It's not to get high; it's to battle chronic pain. Nevertheless, their opioid use is still killing them

That's what a Huffington Post report says about the growing demographic of boomers using—and abusing—opioids, and adds that many in the "sandwich generation" are finding themselves trying to help their elderly parents battle an addiction that truly is killing many of them.

In 2015, according to data from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 6,300 people over 55 succumbed to opioid addiction out of more than 33,000 deaths across the country from the same cause. But those older people weren't chasing highs, although that's the stereotypical cause of death by drugs. Instead, they were chasing relief.