In this counterintuitive talk, physician Stefen Kertesz outlines how efforts to reduce the prescription of opioids has had a negative impact on patients who rely on the drugs to combat ongoing pain. Stefan Kertesz is a physician in internal and addiction medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. His clinical work and published research focuses on tailoring care for people with addiction and homelessness. Over the years, Dr. Kertesz has become a national voice on behalf of patients with long-term pain whose care has been impacted by institutional efforts to reduce opioid prescribing. Dr. Kertesz continues to advance research on improving primary care, addiction, pain and overdose risk in vulnerable populations, and serves on teams to support the Governor of Alabama’s Opioid and Addiction Council. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx