#2. GAME: Max Payne
POWER-UP: If the vengeance-crazed DEA agent is clipped during one of his many slow-motion shootouts, he can down a bottle of painkillers and voilà — he’s back to viciously killing thugs.
IN REAL LIFE: Instead of just reducing inflammation like boring OTC products such as Tylenol and Advil, prescription painkillers like oxycodone move to the brain and block central nerve receptors so the patient doesn’t feel pain. It’s a great feeling — especially when you’re, uh, not taking them for actual pain — but painkillers sure as hell don’t magically heal bullet wounds. In fact, were you to ingest an entire vile of oxycodone (about 30 times the prescribed dosage), you’d probably croak, as the rush of opiates to the brain would overwhelm the receptors that control breathing.
