America's Opioid Epidemic Calls for Immediate Action

On June 13th, Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona issued an executive order, calling for immediate action regarding the current Opioid epidemic in Arizona. Earlier this month, it was revealed that there had been 191 cases of drug overdoses- 15 of which were fatal- all in Arizona. Not long after, Arizona declared the Opioid crises a public health crises, and with the new executive order in place, all medical personnel are required to report any suspected cases of drug overdoses. With this new system in place, Arizona is hoping to gather as much information as possible in an effort to devise a better plan to help prevent and treat Opioid addiction.

And Arizona isn’t the only state facing this epidemic.

The United States, as a whole, is currently facing the reality of a wide-sweeping issue regarding Opioid abuse. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50. The Drug Abuse Warning Network, which keeps records of emergency room visits related to drug abuse in the United States, reported a 183 percent increase in emergency room visits for Opioid abuse alone between 2004 and 2011. That comes to 315,000 more visits for Opioid abuse in 2011 than there were in 2004, and that’s not all.

Buprenorphine, a prescription partial Opioid agonist used to treat Opioid dependence, has also seen an increase of prescriptions being written. Since its approval by the FDA in 2002, it has gone from 100,000 patients using it to 800,000 patients in 2010 -an eightfold increase.

Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of Opioid policy research at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, stated “The United States is in the midst of the worst drug addiction epidemic in its history."

The President of the Warren County Fire Chiefs’ Association and fire chief of Deerfield Township, Chris Eisele, said “This Epidemic, it’s got no face.” It’s estimated that well over 2 million people in the United States are dependent on Opioids, while 95 million Americans abused painkillers in 2016.

All over the United States, state governments and agencies are teaming up to create media campaigns to raise awareness among its citizens of the dangers of substance abuse. Indiana held a video contest for middle and high school students to create their own 30 second PSA on drug abuse, with the winners getting VIP ticket to a Colts game, meeting some of the players and winning money for their school. Delaware created PSA’s targeted toward young people, advising them to call 911 if anyone suspects an overdose has occurred. Maryland is directing their PSAs toward college campuses, while Minnesota and New Hampshire are doing their best to inform the general public on substance abuse.

While substance abuse, particularly Opioid abuse, has been a topic of many discussions and at the core of many legislations in the past, this new wave of overdoses has left its mark in history, surpassing the number of deaths from car accidents, gun violence and, it’s estimated, the Vietnam War.

But no matter what legislation is passed, no matter how much data is gathered, the disease of addiction is real and thriving in our current society. Many states are doing their best to inform people, to destigmatize addiction and substance abuse, and provide helpful resources for treatment, but is it enough?

If you suspect someone in your life may be abusing substances, here are some signs to watch out for.

• Changes in personality
• Change in daily routine
• Lack of personal hygiene
• Bloodshot eyes, frequent bloody noses
• Financial problems; always asking for money
• Shakes, tremors, slurred speech
• Changes in friends and activities

If you start to see any of the following signs in your own life, it may be time to reach out to someone for help:

• Using meds prescribed for others
• Looking through others medicine cabinets for meds to take
• The inability to stop using a substance no matter how hard you try
• Needing more and more of a substance to get the same effect
• Going to multiple doctors to get pills
• Feeling strange once the substance’s effects wear off, such as shaking, depressed feeling, sick to your stomach, confused, sweating, etc.
• Spending a lot of time thinking about the substance, how you’ll get more of it, where you’ll use it, etc.
• A loss of interest in things you used to love doing

The Opioid crises is here, and we all need to step up and do what we can to help stem the tide of lives being lost to a substance. Call 911 if you see someone in need, talk to your family about the dangers of substance abuse, educate yourself on the signs of dependence and what you can do to help. Executive orders and PSAs are good and help raise awareness, but without the support of the citizens, they won’t do much good. Together, we can help save lives.