Opioid misuse is a critical public health crisis in the United States that results in over 50,000 deaths per year. Stress is considered a key risk factor for addiction developent, inspriring this review which examines how stressful experiences throughout the lifespan alter opioid use in animals. The findings suggest that neonatal or adult stress increases addiction-like behaviors in rodent models, but that adolescent social stress may protect against later opioid misuse, which contradicts human studies.