America’s opioid epidemic has taken center stage, with President Trump. In a speech last month, President Trump declared America’s opioid crisis a national public health emergency, telling observers that “nobody has seen anything like” it. He’s right: The opioid epidemic is being called the worst public health crisis in American history, with its lethal consequences exacting a toll on users, families, and law enforcement nationwide. Why has America been affected more by this epidemic that other countries?
A better explanation points to something uniquely American: the U.S. medical-industrial complex, which has facilitated the massive proliferation of prescription painkillers.
In 2012, doctors wrote 259 million opioid prescriptions. Think about that, that is enough to give a pill bottle to every adult in the country. Twelve states had more prescriptions than people.
In 2015, more than 52,000 Americans died of drug overdoses. Nearly two-thirds were linked to opioids such as OxyContin, Vicodin, heroin, and fentanyl. This figure has quadrupled since 1999 and is now the highest on record, exceeding the death toll of past heroin epidemics, the crack epidemic of the 1980s, and the peak of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. Drug overdoses now kill more Americans than car accidents or guns. And the numbers keep rising.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has now put a number on how many people died from a drug overdose in 2016. The total number is over 64,000 last year. Do the math, that’s over 175 per day, over 7 per hour.
Seven people per hour! Seven people per hour, these people aren’t just some low life drug addict as a lot of people unacquainted with the disease of addiction assume. These 7 people are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. They are loved by people and died from this horrible epidemic.
In just one year, overdoses from opioids jumped by about 30 percent, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overall increase in opioid overdoses seen in hospital emergency rooms between the third quarter of 2016 and the third quarter of 2017 occurred across the nation. “We have an emergency on our hands,” says acting CDC Director Anne Schuchat. “The fast-moving opioid overdose epidemic continues and is accelerating.” “Overall as a nation, we are still failing to adequately respond to the opioid addiction epidemic,” says Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of opioid policy research at Brandeis University. “It is concerning that 20 years into this epidemic, it is still getting worse. The number of Americans experiencing opioid overdoses is still increasing.” What should we be doing about big pharma and the drug war? Granted some of these deaths are from already illegal substances but how many were because a person became addicted to a legally prescribed drug and suffer the consequences of addiction?
Experts are conflicted on the appropriate next step. Some say lawsuits against big pharma are the answer. Others maintain that the most useful tool against overdoses is the antidote naloxone, which dozens of states now offer without a prescription and law enforcement officials routinely carry.
In the meantime, the opioid crisis will continue to leave its mark on Americans of every age: babies born addicted, kids inundating foster care, addicts overdosing in public places, and grandparents who find themselves gaining custody of young children. Addiction is unique in that its effects often ripple outwards and linger for generations, leaving communities grasping to find a way out of an epidemic that shows no signs of letting up. At LIFE TRANSFORMATION RECOVERY, our hope is not just to let you know what the problem is but offer a solution to solve it in your individual life or the life of your friend or loved one. LIFE TRANSFORMATION RECOVERY is a Christian, non-profit addiction treatment center. We believe that even the worst heroin, alcohol, meth, cocaine, or marijuana addict can experience a life free from addiction! We know that addiction is hard, but getting treatment doesn’t have to be. If you find you need help for drugs or alcohol abuse, you can call LIFE TRANSFORMATION RECOVERY at (844)582-3733 to speak with a Treatment Advisor and get started on the road to recovery.
THIS IS A CRISIS!
THIS IS AN EPIDEMIC!
GET HELP NOW!
