Published: 06/19/2026 | Author: Courtney Myers

Florida is reporting a 42% drop in opioid deaths but doctors say preventing opioid addiction before it begins is still the harder fight. One orthopedic surgeon out in Jupiter in Florida now takes that fight into the operating room by helping patients recover from joint replacement without ever taking an opioid.

This latest development provides another resource for those impacted by opioids out in the Sunshine State. While Florida already offers many programs to reduce opioid overdose deaths from local Narcotics Anonymous chapters to residential care facilities, an innovative approach for managing pain without opioids in the first place can potentially reduce the number of later addictions.

Opioid-Free Recovery

Dr. Andrew Noble is an orthopedic surgeon at Jupiter Medical Center and uses the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol along with his own method. It combines robotics for minimally invasive surgery, targeted numbing and timed non-opioid medicines taken before, during and after the procedure. 

Noble pointed out the idea is to “stay ahead of pain” rather than chase it. That way, patients need fewer opioids or none at all. Instead, these milder medications can partner with holistic approaches like yoga to relieve any lingering pain.

For patient April Stubbs, it worked. She recovered from knee replacement surgery without ever taking the stronger pain medications.

Prevention Matters in the Opioid Crisis

For years, prescribing dozens of opioid pills to manage pain after a knee or hip replacement was standard practice. The premise behind Noble’s approach is simple. Patients who don’t get pills aren’t exposed to the risk in the first place.

Daniel Warren of Reprieve Recovery in Jupiter has worked in recovery for years and relayed that many folks don’t realize they can develop physical dependence from medicines taken during surgical recovery and go through withdrawal without understanding why. Warren explained that lowering that exposure is a step in the right direction.

Understanding Opioids

Opioids include prescription painkillers as well as illicit drugs like heroin. They relieve pain but side effects consist of physical dependence, and the body can begin to crave them. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid far stronger than morphine and drives much of today’s overdose risk. That’s why reducing unnecessary exposure has become a public health priority.

Prevention is one tool, but support also matters for people who already use opioids. 

• Naloxone is sold as Narcan and can reverse an opioid overdose and is available without a prescription in many places. 

• For people who develop opioid use disorders, medications like buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone are evidence-based treatments. 

• Peer support, including Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, helps many people in recovery. 

All these paths can work together rather than in competition.

Help for Opioid Addiction

If you or someone you love is affected by opioids, don’t delay. One of the easiest—and free—first steps is to find a support group in your community. Simply call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for opioid addiction treatment options or browse our directory for NA chapters across the country.