Opioid Addiction Effects On Family

Opioid abuse in America is a current health issue, like any other, where we view the problem from an analytical standpoint. While the numbers are devastating my main motivation for choosing this study comes from an emotionally driven place. Personally, I’ve known people who have been sucked into the addictive effects of opioids and, for years, it has affected an entire family’s, that I am close to, life from one person’s abuse of opioids. An example that many don’t think of when they imagine opioid abuse is how a simple mother could go from being an ordinary housewife to an opioid abuser, where her children are too scared to bring friend’s back home due to their mother’s state, and how she’s devolved into a person who steals from her

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.

Addiction is not an individual problem but something that affects the whole family. Stevens and Smith (2013) state that families will “readjust to redistributing responsibilities to accommodate the user” (pp. 247-248). Children learn to adapt to their dysfunctional family, including taking more responsibilities on when their parent cannot because of their addiction. Families need to be included in treatment so that they can learn positive ways to help their family member without enabling them. The Bible states in Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed” (New Living Translation). God designed humans to need each other that is why he created Eve as Adam’s helpmate. Having a support system

The opioid epidemic is not an issue that can be solved in a timely manner. Solving this world issue has to be accompanied by cooperation from addicts and their supporters. This epidemic hits home with a surrounding town ranked 5th in the nation for opioid abuse. With that said, the hope is within the coming years, the epidemic can be resolved and people’s lives can be

In the United States, there has been upward swing of opioid abuse over the past decade. Overdose deaths involving opioids – both prescription pain relievers and heroin – almost quadrupled between 1999 and 2014. Well-intentioned efforts to curb prescription opioid abuse have yielded new policies with unfortunate, unforeseen consequences for the 15% of the US population that suffer from chronic pain – nearly 45 million people.

Nonmedical Prescription-Opioid abuse in the United States and Michigan has continued to rise, and with it, the devastating results that accompany it. Research has shown that increased opioid abuse leads to an increase in overdose and death, increases in crime and increased incidences of costly blood borne diseases like HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis. It also leads to increased societal costs, such as an increasing number of children in foster care and increased healthcare, workplace and criminal justice costs that can decimate communities and local budgets. Many communities were caught with their heads in the sand, as they were overwhelmed by the influx of prescription opioids into their communities. When policies were finally implemented to curb the amount of prescription opioids in their communities, rates of heroin use (also an opioid) began to skyrocket and people began realizing they had an opioid epidemic on their hands. How to combat this heroin epidemic has been the topic of many debates. This article will attempt to examine the relationship of nonmedical prescription-opioid abuse and its effects on heroin use.

Substance abuse is a very current problem in the United States. Opiate addiction is a particularly difficult problem in the State of Vermont where the abuse of prescription opioids has created addictions for many individuals. The problem of substance abuse has severe repercussions that may encompass severe dependence and overdose.1 Substance abuse is an epidemic that cannot be ignored. However, the combined forces of over-prescription, addiction and subsequent unemployment may mean that coverage for treatment for opioid addiction is not guaranteed even with increased Medicaid access through the Affordable care Act (ACA).

Philips Alcabes article” Medication Nation”, explores the personal and cultural problems that citizens of the United States face with opioid addiction. Alcabes uses modern research and cultural influences to make the article timely and important to today. Alcabes writes:

Does anyone you know and or love currently struggle with opioid addiction? Have you witnessed the loss of a life due to opioid addiction? Opioid addiction is a major issue we are all facing the United States either directly or indirectly. The opioid epidemic has continued to grow yearly, and shows no real solutions in the trend of it slowing down or it coming to an end. Doctors are well aware of this information and are working to reduce the number of opioid abuse cases created at the source. There are options available to addicts including but not limited to inpatient rehabilitation programs, detoxification programs/facilities, and outpatient counseling support. These options cost a significant amount of money, unaffordable to most addicts,

The relationship between the rising rates of prescription-opioid abuse and heroin use has led to increases in crime, incidences of HCV and HIV, and drastic increases on overdose and death. In fact, between 1999 and 2010 opioid-related mortality increased 415% among women and 265% among men (King et al, 2014). According to King et al (2014), the main causes of this increase in deaths can be attributed to prescriber error, user behavior and characteristics and systemic determinants. Their research found that opioid prescribers may have played a role in the increase in deaths by prescribing higher doses of opioids and at higher volumes, and by prescribing oxycodone and methadone. In fact, between 1999 and 2010, sales of prescription opioids to U.S. hospitals, clinics and pharmacies increased four-fold, and with it an accompanying increase in opioid-related mortality (King et al, 2014). They also found that between 1997 and 2006, U.S. retail sales of methadone increased 1177%, oxycodone 732%, fentanyl 479% and sales of hydromorphone, hydrocodone and morphine increased between 196% and 274%.

Opioid abuse is deadly and silently decimating families across the country. It is legally used for a medication to treat severe pain but commonly used for patients after they come out of a surgery.The Opioid epidemic is a national health issue that needs to be addressed, and made a widespread topic of discussion.

The opioid crisis is greatly affecting communities nationwide. This epidemic has escalating death rates that are ruining families and taking tolls on a whole generation. The issue of the opioid crisis matters to me because it has impacted many people and families, including my own. On November 23, 2013 my high school sweetheart passed away from an overdose at the age of twenty. The experience of being by his bedside with his family for two and half days while he was on life support is something I will never forget. I had never been through something like this and never hope to again. This great loss was

Summary: The video and associated article are primarily the first-hand account of an opioid addict who had attempted to detox alone unsuccessfully and then found medical assistance. Aside from the first-hand account the information mentioned in the video and article is insinuated to be from University of Kansas Health System Addiction Center and their staff. The link to the addiction center is provided and for further resources the audience is directed to another webpage on KMBC for other withdrawal and treatment centers. The audience of this news segment is those suffering from opioid addiction and their family members. The segment is also targeted in combination with a series other articles sharing the same overall title “State of Addiction” at the local community to create awareness of opioid addiction. The video expressed a tone of hope

Opioid addiction also causes strain on the family member and they will spend more time fighting about the addiction. All throughout the years, political officials have prevented us from putting in place the policies needed to effectively stop this crisis. Since the demand and interest of opioids such as OxyContin and other new painkiller were popular, pharmaceutical companies started to market the drug (Burke 2017). This then lead to a high number of physicians accepting to prescribe prescriptions opioid to their patients. One can argue that is this a way in which a doctor can be able to make more money in their pocket (Burke 2017). In the year 2012 alone, doctors wrote around 260 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers to their patients. After years and years of people demanding change and millions of deaths, on October 2017, President Trump revealed that his Administration was to proclaim the opioid crisis as a “national Public Health Emergency under federal law.” Aside from this, new policies and measures have been taken into place such as drastically changing the way doctors prescribe opioids to their patients, controlling the supply of illegal drugs, and creating easy ways in which people can access drugs that can reverse opioid overdoses (Burke

Many individuals in the United States that abuse opioid drugs have risk factors that have shown an association of risk factors that influenced these behaviors. One being, those whose parents were drug-user or suffered from mental health illnesses, child abuse and maltreatment, and had poor supervision (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015). Also, communities with high violence and poverty rates show an increased risk of opioid abuse (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015). Lastly, social norms and laws favorable to opioid use, as well as racism, and lack of economic opportunity are also very influential in the abuse of opioids (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015).