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The Opioid Epidemic: Everything You Need to Know

Every day, there are on average 130 people in the United States who die due to an overdose on opioids.

“Opioids reach every part of society: blue collar, white collar, everybody. It’s nonstop. It’s every day. And it doesn’t seem like it’s getting any better.”
Walter Bender
A Deputy Sheriff in Montgomery County, Ohio

What is the United States Opioid Epidemic?

In the later years of the 1990’s, pharmaceutical companies took hold of the wonder drug. Drugs derived from opium relieves pain tremendously, and according to the pharmaceutical companies, there was no risk for dependency. With this information, health care providers started to prescribe opioids at a much higher rate.

This increase in prescriptions led to much higher rates of use, and thus misuse and abuse of opioids. When individuals who had been prescribed opioid medications started misusing them and then could not obtain anymore, they would turn to non-prescription opioids such as heroin. This is where it became clear that opioids were addictive.

The Opioid Epidemic: By the Numbers

There have been three notable waves of the Opioid Epidemic:

The first wave: Prescription opioid deaths increase in the 1990s, correlating with the increase in prescriptions from health-care providers.
The second wave: Began in 2010, where deaths rapidly accrued involving the use of heroin.
The third wave: Began in 2013, with the significant increase in deaths due to the cause of illicitly-manufactured opioids such as fentanyl.

What Can We Do?

According to the CDC, we can do a multitude of things to cut down the rising opioid overdoses. These things include:

Building prevention efforts
Improving data quality and tracking trends
Supporting healthcare providers and health systems in order to improve prescribing practices
Partnering with public safety
Encouraging consumers to make safe choices and raising awareness about opioid misuse and abuse

What Can You Do About the Opioid Epidemic Right Now?

As we have seen so far in previous my previous posts, the opioid crisis is upon us and it is relevant to all of us. But you may be wondering, what can I do about it? The answer is staying up to date on relevant information about the opioid epidemic, and ultimately keeping yourself educated.

Below, I have compiled three apps that can be found on your iOS app store to help you stay educated in three areas on this topic.

Relevant facts/statistics on the opioid crisis
Overdose prevention
Overdose medication

App #1: CDC

App Name: CDC
App Developer: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
App Price: Free for all users!
Platforms available: Available for android and iOS 8.0 or higher
Suggested Uses: The app ensures that you’re getting the most up to date health information. The home screen lets you see all your information in one place and updates whenever your device is connected to WI-FI.
App Ratings: The current version of CDC is rated 2.2/5 stars, and has forty-four ratings overall.

App #2: OPIT

App Name: Overdose Prevention and Intervention Toolkit (OPIT)
App Developer: NextLOGiK, Inc.
App Price: Free for all users!
Platforms available: Available for android and iOS 10.0 or higher
Suggested Uses: OPIT aims to reduce the risk of opioid related overdose deaths through education, awareness, self assessment, & resources. OPIT provides a self assessment tool for those struggling with opioid use to gain awareness about the risks associated with the use of opioids.
App Ratings: The current version of OPIT is rated 5 stars, and has four ratings overall.

App #3: NaloxoFind

App Name: NaloxoFind
App Developer: Altrix Medical, LLC
App Price: Free for all users!
Platforms available: Available for android and iOS 10.0 or higher
Suggested Uses: NaloxoFind enables anyone to find Naloxone carriers in an Emergency. Naloxone (commonly known under the brand Narcan or Evzio) when administered quickly after an opioid overdose can significantly reduce or stop the effects of the opioids.
App Ratings: The current version of NaloxoFind is rated 4.7/5 stars, and has eleven ratings overall.

Summary

These apps will help you stay up to date on facts and information about the opioid crisis, will help you – personally – from being a victim of the opioid epidemic, and will allow you access to information that will allow you to always have a backup option if you or someone you know is in an overdose crisis.

Let’s Play a Game! Myth or Fact?

The opioid epidemic has been an issue for years now, and without a doubt, there has been false information spread throughout social media platforms, word of mouth, and through news sources that may not be as credible as you’d think. This week, we will be looking at common statements about the opioid crisis, and determining whether that statement is indeed myth or fact? Also, be sure to join the movement! As the opioid crisis is in your backyard, and all of this information is applicable to you.

#1: The abundant attention on opioid use is just overrated. People dying from drug overdoses isn’t new.

Myth or Fact? Actually, this is a myth! Yes, it is true that drug overdoses are not new, since from 1999-2017, 702,000 people have died from drug overdose. However, in this time frame, over 400,000 of the drug overdoses have been from an opioid overdose (ilicit and prescription opioids). This is a considerable amount of deaths that could be prevented.

#2: Due to their pharmacological effects, opioids in high doses can cause respiratory depression and death.

Myth or Fact? Yes, a fact! This is due to the opiate’s effect on the part of the brain that is in control of breathing. Signs of this overdose include a pale/clammy face, limp body, blue hue on extremities, and more.

#3: Opioid use is only a problem in big cities.

Myth or Fact? This is indeed untrue. Opioid use, misuse, and abuse affects big cities, small cities, towns, villages, rural areas, you name it. According to the CDC, the highest rates of death in 2017 were located in:

West Virginia, 52
Ohio, 39.1
New Hampshire, 39
Pennsylvania, 37.9
Kentucky, 33.5

This shows that the opioid crisis is not only taking place in big cities such as Los Angeles and New York.

