The Raging Opioid Crisis is All-Encompassing!

Opioid addiction is a raging and somewhat complex crisis to deal with! It has in fact snowballed into a national crisis, becoming almost a national health issue of sorts! In 2019 almost 50,000 Americans lost their lives to opioid overdoses. This included misuse of prescribed pain relievers, synthetic opioids, and substances such as fentanyl and heroin. 

According to the estimates calculated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the total financial implications of misusing prescription opioids alone amounts to a whopping $78.5 billion every year! This includes the cost of healthcare, loss of productivity, involvement in criminal justice, and also addiction treatments required. Drug addiction recovery centers are indeed earning plenty through cases of opioid addiction!

What is the Basic Cause for this Problem?

The flow of events originated in the latter half of the 1990s when medicine companies assured medical practitioners that patients are not likely to become addicted to prescribed opioids. As a result, doctors began prescribing them freely resulting in increased consumption of these medications through legal channels. Prescribed medications were easy to buy and equally convenient to consume. 

Contrary to what the medicine companies claimed, however, these formulations tended to become addictive. As a result, rates of overdosing began to rise in 2017. In the very same year, almost 47,000 Americans lost their lives to opioid overdosing. This included prescribed medications, fentanyl, and heroin. In 2017 itself, almost 1.7 million Americans suffered from substance abuse disorders concerning opioid-based pain relievers and 6, 52,000 became victims of heroin abuse disorders.

As the facts and figures elaborate, the situation quickly went out of hand even before health administrative services managed to step up the act of control. What began as an overdose, rapidly progressed to lethal addiction! 

Important Facts about the Opioid Crisis 

Here are a few facts that can help in a better understanding of the opioid crisis. 

1. About 29% of patients who have been prescribed opioid drugs for the management of chronic pain tend to misuse them at some point in their lives.

2. Among these, about 6% eventually make a transition to heroin. 

3. About 12% of those misusing or abusing opioid medications develop a disorder concerning usage patterns.

4. The probability of developing a disorder concerning opioid usage depends on a host of factors including the duration for which the person has been prescribed these medications for acute or chronic pain management and the length of time through which the person continues to consume these medications. 

How has the Department of Health Stepped Up to This Crisis?

The department of health and services has considered this problem as an extremely serious one and has therefore taken the following steps for quick action. 

1. It has worked towards improving access to recovery centers and treatment facilities. As a result, when required, you may perhaps find a “rehab near me” quite easily. 

2. Significant steps have been undertaken for promoting the usage of drugs that can help in reversing overdose-related symptoms. 

3. The department has strengthened the public health surveillance team for a better understanding of the crisis and also how to prevent it through comprehensive efforts. 

The opioid crisis can be a complex problem to deal with. Make sure you head to an Ohio Drug Rehab facility as soon as you suspect a problem.  

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