Overdose: A Case Study

As we learned in class last week, victimless crime can be one of many things. Victimless crime is defined as a crime taking place where there are no harmful injuries done from one person to another. Instead, the damage being done is committed by the individual who is committing the crime. Some examples of a victimless crime are, Drug use, prostitution, gambling, suicide, traffic citations and trespassing.

Upon arrival we made contact with Justin Pearce, walking with his girlfriend and his children at the end of the driveway near the Farm to Market Road. While speaking to Justin Pearce I detected the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath and or person. Justin Pearce stated he and his sister Erica Hammer got into a physical argument and had assaulted one another. I observed Justin Pearce to have obvious signs of injury to his person, including a swollen knot on the left side of his upper

Upon arrival, I had initially provided support in standing by while the Narcotics team went through the house getting everyone out. I then was asked to assist in search the two female subjects that were detained. While searching the females I went back to my vehicle to grab another set of gloves. While I was doing this, I had seen Officer Fredrick #1111 had one of the subjects identified as Keith Gray W/M (DOB: 07/09/1958) on the ground. Officer Fredrick had advised me the subject just fell face forward. With my EMT medical knowledge I looked at the subject and noticed that he was having what appeared to be

) Discuss the public health impact of opioid misuse and abuse, including costs related to healthcare and criminal justice costs. Opioid drugs are valuable medications in treating acute and chronic pain that cannot be managed with nonopioid therapy, but inappropriate prescribing can cause serious harm. Taking higher doses or a combination of short-acting and long-acting opioids are likely to be abused and can also cause serious dose-related adverse effects that can include death. Opioid abuse affects the community and families in some way. It can lead missed work and sometimes it can be a problem keeping a job. Therefore, it is important that we obtain medication history to give us a picture of the patient pain medication history. While opioid

America is struggling with a new epidemic that is taking several lives every day. “Prescription drug overdoses claim at least 40 lives daily” ("Prescription Drug Overdose," n.d.Para 1). The opioid crisis occurring across the nation is devastating. A major problem is that once patients become dependent on these prescription medications, they are reportedly seeking more affordable alternatives such as heroin or fentanyl. In addition, patients may be switching to heroin when their doctor suddenly discontinues the medication they have become dependent on. Chronic pain is a controversial issue because opioid management can be beneficial but also detrimental as seen in recent years. “Between 2002–2016, deaths soared by 533% nationwide, from under

Many addictions to these opiates are caused by inaccurate treatment of pain by the patient’s doctors. According to Andrea M. Garcia, “Treatment of pain is inadequate due to uncertain diagnoses, societal stigma, the lack of effective treatments, and inadequate patient and clinician knowledge about the best ways to manage pain. Prescription painkiller overdose has reached epidemic proportions over the past decade.” When patients visit a doctor’s office due to pain, they often do not elaborate on the pain they feel or give accurate diagnosis of the pain they are experiencing. Patients will often over exaggerate their pain level in order to be prescribed higher doses of narcotics. Shoulder or knee pain is a very common complaint. Patients who

Upon arrival, I heard inaudible screaming from the rear of the residence, at this time through the open rear window I observed a male subject screaming from the staircase. I made contact with the male subject inside his residence (Diaz, Johnny DOB 08/01/72), Diaz appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. I detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from Diaz. While speaking with Diaz, I observed a cut on his left middle knuckle. Diaz related that he injured his hand working on trucks. I observed an open syringe on the kitchen floor laying next to a burnt metal tin (one photo taken and later placed into inventory). Diaz related that he is a heroin user and is taking prescribed methadone.

When my brother Brandon was thirteen he told his siblings he wanted to start a life of crime. My brother is a drug addict. His life has been ruined by his addiction. He has been arrested more times than I can count for selling drugs and for domestic violence. Brandon has stolen and lied and hurt all his family members at least a dozen times each because getting high is the only thing he can focus on. His only friends are drug addicts and he steals from them too. His mind can only focus on drugs and how he is going to find his next high. I have tried to help him, but every time I try something awful happens and I am left wishing I had never tried. I have not talked to my brother in many years. He wants to be a part of our family again, but

In the case of the adolescent male, John who comes from a well to do family and the personal challenges he has experienced which include severe learning and behavioral disabilities, substance abuse problems and a history of delinquency, I have niece who comes from a good family and she’s travel the road with drugs. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why my niece had a substance abuse issue her parents don’t drink or smoke, there were behavioral and academic challenges which existed. I always told my sister that giving this child everything was not a good idea. My sister would not allow anyone to spank her or tell my niece she was wrong and on top of that this child would roll her eyes at people and think it was funny. This was a red

According to Collins, Koutsky, Morsheimer and Maclean Alcohol use is a serious problem on college campuses (2001). ). In a given 2-week period, 40% of college students drank heavily at least once, and 22% did so 3 or more times (O'Malley & Johnston, 2002; Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, & Lee, 2000). Serious personal, peer, and institutional consequences accompany this type of drinking (Knight et al., 2002). Student alcohol use is associated with absenteeism, poor grades, regrets, relationship difficulties, unwanted sexual behaviors, personal injury, legal troubles, alcohol overdose, assault, and suicide (e.g., Engs, Diebold,& Hanson, 1996). Many students who present at college counseling

HAIR a sample of hair is remove direct from the head are from a hair brush. A single hair can tell the DNA of someone. Hair analysis can also pick up certain health issues.Hair is predominantly used to test for drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana (THC) and heroin, and more recently tests have been created to determine if the deceased was drinking heavily in the last few months before death.

Client experiences depression, and alcohol and drug use. His depression has increased significantly since moving to North Dakota from California. Client states he believes he has been feeling depressed since he was young. He states praying to God to take his life during the night. Client discussed having issues surrounding substance during his undergraduate degree. He's mandated to counseling for the use of marijuana. Client denies current marijuana use but states he does drink every weekend to the point of blackout. He reports he does not leave his house when he drinks, and he drinks alone often finishes a 1.75 of hard liquor. Client states the use is done to escape the life he has and to subdue the negative emotions. He reported abuse from

CRIME SCENE: A single family single story residence located at the address of 1644 Ludington Avenue, Wesley Chapel, FL 33543

“Ma’am I would like to discuss what happened,” He wearily stated, “Elena was brought in by ambulance, she was picked up at a friend’s house,”

Heroin use and overdose related deaths have increased considerably in the United States in recent years (Jones, Logan, Gladden, & Bohm, 2015). The results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health [NSDUH] (2014), showed in the year 2013, approximately 517,000 Americans abused heroin, which was almost a 150 percent increase since 2007 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2014). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] (2014), in the year 2011, 4.2 million people who were twelve years of age or older said they used heroin at least once in their lifetime. Furthermore, data from NSDUH showed approximately 460 people, twelve years of age or older, used heroin each day in 2013 (Lipari and Hughes, 2015). An even more frightening statistic is death rates doubled for people who were twelve years of age or older as a result of heroin overdose in the years 2010 through 2012 (Hedegaard, Chen, and Warner, 2015).