug Library series. Nine titles spotlight a major drug or type of drug (such as painkillers); discuss the negative physical and mental effects of the addiction on the addict and the potential benefits of their use (for certain legal drugs); and provide an overview of treatment strategies for the addiction. The last title, Facts & Figures, provides readers with the "big picture" regarding drugs, including their pros and cons; how they are made, distributed, sold, and used; why they are abused or misused; and treatment options for those who become addicted. Stories of those who are battling drug addiction are also featured in the series in order to humanize these issues.