At times during the drilling of wells in the earth, particularly deeper wells, the drill string cannot be retrieved from the wellbore, i.e., it becomes stuck in the wellbore. The stuck-drill string problem has been widely studied, and it has generally been concluded that the more common mechanisms which can cause the drill string to become stuck include: the hole becomes unstable and collapses around the drill string; a “key seat” of the width of the drill pipe diameter forms in the wellbore wall, such that larger diameter members of the drill string cannot be pulled through; segments of the drill string are held against the wellbore wall by excess hydrostatic pressure of the drilling fluid; and, solids build-up of cuttings in the wellbore around the drill string causes sticking. Those skilled in the art of drilling can often determine which mechanism caused the drill string to become stuck, based upon a review of observations before and after the sticking occurred.