Heroin Prevention Case Study

The primary prevention topic of this community healthy and population field experience is related to the Healthy People 2020 goal to “reduce substance abuse to protect the health, safety, and quality of life for all, especially children.” (Healthy People 2020, 2018). This topic correlates with the Roanoke Valley’s increase in fatal drug overdoses and the public health emergency that was declared by the Virginia state health commissioner in 2016, related to the opioid addiction crisis (Virginia Department of Health, 2016). While all members of the community are affected by this health concern, the primary focus of this assessment will be on the effects of and prevention of substance abuse within the areas youth.

The deaths due to heroin in maryland increased from 2014’s, 578 to 2015’s, 749, which is more than double of cocaine alone. Heroin has been one of the most overdosed drugs in the county over the last five years. The drug emerged quickly as prescription painkillers became hard to get. 40 milligrams of OxyContin is $40 while a bag of heroin is only $10, which is cheaper than a 6 pack of beer.

Everyday, heroin is affecting the daily lives of citizens all across the United States. Just recently, in St. Louis County, a man was driving his car when he overdosed on heroin. After he became unconscious, his vehicle crashed into a family crossing the street, including a two year old in a stroller. The two year old was thrown eight to ten feet, the mother fell on her head and the father suffered a serious leg injury. All family members have since made a successful recovery. Since 2010, while the entire Midwest Region has not seen a spike in heroin related deaths, St. Louis County has. According to a St. Louis County Department of Public Health report, twenty four of the counties forty eight

One of the biggest problems for people using drugs in Afton is the lack of resources available to them. The nearest treatment and drug counseling centers to Afton are a 45-minute drive away, and Afton has no means of public transportation. In order for people who are using drugs in Afton to receive the proper care they need to overcome their addiction, there needs to be something closer and more assessable for them. This is why opening a drug counseling center in Afton would be beneficial to not only Afton residents, but also the surrounding small towns with limited means of transportation. This can be accomplished by seeking out the help and support of locals, stakeholders, and community groups already present in

Clinics providing access to readily available prescribed heroin will equal to less criminality acts showing that the individual has no need to commit further drug related crimes. Rather than their days being preoccupied with obtaining the drug, they are provided directly with it so they can work on the other issues that got them into a destructive lifestyle that not only hurt themselves but their relationships with family and friends as well. Furthermore, it seems likely that the improved contact with family, friends, and healthcare providers that comes with heroin prescription improves the chances of a healthy productive lifestyle for the individual. In addition, it provides them with the time to seek counseling, secure housing, and ability to find

Leadership is about helping people become the best versions of themselves, so leaders are needed to help change the heroin epidemic. There was a psychological study conducted in the 1970’s called “Rat Park”. The conclusion of this experiment is that drugs alone do not cause addiction, but dysfunction, loneliness and broken relationships do. The experiment showed that rats that felt loved and part of a community were less likely to become addicts even when the drug was easily attainable. If community leaders were to come together and help heal relationships, and help the outcasts feel loved, then the heroin epidemic would begin to lessen on its own. A big part of the movement should be based on including everyone in the community. valuing everyone, and creating holistic rehabilitation programs. Addiction is an obvious issue in itself, but the bigger issue is how there are few leaders standing to help. In conclusion, heroin is a dangerous drug that is detrimental to our community. To fix this problem, we need to have leaders to confront the underlying causes of

Heroin overdose is a HUGE problem in the world! I gave you just a few ways that you and the government can help! I think you should try and stop heroin overdose, and help save other people who might die from it. Why? There are so many reasons, you don't even know! One reason you should help is that heroin makes people feel satisfied with the drug and not want you to quit heroin, heroin makes you have this weird “glowing sensation” for the first 2-4 hours you do the drug. Heroin uses the user's pupils, heartbeat, slows their respiration, takes away their sleep, and gastrointestinal activity. You don't want these people who use the drug to lose sleep and suffer through all of this, do you? Another reason you should help heroin addicts is that

I live in Taunton, Massachusetts and for this assignment I chose the health problem heroin overdoses. On Facebook there is a group with the name “Taunton DP Scanner Talk”, which I am a member of. People from the Taunton area and Taunton residents that are listening to the scanner and are being updated, by this what is happening in the town of Taunton. Unfortunately, a lot of times you will hear on the police scanner that another overdose has occurred and that the police is on the wat to the scene. Some of the risk factors of heroin overdoses are that people who use heroin and “shoot up” unintentionally poising themselves, which is the leading cause of fatal deaths. Their intentions are to get high and not to kill themselves. Opioid patience that misuse the substance may also at risk of an overdose. Not enough doctors warn their patients about the risk of an overdose when prescribing opioids. Also people who misuse the substance also have a greater risk of getting HIV, since many users share their needles. Drinking a lot of alcohol is also a risk factor, which

