The Opioid Crisis in America Part 4

It is no secret that America has had a heroin problem for decades, dating back to the Vietnam era. It is also no secret that America has an opioid problem as well. It appears that doctors were overprescribing, and in 2010, authorities began cracking down on those doctors prescribing opioids. Those now addicted to the painkillers still needed their “fix,” so the actual national problem became an epidemic. As a result, when the patient’s prescriptions ran out, their opioid of choice became heroin.

Now we have a problem. It is no longer a criminal justice issue but a public health issue, even affecting Native Americans at a high level. How can a person with an addiction find help? How can family and friends support people with an addiction? What can treatment centers do to curb this public health issue? It seems that opioid prescriptions are going down with doctors’ awareness of the problem. Addiction is a treatable medical addiction like any other illness. However, treatment must be given to the person with an addiction for his or her addiction as well as their mental health diagnosis.

Are You Ready to Change?

“Treatment for co-occurring disorders must be long-term and address the specific problems the person with an addiction is dealing with. The purpose is for the person with an addiction to heal and to have a full recovery” (Doweiko, 2015). Finally, there are so many ways we can be involved in decreasing the amount of substance abuse and drug dependency in our culture, and it starts at the top. With the help of the federal government and the president’s commission on drug abuse, the public school system across the nation, churches, and non-profits, it is possible that families with people with an addiction can be healed. Identifying at-risk juveniles in the criminal court system, having effective drug residential programs, and intensive outpatient services is a great way to start the healing process towards reducing a growing drug epidemic among American citizens who feel trapped.

If you ask anyone familiar with the drug OxyContin, they will tell you that Purdue Pharma was the culprit distributor behind the scene.Billions of dollars were made in profits as legal prescriptions increased from 600,000 at the end of the 20th century to over 6 million by the early 2000s. Also, the death rate increased as many lives were destroyed and homes were broken. An $ 8.3 billion lawsuit was filed against this company for its role in this awful epidemic. Other companies were also sued for their role in distributing the drug, such as AmerisourceBergen, which was sued for $6.4 billion; Cardinal Health for $6.4 billion; and McKesson for $7.9 billion. However, no amount of money can ever bring back a stolen life. People are crying for help to be delivered from this place of darkness. They have lost hope and a desire to live and see no way out of their situation.

For more information for yourself, a friend or a family member please visit https://na.org/

Reference:

Doweiko, H. E. (2015). Concepts of chemical dependency (9th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.