Many patients and their families, and even medical personnel, always feel that narcotic drugs and psychotropic drugs are shrouded in a veil of mystery, and their understanding is unclear, so there are some misconceptions in the concept. One of the biggest misconceptions is that narcotics are addictive once they are used, so we have to tolerate any pain; or that narcotics are only a temporary effect to relieve pain, not a fundamental effect, so it does not matter if they are used or not. Pain, especially cancer pain, has become a serious public health problem worldwide and is one of the most feared symptoms for many patients. According to statistics, the incidence of pain in patients with mid- to late-stage cancer is as high as 60 to 100 percent. Cancer pain can bring a series of other symptoms, such as sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, loss of concentration, and long-term and unbearable cancer pain can lead to problems such as moderate to severe depression, severe anxiety, and even suicidal tendencies. In fact, pain is not only one of the main symptoms of malignant tumors, but also a disease in itself due to its serious impact on patients’ survival quality, so treating pain is equally important. The International Society for the Study of Pain has launched a worldwide campaign called “World Year Against Cancer Pain” to call for reasonable and adequate pain management for patients with mid- to late-stage cancer in order to improve their quality of survival. The main reason why many people do not want to use narcotic drugs even though they are suffering from pain is because they are afraid that they will become addicted to the drugs. Is it true that narcotic drugs and psychotropic drugs cannot be touched? In fact, there are very few addictions to narcotic drugs when they are used regularly. Of course, if the drug is used irregularly, the possibility of addiction will be higher. Mentioning “psychological dependence” is different from “physical dependence”. Physiological dependence is a state of adaptation caused by repeated drug use, which is manifested by a series of physical withdrawal symptoms after sudden discontinuation of the drug, but most of the symptoms can gradually diminish and subside over time. In fact, drug addiction refers to the mental dependence of a drug rather than physical dependence. Psychiatric dependence refers to the specific psychiatric effects produced by a drug. If the user feels a strong craving and euphoria for the drug, and has repeated, compulsive drug-seeking and drug-using behaviors that are difficult to control, then he or she is addicted. How to regulate the use of narcotic drugs? First of all, we should follow the “three-step pain relief method” promoted by the World Health Organization to differentiate the medication for patients with mild, moderate and severe pain; secondly, we should take the medication on time, not on demand, otherwise it is also easy to become addicted; finally, we should individualize the medication according to the different conditions of different patients. As long as this standard is followed, most of the cancer pain patients can get rid of the pain and improve their quality of life.