Not Just a Bad Habit
The opioid epidemic is one of the largest epidemic facing the United States today. However, it is silently sweeping the nation.
We need to advocate for those who no longer can advocate for themselves.
27/04/2020
Only 30 seconds of your day
https://youtu.be/IZ9CGi-9J50
Ann Marie’s Rx Awareness Story Ann Marie shares her story as a mother who tragically lost her 22-year-old son to a prescription opioid overdose. Comments on this video are allowed in accor...
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A compelling video you should take time to watch.
Understanding the Opioid Epidemic | Understanding the Opioid Epidemic Trailer A documentary that combines stories of people and communities impacted by opioids.
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https://www.cedarcolorado.org/articles/addiction-science/what-makes-fentanyl-so-dangerous/
What Makes Fentanyl So Dangerous? One of the most publicized topics in the news today is that of opioid overdose death, especially as it concerns the opioid fentanyl. What actually is fentanyl and how is this drug so dangerous? This article looks at the scientific background of fentanyl.
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A Washington State University senior who had his whole life ahead of him. Now he will never get to achieve the dreams he's always had. Fentanyl kills. Young people are dying every single day from it. Multiple times stronger than morphine is not an exaggeration. It says “drug overdose” but it also says accidental. Remember that. It’s not your typical drug overdose. The smallest amount of fentanyl can kill anyone accidentally.
https://dnews.com/sports/coroner-beekman-died-of-drug-overdose/article_8a79c806-c69b-5cc5-a3dc-0601ffdd21f6.html?fbclid=IwAR1skYz_UCqCx_u-lm-KfBeWHIJDDvwHM1CCKt-4aLjjAFaRH4RKzenajHA
Coroner: Beekman died of drug overdose A county coroner said Friday the death of Washington State football player Bryce Beekman in March was the result of acute intoxication involving two drugs, including the powerful painkiller fentanyl.
27/04/2020
Cal was such a beautiful soul, but now he is one of thousands of numbers of people who died of a drug overdose. No one saw it coming, and you won't either until it happens to you.
https://lmtribune.com/obituaries/cal-daniel-heinen/article_11d2b1a4-f3fb-57ca-a665-df32f31f93ac.html?fbclid=IwAR3zGKjArlzzFpfBIOM0Bu_lNNqg-aiyJfvJ4DtQ9noKZDyBfTqK3uKJP74
Cal Daniel Heinen That smile. That laugh.
Addressing people who are already addicted to opioids is not enough to fix the brokenness of the opioid epidemic. By focusing our efforts solely on those people, we are failing to prevent a new generation of people from becoming addicted to opioids as well. The most prevailing fuel to the epidemic is the use of illicit opioids like imported fentanyl. The way to start scaling prevention is to team up with law enforcement and put more money into drug sniffing dogs at the border and in police departments across the nation. Curing those who are addicted is not enough, but prevention can lead many more lives to be saved.
One of the biggest arguments to help stop the opioid epidemic is to legalize alternative drugs like ma*****na. Although this is a viable option, there is no purpose in stopping one drug epidemic to slide into another one. Like ci******es, “ma*****na smoke contains carcinogens, so it may increase your risk of lung cancer too” (Legg 2017). Ma*****na also increases your heart rate significantly, so it can put people at risk for heart attacks or other cardiac issues. Legalizing this substance will also give more of an opportunity for youth and teens to get their hands on it. Additionally, “people who use ma*****na before age 18 are 4 to 7 times more likely to develop” a permanent addition to the substance (Barclay 2019). Heavy smoking can also lead teens to have a decreased IQ by an average of eight points. This “eight-point reduction in IQ is enough to have a significant, negative impact upon your life” and “when teenagers expose their brains to a damaging substance like ma*****na, the effects aren’t just drastic… they’re permanently etched into the brain” (Bradberry 2015).
