Narcotics Anonymous Meeting Analysis

In August of 2016, twenty-six people lives changed, and may never be fixed. In only one week these twenty-six people overdosed on heroin, which three of them died (Police). This is the unseen epidemic because of how unaware people are. People are blind to the prevalence in our community, rising rate of deaths, and seizures, lastly that Narcan will become counterproductive. This unseen epidemic is growing faster than anyone knows, and has to be addressed head on.

Opioids are taking over the United States with its addictive composition, once patients are take opioids there is no escaping. The drug directed from opium which is obtained from a plant (Katz). Opioids are most commonly found in prescription pill from making underground sales more common. Since opioids are derived from a plant this makes the reality of home grown drugs more of an issue. American citizens overdosing on opioids is what is sparking the crisis because opioid “overdoses killed more people last year than guns or car accidents” (Katz). Opioids are extremely addictive and that is why so many citizens overdose on these types of drugs. After patients become hooked on opioids their body constantly is needing more and more opium to escape they pain they think they are enduring. The overdosing of Americans is not a small percentage of the population either, it is estimated that “over two million people in America have problem with opioids” proving this growing issue is an ongoing crisis (Katz). The United States government needs to take action immediately to the opioid crisis because doctors are overprescribing patients because they seemingly overreact to pain, and opioids are one of the most addictive drug types in the world.

In Nolan and Amico’s article, “How Bad is the Opioid Epidemic?” they argue the opioid epidemic has become the worst drug crisis in American history. Heroin and other opioids overdose kill more than 47,055 people a year. Deaths caused from drug overdose has outnumber as much as 40 percent compared to the death caused from car crashes in 2014 (Nolan and Amico 3). Furthermore, in 1999 there were only 15000 people died from drug overdose. This number has tripled in 15 years. Also, in his article, “America’s Addiction to Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse” Volkow also presents the fact that “with an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012 and an estimated 467,000 addicted to heroin. The consequences of this abuse have been devastating and are on the rise. For example, the number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain relievers has

Various levels of governments in different communities across North America have initiated programs to deal with the opioid epidemic and its effect. Some of these initiatives will be examined in more details below.

The United States of America has had a war against drugs since the 37th president, Richard Nixon, declared more crimination on drug abuse in June 1971. From mid-1990s to today, a crisis challenges the health department and government on opioid regulation, as millions of Americans die due overdoses of painkillers. Opioids are substances used as painkillers, and they range from prescription medications to the illegal drug, heroin. Abusing these substances can cause a dependency or addiction, which can lead to overdoses, physical damages, emotional trauma, and death. To ease the crisis, physicians are asked to depend on alternatives to pain management. Law enforcement cracks down on profiting drug-dealers and heroin abusers. People are warned against misusing opioids. The controversy begins for those who suffer from chronic pain, because they depend on opioids. There’s so a correlation to the 1980s cocaine epidemic, and people are upset over racial discrimination. Nonetheless, the best way to avoid this crisis is to recover the people at risk, reduce inappropriate opioid description, and have a proper response.

“De aqui soy,” is the name of the group that I visited last week. This group is located on pacific coast high way in Wilmington, CA. The duration of the meeting is 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Last Thursday round 8:00 pm, I decided to attend NA meeting. (Narcotics Anonymous) I thought that the time was the same like AA meetings. (Alcoholics Anonymous) However, when I arrived to NA, the meeting was on. With respect, I set myself in one of the empty sits in the back of the room. There were 11 people in the meeting. All of them were Latinos or Spanish speakers. The ages were mix from 21 to 60, I think. The history of substance was variable depending the person. They talked about cocaine, crystal, marijuana, crack, etc…

The United States currently faces an unprecedented epidemic of opioid addiction. This includes painkillers, heroin, and other drugs made from the same base chemical. In the couple of years, approximately one out of twenty Americans reported misuse or abuse of prescriptions painkillers. Heroin abuse and overdoses are on the rise and are the leading cause of injury deaths, surpassing car accidents and gun shots. The current problem differs from the opioid addiction outbreaks of the past in that it is also predominant in the middle and affluent classes. Ultimately, anyone can be fighting a battle with addiction and it is important for family members and loved ones to know the signs. The cause for this epidemic is that the current spike of opioid abuse can be traced to two decades of increased prescription rates for painkillers by well-meaning physicians.

Depending on the source, some would term the heroin and opioid problem in the United States a crisis, while others would use the word epidemic. Regardless of which expression is more accurate, the situation regarding heroin and opioid use, abuse and dependence has ignited national, if not global concern. History shows us that pervasive dilemmas have a tendency to cultivate a variety of intervention and the heroin and opioid crisis is no different.

