Sartre's Philosophy Or Free-Will?

There is no question that the alarming rate of deaths related to opioid overdose needs to be addressed in this county, but the way to solve the problem seems to remain a trial and error approach at this point. A patient is injured, undergoes surgery, experiences normal wear and tear on a hip, knee or back and has to live with that pain for the rest of their life or take a narcotic pain medication in order to improve their quality of life and at least be able to move. The above patients are what narcotic pain medications were created for, a population of people that use narcotic pain medications for fun is what is creating a problem. Narcotics are addictive to both populations, however taking the narcotic for euphoric reasons is not the intention of the prescription that the physician is writing. The healthcare system needs to find a way to continue to provide patients that experience chronic pain with the narcotics that work for them while attempting to ensure the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) doesn’t have to worry about a flood of pain pills hitting the streets by granting access to the population with a substance abuse problem.

The word “epidemic” itself spreads fear throughout society, however fluctuations in drug use are considered epidemics, which may not instill fear into the general public. Due to the fact that the CDC considers opioid overdose as a national epidemic, it may be confused to what this “epidemic” entails. This is not saying that the misuse and rising overdoses due to opioid painkillers is not a serious problem, it just may render the severity of the problem. In addition, because the CDC does consider the rise of overdoses due to painkillers an epidemic, the access to treatment needs to be more widely available. Through one of the interactions I had during my time at the NA meeting, I was able to understand that many people feel as though they do not or did not have access to help. Dan Mangan (2016), writes, “[a] survey released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation also found that a large majority of Americans believe that lack of access to care for people suffering from substance abuse is a problem in the United States.” In this, those who work in medicine should take from my supporting observations and numerous studies’ that access to recovery programs need to become more widely available. If the United States is going to consider the use of opioid painkillers as an epidemic, action needs to be taken to assist addicts and educate the nation on the effects of these

It’s a national emergency. We’re going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis,”. Much effort and study will be necessary to help curb the growing pandemic which can affect every American who has ever had, or will have a condition which necessitates them to take prescription painkillers. It’s a widespread and very legitimate problem, and each one of us must “swallow the pill” and admit- we are all just one injury away from being potentially addicted

The opioid epidemic that has taken over the United States is likely the largest public health crisis that our country has faced in the 21st century. It has torn countless families and small rural communities apart in its wake, and does not currently show signs of slowing down anytime in the near future. In the last couple decades, the United States’ government has addressed the epidemic as a criminal problem. Treating those affected by the opioid crisis like criminals has not yielded positive results overall. For some time, the public opinion has predominantly been that this epidemic should not be blamed on anyone other than those who take these opioids, and that it is their own personal downfalls and bad judgement that is responsible for their specific situation. While opioid abusers certainly deserve some accountability for their actions, there is abundant evidence of greater forces at work that have a lot of influence on their decisions.

America is in the midst of yet another drug-related epidemic only this time it is the worst opioid overdose epidemic the world has seen since the late 1990’s. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2016), “since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids has quadrupled.” Opioids (including prescription opioids and heroin) killed more than 33,000 people in 2015, more than any year on record. (Rudd, Seth, David, School, 2015). With overdoses from heroin, prescription drugs, and opioid pain relievers surpassing car accidents as the leading cause of injury-related death in America, it became clear that swift and comprehensive legislation was needed for treatment, recovery support and prevention education in communities

The opioid epidemic has been the worst thing that has happened to our community or our country as a whole, much of which might have be prevented if doctor’s were not so quick to prescribe prescription after prescription of opioids on to their patients. According to Nora D. Volkow, Director, of the NIDA, The Federal government has provided restrictions on the over use of prescription medications and because individuals have developed dependence on the prescription opioids they resort to obtaining them illegally, and in some cases they are resorting to heroin for it is cheaper and easier to obtain (NIDA). Yes, these individuals have a choice to take them, and for a while they are alright, although as seen above the continued use can cause dependence which will cause withdrawal if they do not have these medications leading many to illegally obtaining and using these drugs. This is one reason one fights to see more treatment centers people can go, more harm reduction therapies that are going to help them become clean and live lives that are functional and socially

The United States is currently going through an Opioid crisis, with thousands dying every year. This crisis affects public health as well as social and economic welfare, costing taxpayers billions of dollars a year.

