Open Question: Drugs or living in pain? What to do about my boyfriend?

My boyfriend has a prescription for oxycontin hes 19 and one of the disks in his back got screwed up when he was moving a fridge, it is now pressing on a nerve that goes down his leg and he is in severe pain all the time.. Oxycontin is one of the only drugs that works for him but the downside is he has become dependent of it. His whole family is accusing him of being an addict but he just needs his meds to live without pain. Should his family leave him alone and let him take oxycontin for his pain or should he live his life in pain:(.. Im really worried about him. I would like to hear other peoples opinions on the situation..