Derek Boogard was only 28 years old when a toxic mix of alcohol and painkillers claimed his life in May 2011. The New York Rangers hockey star was known as a towering and combative opponent on the ice. Off the ice, he repeatedly battled his addiction to prescription painkillers like the oxycodone which eventually killed him.

Oxycodone is a potent drug specifically designed for pain management. It is available in a time-released formula which goes by the brand name OxyContin. A powerful medication by itself, the drug becomes especially dangerous when it is combined with alcohol.

Mr. Boogard had suffered a season-ending shoulder injury and concussion five months prior to his death, just the latest in a string of serious and painful injuries throughout his high school and NHL hockey career. Upon his death, his family opened up about the young man’s repeated efforts to break his addiction to painkillers including several stints in OxyContin rehab. Mr. Boogard’s last rehab experience was as part of a program jointly sponsored by the National Hockey League and the Player’s union. Standard treatment calls for any patients being prescribed oxycodone to be given strong warnings against consuming alcohol.

So was Mr. Boogard’s death an accident or suicide? The chief medical examiner in the Minnesota city where Mr. Boogard passed away explained how investigators determine the difference between suicide and accident in cases such as that of Derek Boogard. Investigators look at medical histories, look for possible signs of prior suicide attempts and most telling – the level of toxicity at death. Greater than 1,000 times normal levels would be indicative of suicide while above three times normal levels points to an accidental overdose.

While it is certain that Derek Boogard’s death was directly attributable to drugs and alcohol and not the concussion he sustained, his brain was donated to the Boston University School of Medicine. There, doctors have been looking at brains which experienced head trauma for signs of degenerative disorder. At least two other NHL players have donated brains for the study. So far, they have reported a significant link between sustained head trauma and brain damage.

Derek Boogard was a fighter on the ice for many years. No doubt he lived with constant pain as a result and sought to continue his career by abusing painkillers. It is a problem that likely infests the sport. For this reason, developing strategies to manage pain for athletes while guarding against addiction deserves a 110 percent effort.

After surviving a severe car accident two years ago, Sharon underwent a series of surgeries to repair broken bones in her arms and torso. To reduce pain during her long recovery process, her doctor prescribed a moderate dose of the opioid painkiller oxycodone.

The medicine helped Sharon tremendously, but after the prescription expired, she noticed the pain returning. Medical tests showed no further need for surgery, and, because of oxycodone’s notoriety for being addictive, her doctor was hesitant to renew her prescription at the same dose. Instead, he wrote her a prescription for a reduced dose, planning on gradually weaning her off. Unfortunately, the pain did not subside. It seemed to Sharon like only the original dose would end her misery.

Increasingly desperate for relief and frustrated with her doctor’s refusal to authorize a higher dose, Sharon visited another physician who specialized in pain. She told him about her accident and how oxycodone had been the only real help to her in the past. However, when he asked if she was currently taking any medications, she said no. It seemed to her like an innocent lie—just a little omission of information that would finally get her the comfort she desired.

The doctor agreed to write her a prescription for her original dose of oxycodone, but over time, even that didn’t completely eliminate the pain. Before she knew it, Sharon was in another doctor’s office, telling the same “innocent” lie that had worked before. She found herself addicted to the drug, with multiple prescriptions from different doctors. She had been “doctor shopping” to feed the dependency and now, in addition to the physical and mental terrors of her addiction, Sharon was in legal trouble.

Stories like Sharon’s are not uncommon. Whenever someone visits multiple doctors in an attempt to receive different prescriptions for the same drug, that person is said to be doctor shopping. Since there are laws governing the number of prescriptions that a patient can have written and filled, pulling off the stunt requires illicit behavior on the part of the patient, doctor, or pharmacist. The patient must deceive the doctors and pharmacists into thinking they are each the only ones prescribing and distributing the drug, or the doctor (or pharmacist) may be complicit in accommodating the patient’s wishes.

Addiction is often a factor in cases of doctor shopping. When a person becomes physically tolerant to a particular drug, they seek higher doses for the same effect. But when the desired dose exceeds the limits of customary practice, the patient may resort to doctor shopping as a last-ditch means of satisfaction.

Prescription drugs that are commonly involved with doctor shopping include opiate painkillers (like OxyContin and Vicodin) and sedatives (like Xanax and Ambien).

In 2006, DEA Deputy Assistant Administrator Joseph Rannazzisi identified doctor shopping as a growing problem in the United States. He also described the issue of prescription drug abuse as an “epidemic.” In response to the growing concern surrounding prescription drug dependency, legislators are toughening up on doctor shopping, and it is now illegal in some states.