Showing the connection of opioid treatment being manipulated and influenced by the patients themselves which influences the current epidemic. If the doctor stops the supply of opioids to a patient who is dependent or addicted, this patient is more likely to turn to getting the pain killers off the street. This includes illegally purchased prescriptions, or even heroin. One does not have to of been prescribed opioids to become addicted. One may start off using opioids from off the street for many reasons. One may be in pain but knows the doctor isn’t going to help them, or it is even possible for one to become addicted to opioids just from using them recreationally or to self-medicate. This leads to major risks of opioid addiction and the chance of a fatal overdose. Overdoses in the United States continue to be an issue we are all fighting and witnessing on a daily basis. Opioids were involved in 42,249 deaths in 2016, and opioid overdose deaths were five times higher in 2016 than 1999 ("Opioid Overdose" 2017). There should be an unsettling feeling when reading that the opioid overdose deaths have been multiplied by 5 from 1999 to 2016. This is showing that the issue of opioid abuse is trending in the upward direction of getting worse as time goes on. By finding a solution to avoiding opioid dependency and addiction, the issue of fatal overdoses in the United States can also be

The Opioid Epidemic has effect a vast majority of the American population and has destroyed and taken these American's lives. Certainly, every American has seen the effects of opioid addition and how it effects their loved ones. It has crumbled families and pushed people apart. It is almost as if anyone can walk the streets of their home town and find the shells of once successful people turn inside out in to homeless lonely beggars scavenging for there next pill, but corrupt drug companies have forced there substances onto these people just to take all they have.

In Anika Reed’s article “Drug Abuse”, it is reported that between 59,000 and 65,000 people died from drug related overdoses last year. In fact, it is a 19% increase from 2015, which is the most substantial annual increase ever recorded. Not only that but opioids, heroin and painkillers, took a major part in that statistic by raking in a whopping 33,000 Americans, and for the first time in recent history heroin surpassed gun homicides. This is a rather alarming set of statistics, each of these deaths affected not only loved ones but the humans who serve to save these lives. Consequently, in 2014, opioids were responsible for 1.27 million emergency room visits, 99% rise since 2005, and impatient care which was also a 64% increase (Reed). Ultimately, overdose related deaths are only going to continue unless we as country pull together and fight against addiction

Studies show that in the last 15 years the rate of opioid overdose deaths has paralleled the rate at which opioid prescriptions are given. Each year the number of deaths attributed to opioid overdose has increased, reaching 47,055 in 2014 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Still other statistics state that 4 out of 5 heroin users started on prescribed narcotics. When they could no longer obtain the drug legally, they turned to illegal means. Doctors at the American Medical Association, Hallam M. Gugelmann and Jeanmarie Perrone, state that “Individual use of prescription opioids increased 402% from 1997 to 2007. This increase in opioid prescribing parallels substantial increases in opioid addiction, fatal overdoses, and diversion of these drugs for recreational or nonmedical use.” The skyrocketing of overdose and death, as well as the millions of dollars expended for treatment has lead to a public outcry for change. Accomplishing this change seems daunting. How will America go about fixing such a pervasive problem? Logically, the only solution lies in changing the habits of the medical practitioners who are prescribing these medications and who started this

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

The United States is currently under an opioid epidemic where the abuse of opioids has increased significantly within the last 20 years. It is important to understand that relapse for opioid users is common. This problem has been around for a while; studies have shown that “higher recidivism proportions were found for shorter tenure clients” (Joe, Lloyd, Simpson, & Singh, 1982). Specifically, from 2002-2007 “nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers grew from 11.0 million to 12.5 million people in the United States” (Meyer, Patel, Rattana, Quock, & Mody, 2014). This trend shows that opioid abuse is a growing issue and it requires direct action. Research has disclosed that in 2011, 2.2 million Americans were in jail/prison, and “[o]f those

“The total toll from prescription opioid overdoses exceeds 175,000, three times the U.S. body count in the Vietnam war” (“Pain Medications are Killing…” 1). In 2013, half as many people died in a traffic accident than overdosed, and 2,000 less had been murdered (“Pain Medications are Killing…” 1). Opioid prescription has contributed to a rise in heroin abuse and deaths, because opioid patients turn to find new and stronger drugs and seek a street equivalent chemical that is easy to find and cheap to use (“Pain Medications are Killing…” 2). It has also lead to a rise in other drugs, and today there is the highest prescription and drug abuse rates ever. Not only is it causing deaths, but it is causing debt in America. To address the scale of

Sartre's main point is that from the moment we are thrown into the world, we must be completely responsible for all of our actions. There