Legalizing alternative drugs is not the cure for the opioid epidemic. We need to band together as a society to help the prevention of this substance to new generations. It is our job to work together with law enforcement and other agencies who can provide grants to prevent other substances like fentanyl from ever entering the country and the blood stream of those who are susceptible to drug abuse.
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Opioid addiction doesn't always look like the first picture. It often looks like Cal Heinen. A healthy, 23 year old who looked as happy and full of life as he always did. It's hard to tell when someone is struggling, so make sure you check on your loved ones.
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In 2016 alone more than 42,000 deaths occurred due to opioid overdoses. An estimated 40% of overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid. This isn't just about illegal drugs anymore, this is real life, and it can happen to anyone. Click for more details on The U.S. Department of Health and Human services created a 5 point plan to combat the opioid crisis that was finally declared a public health emergency.
https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html
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In the decade of some of the biggest political disagreement of all time, there are still issues that society deems so tragic that almost every citizen wants to fight against it. Today, that tragedy is called the Opioid Epidemic, and it killed 47,600 people in 2017 alone (CDC). These death rates are only climbing higher as the years tick by, and many people have no idea it is happening at all.
The scariest thing about this epidemic is that it is taking ahold of people without them even realizing it’s happening. No one looks at their life as a child and says that they want to grow up to be a drug addict or an alcoholic, it just happens. More and more synthetic opioids are being made every day and distributed to college students or young adults by friends or people who also do not know any better. The addiction starts so subtly that action is not taken until it is often too late.
What people do not realize is that this epidemic can take over any family. I attended a high school that only had an average of fifteen people in each graduating class, and there were many schools in our district that were the same. In November of 2019, only a week before thanksgiving break, Cal Heinen, a graduate of Kendrick High School in Idaho, took a pill that unknowingly to him was laced with fentanyl. Cal was only 23 years old when his grandma found him the next morning. He died from an accidental drug overdose leaving behind his parents, girlfriend, family, and his younger sister who was his best friend. This family was like any other family from a small rural town in Idaho. They never picture something like this happening to anyone in their community, let alone their loved one.
The sad thing is that the Heinen’s are not the only ones that have been terrorized with this. This is an epidemic that only leaves grief and suffering behind. Nothing will change if we as a nation do not act upon this. We have a duty to save the lives of thousands by being educated and educating others about the horrific truth behind what a small pill can do.
If you don't think that the opioid epidemic affects you, you're wrong. Imagine anyone in your life that said they partied in college. Or more simply, someone who just had surgery, or even had surgery years ago. Were they prescribed heavy painkillers? Have you noticed a change of behavior in any friends, family, coworkers? Anyone can battle with this addiction, and the scariest part is that it can go unnoticed until it's too late. Don't let addiction take someone from you-- prevent it now before it's too late.
27/04/2020
Think about your most loved family member. Now, think about what would happen if that same person took a single pill while no one was paying attention. The next day, it's discovered that this same family member accidentally drug overdoes from a fentanyl laced opioid know that the drug had illegal fentanyl in it. No one did, but now it's too late. Their urge to get a simple high from the little white pills they've been taking since college now turned deadly. This is happening everywhere. If you think it can't effect you, look at the news. Look anywhere. Check on your loved ones. Get them help if you know they have struggled with addiction. If you don't, you will regret it for the rest of your life.
27/04/2020
Today, we live in a country shocked by a global pandemic. Hundreds of prevention's and precautions are being taken to make sure that people stay home so that they will not get sick. Many people have died from COVID-19, but there is another epidemic that has killed even more people, and we are doing little to prevent it. The town of Portsmouth, Ohio has become a symbol for this very epidemic. However, this problem is sweeping the nation, and has been silently killing thousands of people. It's time we stood up and worked to prevent one of the greatest tragedies facing our country.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/us/opioids-ohio-image.html
This Town Is Known For Opioids: Can It Escape That Image? Portsmouth, Ohio, is trying. But when an area gets labeled — say Appalachia with poverty or Chicago with gun violence — how do you get people to realize it is also about a lot more?