In todays world, amidst all the lawsuits and rampant addiction, I think most medical professionals are loath to prescribe any narcotics, even when they are medically called for. If they are wrong, the most that will usually happen is that the patient will suffer more - which might be just what they need to keep from picking up the first one. If they are right, which is far more likely, the patient will not use the drugs to get high.
My heart stopped twice in withdrawal from the shock to my already weakened body, but I am still here and the memory of that withdrawal remains strong. Today, over twenty years later, I am not certain that tapering would have been the best course of action for me and am grateful that it happened the way it did.