#4: If I was prescribed an opioid by a doctor, it must be safe.

Myth or Fact? Definitely a myth. Since the early 1990’s pharmaceutical companies started pushing prescription opioids onto patients as pain medication, advising that it was nearly impossible to become dependent on. However, it has become apparent that opioids are amongst the most highly addictive drugs. This means that no matter how you come in contact with opiates, whether illicitly or through a prescription, there is a risk of dependence.

#5: The inexpensive medication naloxone can completely reverse the effects of opioid overdose and prevent deaths due to opioid overdose.

Myth or Fact? Although this may seem unlikely, this is actually true! Naloxone, which is effectively an antidote to opioid overdose, will completely reverse the effects of an opioid overdose if administered in time. Naloxone can be administered intravenously, intramuscularly, subcutaneously, or nasally. It has been shown in the United States that naloxone has decreased the substantial amounts of opioid overdose deaths.

#6: Opioids are substances derived from the opium poppy. Examples are morphine and heroin.

Myth or Fact? Fact! it may seem surprising that such a strong drug responsible for so many deaths is essentially derived from a plant, but it is true. Opium has been used for centuries, dating back to 3,400 B.C. in lower Mesopotamia. There is a strong history behind opioid-related substances.

#7: It is easy to stop an addiction, even if the addiction is to opioid-related drugs. All an addict needs to stop is willpower.

Myth or Fact? This one is a myth. Opioid-use disorder is a disease that can be diagnosed by the DSM-5. A substance use disorder requires professional help in finding a way to be cured of the disease. When you become addicted to opioids, your body becomes dependent on the drug and will not feel normal without it. It may reach a point to where functioning without opioids will cause great physical pain.

#8: The cost of the opioid crisis is very expensive.

Myth or Fact? Fact. The opioid crisis is not only expensive in the form of preventable deaths in the United States, it is expensive in the form of currency as well. According to the white house report, the opioid crisis cost $696 billion in 2018—or 3.4 percent of GDP—and more than $2.5 trillion for the four-year period from 2015 to 2018.

Conclusion

There is so much information out in the world on social media platforms, news, sources, and even information from your friends and peers. Hopefully this blog post helped you to establish between what may seem real, and what is actually the truth. You learn something new every week! More helpful information on the opioid crisis can be found through the CDC, SAMHSA, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

If you are more inclined to viewing your news on social media platforms, I strongly encourage you to follow @NIDAnews on twitter.

This Could Happen to You. Yes, You.

The opioid epidemic has swayed the United States. Thousands of people overdose and consequently die as a result of opioids and opioid-related substances every day. This happens for a multitude of reasons, including over-prescription of opioids in hospitals, the expensive health-care in the United States, and lack of public awareness to name a few. The epidemic may sneak up on you, so be aware. This could happen to you.

source: https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160424152419-07-diaudid-dangerous-painkillers-large-43.jpg

There is a need in the United States of knowledge. The purpose of this blog is to lead to more awareness for individuals in the United States. We must know what we are fighting in order to fight this opioid crisis. Learn more with my first and second posts.

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Sources: A Guide to the Opioid Epidemic

The opioid epidemic is a vastly broad topic. With a simple google search of the words “opioid epidemic” there are 23,000,000 results. In my last post, we looked at what the basic statistics regarding the opioid epidemic were, and what the average person should know. However, if you wanted to learn more about this topic, how would you know the information you are taking in is accurate?

In this second blog post I will guide you to what is a good source, and what is not, and how you can differentiate between the two.

Scholarly Sources:

Source #1:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Does not have a specific author – multiple researchers create the source as a team.
Provides information regarding the basics on the opioid epidemic, and what is being done by the CDC in order to combat it.

Source #2:

The National Institute of Health
Does not have a specific author because the organization is a group with recognized expertise in the field.
Provides information about the basics of the opioid crisis and what NIH is doing in their prevention efforts.

Source #3:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
No author because it is a scholarly source that is trusted.
Provides information about the basics of the opioid epidemic by providing links to other scholarly sources such as the CDC and NIH.

When are scholarly sources good to use?

Scholarly articles and articles you can trust often have a domain name that ends in “edu” and “gov” which are generally more credible than “com”
When you are gathering evidence for an audience that is more expert than the common reader.
They are good to use since they have taken multiple steps to become verified and available to the public.
They have taken steps to be less politically biased.

When are scholarly sources not good to use?

Scholarly sources can also be found in the form of peer-reviewed articles and journals. These are lengthy and specific.
When you need something general for background information.
When you need something brief.

Sources of Opinion:

Source #1:

The New York Times
Written by Tina Rosenberg, an author who is rigorous in responding to social problems.
This specific article on the opioid crisis delves into prevention of first time opioid use amongst teenagers.

Source #2:

nature
Article written by Sara Reardon, who according to a simple search of her name, seems to be interested in writing articles scientifically oriented.
This article looks at how the opioid crisis may be driving an increase in infectious diseases.

Source #3:

twitter.com
This specific tweet is written by Abigail Monroe, who is not an accomplished author.
Twitter is a way for common people to express their opinions to their peers/family/the world.
It is also a common way for false information to be spread.

When are sources of opinion good to use?

When the information you would want to use is more general
When the focus of your assignment is opinion based rather than factual

When sources of opinion not good to use?

When your audience is more expert than the common reader
When you need to delve into a specific topic that requires factual evidence

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
What topics do you think you’ll write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.