TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — George Hanna has undergone 21 orthopedic surgeries since he left the U.S. Navy in 1990.

They began when he severely injured his knee in a training accident at the Navy submarine base in Groton, Connecticut and then following a motorcycle accident after he left the service. In the years since he returned to civilian life, Hanna, 50, has been on a pain management program that, at times, has included 4000 milligrams of Motrin a day.

He was recommended opioids to manage his pain, but refused.

"You see what alcoholism and drug abuse can do to a family. And unfortunately, I've wi...