As being a family support attendee for my stepfather, the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) support group, this group main focus is to stay clean from drugs. The members of NA learn and expressed ways on coping, to staying away from drugs, and live a drug-free life with the help of their 12 Step Program. When present at the meeting, the support group was on Step Seven, reading about asking God to remove their shortcomings. Even though the support group is near the end of reading and using the 12 Step Program as part of their lives, an individual wanting to go into recovery is an attempt in making a change. However, the goal is to stay clean and away from drug to keep from having a relapse to alcohol and substance use. An onset to alcohol and substance

In the article, Oaklawn responds to opioid epidemic through a variety of treatment methods, Oaklawn shares how the opioid epidemic came to be and how they are geared to resolve the issue. The opioid epidemic started when physicians in the 1980’s, 90’s and 00’s thought that the only way to treat chronic pain was to keep giving their patients an increase in the pain medications. Physicians are now recognizing their mistake in doing this and are now working together to find a way to help people struggling with opioid addiction.

Companies promised that opioids presented no risk of addiction and soon the rates at which they were prescribed escalated (NIDA). The prescription and sale of opiates has increased by four times, following this portrayal (CDC). It soon became clear, after widespread misuse of prescription narcotics, that they indeed had addictive qualities (NIDA, 2018). Now that addiction is known to be a risk, the portrayal of prescription opioids needs to change. The medical community must portray the reality of taking opioids, to help patients better understand the dangers that come with taking

After two decades, opioid uses have skyrocketed and is now labeled an opioid crisis. Recently, President Donald Trump declared it a national emergency. While United States have declared national emergencies before concerning H1N1 flu and Zika virus, the opioid crisis will have unique challenges. The current system is not equipped to handle the complexities presented by the opioid crisis. West Virginia State Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta said that opioid crisis is the worst health crisis to deal with since it “affects nearly every aspect of the social fabric: individuals struggle with addiction, grandparents have to raise children displaced by addiction, and courts are slammed with drug-related cases” (Meehan & Payne, 2017). Opioid use is a

This epidemic emerged when undertrained physicians and doctors considered prescription opioids as the primary method of solving a nationwide problem, Chronic Pain. Educating clinicians about the proper treatment for chronic pain and signs of addiction will reduce rates of dependency, overdosing, and deaths. This epidemic has affected me personally and it is why I chose to investigate a solution. When I was in high school prescription opioids were the craze, students I knew would pop, crush and snort pills in between classes and most of them, including myself, had no clue of the dangers that came with misusing prescription opioids. Eventually, most of them struggled to feel the same or reach the same high as they once had. Shortly after, heroin became the new drug of choice in my hometown and right as that happened, I started losing touch with many people I once knew. I was young and I didn’t want any part of what they were doing so I tried to avoid interactions with that crowd. At 16 years old, I had already been to funerals for 3 different friends that died from an overdose. Had I known more, I may have been able to reach out and help one of them. Prescription opioids help patients treat pain, however they also ruin people’s lives. Do you know people in your life that are stuck in a cycle of dependency and addiction at risk? Don’t wait and make the same mistake as I had. Direct those in need to the

The negative stigma surrounding opioid addiction is not only dangerous and harmful but promotes marginalization to the individuals who are carrying the burden of these negative labels. It can cause them to be misdiagnosed as well as be given improper treatment. (National Pain Report, 2015). In addition, it may discourage those individuals from seeking help. Narcan has been proven to be effective at reversing the effects of an overdose and has been credited in reversing 10,000 overdoses from 1996 to 2010. In Boston, Massachusetts police officers started carrying Narcan and were able to respond to 591 overdoses and reverse 491of them. (The Marshall Project, 2015) Narcan is slowly becoming available to be purchased over the counter. Rhode Island is one of those states, and it is imperative to disseminate this information to the people of Rhode Island. Lastly, a multidisciplinary approach addressing the further training of those at the clinical level and the criminal justice level. Physicians along with law enforcement will be required to complete education on overdose prevention, drug addiction, and the effects of the opioid antagonist Narcan. This action plan will arm the public with insight and further the knowledge of just how damaging the opioid addiction is, not only on a state level but a national and global level. Further, data and evidence will convince

National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that between the years of 2002 and 2012 the usage of heroin was 19% higher with the people that had already been prescribed pain medications.“Pooling data from 2002 to 2012, the incidence of heroin initiation was 19 times higher among those who reported prior nonmedical pain reliever use than among those who did not (NIDA). The idea that various doctors just throughout the united states are over-prescribing opioids is extremely concerning. This means that they are being careless, possibly being fooled by patients, and it means that they are ultimately partially responsible for the growing opioid epidemic. Bigger actions need to be taken by all levels of society to attempt to maintain and control this devastating reality. Along with research form many different studies performed throughout the united states, people also have suffered personally from the opioid epidemic. Overdoses are one of the top reasons for death in the US. They happen just about everywhere in the world, but more so in the United states that anywhere else. Congressman Zeldin Lee claims that ““As a whole, our nation has been debilitated by the rise of the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic, and as heroin and opioids flood the streets of our communities on Long Island and across America, the issue continues to become increasingly personal.”