Oral and non-oral routes of administration among prescription opioid users: Pathways, decision-making and directionality

- The decision to use prescription opioids orally or non-orally involves a number of complex factors.
- The progression from oral to non-oral routes of administration is not a unidirectional pathway.
- Those who did not advance to non-oral routes were deterred by needle-phobia and “junkie” stigma.