ABSTRACT Design. This is a structured evidence‐based review of all available studies on the development of abuse/addiction and aberrant drug‐related behaviors (ADRBs) in chronic pain patients (CPPs) with nonmalignant pain on exposure to chronic opioid analgesic therapy (COAT). Objectives. To determine what percentage of CPPs develop abuse/addiction and/or ADRBs on COAT exposure. Method. Computer and manual literature searches yielded 79 references that addressed this area of study.