You would think that people would stop using when they hear the statistics, or when they see their friend die because of it, but the truth is they can’t stop because they are already addicted. Alison, a young girl using states, “From the day I started using, I never stopped. “Within one week I had gone from snorting heroin to shooting it. Within one month I was addicted and going through all my money.” (International) The expanding epidemic of unawareness is taking its toll on the adolescents of St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and the rest of the world. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs makes it somewhat easier to understand why people use heroin. The top three levels of the pyramid, 1.social 2.esteem 3.self-actualization, show what people are trying to get out of using. Most people will begin using due to peer pressure and trying to fit in. What kids do not realize is that the first time using could lead to addiction. So they will continue using because it makes them feel better about themselves, it becomes a part of who they are. Pretty soon they look around and realize heroin is the only thing they have left, because everyone else has left. These problems teens are facing here in Missouri are the same ones they are facing all over the world. A recent statistic from the International Statistics of Heroin Addiction & Abuse reports that over 9 million people in the world are using heroin. (International) You read stories every day of

Today, in society, there has been a huge rise in the amount of deaths due to heroin overdose and addiction. Heroin and opiate addiction is something that needs to be recognized within our society in order to help protect one another. In this essay, I will explore the different methods of treatment, health insurance issues, and how the addicts affect the society. Information involving treatment for heroin and opiate addicts needs to be more prevalent in society because we do not hear much about how to treat addicts until something goes wrong. With knowing that there are these issues in society, information about treatment and help needs to be addressed more affectively in order to prevent death and other health issues from occurring. Insurance is also a major factor that goes along with treatment, and I believe that treatment and other rehabilitation programs should partially be covered by health insurance in order for the whole process to be affordable. All of the educational parts of these issues go untouched because it is not talked about in many societies; in a news article by Dan Dearth he discusses the concerns of many police officers within the area of Washington County, MD. The police officers believe that Heroin is the up and coming drug that is going to affect many citizens, and there is no education about how Heroin affects an individuals body and mental stability. Therefore, the educational part of this situation needs to be introduced more within the society

In my opinion, there is a heroin epidemic within my community and many other communities nationwide. In Will County in December of 2015 one of my childhood friends passed away from a heroin overdose. Heroin use is an issue that is prevalent within our community and has affected an immeasurable amount of people. Heroin addiction is extremely detrimental to young adults and must be combated with a multi-faceted approach. The prevalence of pill mills, teen’s access to prescription pills, a lack of drug education, and the defunding for alternative pain management strategies have driven the increased demand for heroin. The defunding of physical rehabilitation centers and the increased focus on prescription medication as the answer to all aliments

Both locally and nationally, the opioid and heroin epidemic is greatly affecting communities everywhere. People should care about this epidemic because it is changing the way you live more than you think. As drug use increases, the average income decreases, as that person can no longer hold a job. Opioid addicts cause psychological problems, which doesn’t only affect the person with the illness, but communities as a whole, as often times they no longer keep up with personal hygiene, or function as well as a healthy individual. Drug abuse also affects the child of the user. Children of drug abusers are more likely to become users in their futures, becoming a never ending

Another northwestern county in Ohio with a growing problem is Fulton which is located west of Lucas. In addition to the heroin problem, 8% of the county’s 6-12 graders have admitted to taking prescription medication in order to receive a high (Coehrs). That’s just one county that has children under 18 taking medication to find a high. This high can lead to trying to locate a more powerful drug when the effects are not the same. People switch to heroin because it’s cheaper than prescription medication (Coehrs). Once people are addicted to their prescribed medication and can’t afford to keep supplying it for the addiction, they try and see a cheap alternative which happens to be heroin but heroin brings more of a risk. There are some addicts that want help but, many addicts can’t locate a place for help when

Heroin users and overdose deaths are on the rise. Especially among young middle-class white citizens (Seelye, 2015). Why is the amount of heroin users rising and how is the government handling this epidemic? There is a strong correlation between the increase of prescription painkillers and the amount of heroin users. “People who are dependent on prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to abuse or be dependent on heroin” (Seelye, 2015). One of the main reason there has been a recent increase of heroin users in the last decade is because there has also been an increase of prescription opioids such as OxyContin. And the government has never tested a way to stop the increase of drug users other than harsh

This essay is exclusively focused on the narcotic heroin. This drug makes the user highly