Opioids are making a resurgence in the black market, evident by the rapidly increasing opioid overdose rates in an increasing fatality count for Maryland every year. The state and local governments have been working to alleviate the issue with increased access to counteractive medications and required rehabilitation. This, however, is draining government funds only to stall, if not worsen, the problem. The best approach to stopping the opioid epidemic of Maryland is to take a similar approach to smoking in treating the situation as a matter of addiction instead of one of drug abuse.
Addiction is a disease, and should be recognized as such. The use of taboo substances has been proven by countless studies and basic observation that the “happy hormones” released during use are similar, if not often identical, to the hormones released when we eat, drink, or relieve primal urges. This makes it easy for our brains to develop a “craving trigger” for these drugs, similar to a rumbling stomach when you are hungry. A mental
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However, studies by multiple major health organizations, including the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the World Health Organization, have linked forced detox programs to a higher relapse rate than treatments sought by recovering users. Psychoanalyst teams from the organizations that did these studies agreed that the higher relapse rate is due to the forced detox-ers losing their sense of freedom by being corralled into the program, similar to how a toddler will not cooperate with getting dressed unless they believe they are in charge. Though treatment programs need to be readily available to those that will take them, forcing repeat users into them without their own desire to get help will only drain government
In the last two decades, opioid addiction started affecting more and more Americans. But who is at fault for this epidemic? The pharmaceutical companies. They make and distribute their drugs to doctors and pharmacies and are making billions off the American worker’s dollar. All while, lying to doctors about these miracle drugs effectiveness and advocating against protective measures for the drugs.
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.
If you have been working in EMS for longer than a week you will probably already know the epidemic that America is facing. The epidemic that I am referring to has no discrimination and anyone can fall victim to it. If it hasn't already destroyed your family in some way then you are one of the lucky few.
According to NIH, millions of people suffer from opioid use disorder throughout the United States. This epidemic has continued to spread and the numbers of people who are becoming addicted is on the rise so much that the total burden of cost is at 78.5 billion dollars per year for prescription opioid misuse, this includes the cost of addiction treatment, criminal justice services, and health care (NIH, 2017. https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-crisis) Unfortunately there does not seem to be an end to this epidemic anytime soon. The numbers are unremarkable; natural and semi-synthetic opioids peeked at 14,427, heroin at 15,446 and synthetic opioids other than methadone at 20,145. That is a total of 50,018 deaths for some type
Opiate addiction is debilitating because it causes many behavioral and psychological effects. This drug is a strong pain reliever that if individuals begin to abuse it, it can cause overdose and even death. Opiate can lead to tolerance, which is the loss of control to distance oneself from a drug. Addicts will continue to use when they’re “fix” is low. Opiates do a lot of harm and is truly debilitating.
My concerned is the current opioid epidemic in our society. There has been a significant increase in the use of opioid analgesics for pain control. There is a corresponding growth in the rate of abuse, misuse, and overdose of these drugs. As a nurse, I had witnessed and continue to witness patients coming in the emergency room from opioids overdose between the ages of 12 and 25 and this situation continue to increase in number. There is a significant increase in number of teenagers using opioid they buy from the street and others the opioid from family member who were given prescription and other situations
Opioid abuse is a growing epidemic within the United States. Not only are people abusing the prescription forms of opioids (such as oxycodone - OxyContin, hydrocodone - Vicodin, codeine, and morphine) by taking more than they are supposed to, but they are also being bought, sold, and used on the streets illegally; such as heroin. Opioids are highly addicting because of the high they can induce in a person, causing a dependence and yearning for continued use (NIDA, n.d.) In 2007, the United States was responsible for over 99 percent of the global consumption of hydrocodone and 83 percent of the global consumption of oxycodone (United Nations Publications, 2009).
I think a current scientific concept that is still merging and forthcoming is the issue with opioid addiction and the epidemic as a whole. Scientist and Chemists are trying to come up with a way to reverse the fatal outcome of the medically inclined drug addiction. Scientists have said that reversing the course of addiction will be much harder than stopping the Zika virus. It's not an issue you can go to the root of the problem, in this case the opioid, and research why it's so fatality addicting. You have to understand that the problem of opioid addiction is actually rooted from compassion. Many people of healthcare and chemical sciences, call the issue Iatrogenesis, coming from the Greek language, meaning “brought forth by the healer”. Not
Davis C. and other’s article Action, Not Rhetoric, Needed to Reverse the Opioid Overdose Epidemic focuses on the ramifications of the Opioid epidemic caused by lack of action by politicians. They state the problem caused by opioids and gives solutions such as medication-assisted treatment, which gives opioid-addicted individuals an improvement in life.
Opioid is the fastest addiction in Iowa. “These are not aspirin,” says Dale Woolery. You can’t mix these painkillers with any other pill or painkillers in fact. Opioid painkillers are 50 to 100 times stronger than any other painkiller, from prescription painkillers to illegal painkillers, which are a knockoff of Heroin. Opioid is in the class of most addicting and lethal pills.
Ouch! The dull, tingle of the pain has gradually escalated to a full on throttle that radiates pain in the lower back. When usually PM over the counter pills would easily make the pain disappear has been replaced by a small dosage of hydrocodone pill. Yet taking the opioid pill at nighttime can be easy for a good, restful sleep and just worry about the pain later the next day. A single dosage at night can be easily manage, for at least many people. A doctor’s advice and prescription to help chronic pain should be a patient’s responsibility, yet there are doctors who have been at fault for overdose deaths.
You likely purchased this book because you or someone you care about is struggling with addiction. I suspect you are searching for help but don’t know where to find guidance based on reliable scientific principles. The information in this book will provide that guidance.
The main issue presented in this article is that current painkillers are highly addictive, and all have extremely risky side effects. This is leading an increasing amount of people each year to form a dependency for these drugs. Ultimately, resulting in more people dying every year from causes that include painkiller addiction also known as opioid addiction.
Opiate abuse and addiction destroys the lives of many people. These drugs are generally used for pain management, but are often misused and abused. This research paper will define the action of opioids, drug categories, withdrawal symptoms, and treatment options that are available.
In the late 1914, people started going into self-detox to get clean. Nurses started admitting to themselves and their bosses that they were not ok and needed help. All around the U.S., people were more open about the problem they faced. With the passage of the Harrison Narcotic act brought physician to help and made it harder for them to get the drugs. From the 1920’s to 1941 there was no faculty to help women. Finally, the Lexington opened to women, but it was 10x harder on them then men. Barbara, stated “by the mid 1960’s, narcotic addiction in the health profession came to be considered a more serious problem than previously suspected” (121). A rehabilitation specifically for Nurses was opened in 1972, only patients taken by this rehab was