America has an epidemic on their hands when it comes to drug overdoses. The number of deaths has nearly doubled since 2007. According to the NIH, in 2007 the number of deaths as a result from a drug overdose was at 36,010. In 2017, we saw 70,237 people die from drug overdose and it has only gone up since then. The biggest killer on our hands has skyrocketed to the most lethal only in the last four years. Prescription opioids were the number one killer since 2001, following the crack epidemic that topped the drug charts before then. That was until 2016 when a synthetic opioid by the name of Fentanyl surpassed the prescription opioids on the charts.

In 2017, out of the 70,237 people who died, 28,466 of them died from fentanyl overdose. Prescription opioids come in second with 17,029 and Heroin in third with 15,482. (4. Cocaine- 13,942 | 5. Benzos- 11,537 | 6. Psycho-stimulants (Meth)- 10,333 | 7. Other (Mostly Antidepressants)- 5,269)

Opioids are obviously this eras drug epidemic with a staggering 47,600 deaths in 2017. That’s an average of 130 people a day!

So why the sudden influx of overdose related deaths?

Without getting too political, I’m going to try to sum up the reasons why I believe America has become addicted.

I could probably write an entire novel on my opinion on big pharma and the issues with the American healthcare system, but to keep it short I’ll give you some facts. In 2012, the CDC reported the peak in prescriptions of opioids; 255,207,954 opioid prescriptions were written that year in the United States alone. Since then, that number has gone down due to federal crackdowns on pill mills and dosage. However, the damage was already done and America was already addicted.

Opioid withdrawal can cause a person to experience extreme symptoms including, shaking, vomiting, cold sweats, stroke and even death.

Since opioid prescriptions were no longer easily accessible or affordable to the average patient, people who formed addictions to their doctor prescribed medicine started turning to the street alternative opiate: Heroin. Heroin is cheaper and stronger than the medicine that was prescribed to them. The truth is that the majority of heroin users today started after they could no longer support their prescribed opioid addiction. The pills become too expensive to keep up after your tolerance goes up.

Surprisingly though, the biggest problem isn’t heroin. Fentanyl is even cheaper and easier to get than pure heroin. It is a white powder, which makes it easy to cut into a lot of other drugs. This allows drug dealers of all kinds to make a bigger profit on their more expensive drugs. In fact, it is almost impossible to get pure heroin on the streets anymore because it has all be cut with fentanyl. Some have found that their bags didn’t include any heroin at all.

Not only is fentanyl being found in what’s supposed to be Heroin, it is being found in other street drugs like MDMA, methamphetamine, and cocaine.

Any new user, wouldn’t be able to tell if their drug of choice was cut with the fatal drug, Fentanyl. Fentanyl has an almost identical feeling to heroin, but the amount needed to be fatal is what makes it so dangerous. Even an amount the size of a few grains of salt could lead someone into respiratory failure and ultimately death.

Unfortunately, you never know what you’re getting when you buy drugs on the street. You could buy the same amount from the same dealer multiple times and be fine, but then one bad batch could kill you. I’ve watched a Vice documentary that interviewed a heroin dealer who purposely spikes one of the bags in his batch with extra fentanyl to send the not-so-lucky consumer into an overdose. The fucked up part, is that after this person overdoses, word of the overdose gets out, and people want that bag of heroin knowing it’s stronger. These addicts will then go to that dealer in hopes of getting that “strong” batch. It essentially is a business tactic that is deadly, but will bring in more money. It’s disgusting, but that is the reality of this addiction.

Every time you take heroin or fentanyl, you’re playing Russian roulette with your life.

What is it about the opioid epidemic that has everyone stirring?

The last time we had a drug issue to this measure was in the 80’s with the crack epidemic. However, the general population that was targeted by this drug were below the poverty line and people of color. It didn’t get nearly as much media coverage, and the narrative was quite different.

This time around, opioids have hit white suburbia, the center of America’s heart.

Now it’s plastered on the front page, and in the halls of our schools as someone’s locker is showered with flowers and condolences to a young life lost. It’s your best friend’s mom who broke her leg four years ago, but is still on an Oxycontin prescription. It’s the person you once knew from high school who overdosed that you thought would never do drugs. Maybe it’s someone really close to you that you never knew had a problem; Then one day, they’re gone.

The addiction to opioids happens quickly. I know from experience with an Oxy prescription myself, after only 2 months I experienced withdrawal symptoms. I am not going to lie when I say that I feel like I was one prescription away from being hooked. The pull of the drug is strong, and to kick it is not easy. Especially after long-term opioid use. Luckily, I’ve already been through a drug addiction and know the amount of struggle I had to go through to get clean. Knowing that heroin or opioids would be harder than cocaine, alcohol or cigarettes, I was able to stop myself from asking around.

I live in Eugene, Oregon which is an area in the Pacific Northwest that is known to have a bad drug problem.

It’s different than the hidden problems in the homes of suburbia. Here, like a lot of cities, you can drive down the streets and physically see the results of addiction. There’s needles in our parks, and tents set up on sidewalks downtown.

This is frustrating for a lot of people. Most would rather sweep them under their metaphorical rug and pretend they don’t exist. Until this is your daughter, son, mother, father, sister, brother, friend or loved one, you will not understand how hard it is for these people to get out of the throws of addiction. Especially an addiction with a grasp like opioids.

Some people are so insensitive to people with addiction because they’ve never had to go through or witness the difficulties.

First, no one goes into life thinking that they want to be an addict. I have seen it so often that people will say, “Well, just stop.” More often than not, that’s not an option. Opioids are physically addictive and most users will not be able to get off of the drugs on their own.

That brings us to the main issue we have right now in our society:
Help is not available.

Generally, the way things go is someone either gets in trouble, or overdoses, and that’s when the problem is acknowledged. There will most likely be two options for them, either detox, or jail. Detox is usually 3-7 days and not any longer. Jail time will vary depending on the charge.

Neither of the options available for the general population offer long-term help and rehabilitation.

After detox, or jail, the person will then be put back into the environment that put them there in the first place. I could go on and on about how this does nothing except lead them right back into the arms of addiction.

Yes, it’s true that they’re going to have to want to get clean in order for it to happen. However, I think there’s a large misconception that addicts don’t want to get clean. Almost ever addict I’ve talked to has said they want to get clean, and they want to get out of the life they feel trapped in. When treatment isn’t an option than sobriety isn’t really an option.

Not only is the system rigged for relapse, but these short term treatment options are how a majority of deaths from overdoses occur.

People will go to jail for a couple weeks, get out and think they can inject the same amount they did before they went in. Their system gets shocked and an overdose happens. It’s a story I hear over and over.

The next question is, “Well, why don’t they get long-term treatment then?”

Long-term rehabilitation is an option, but usually not a feasible one for the average person. Most require a lot of money, or good insurance. In reality, the typical addict is not going to have a lot of money for rehab, or insurance that covers long-term treatment.

If we are going to tackle this opioid epidemic head on, there needs to be programs in place to help these people adjust back into a normal life.

Any long-term user isn’t going to have the right skills to lead a normal life. There’s going to have to be long-term housing with medical and psychological help along the way. It might seem like a far-fetched idea, but if Trump can spend 2.5 million on a parade, we should be able to help our brothers and sisters get off the streets and into a clean and healthy lifestyle. Not to mention how many of them are veterans, and they deserve all of the help we can offer.

Bringing these people back into society is only going to help the country in the long run. They can be active participants in our economy again.

I could keep going, and get extremely political with this, but I feel this is where I should end this discussion. I have a lot of passionate views on this, and I understand that most people won’t understand. However, if we could at least realize that these people we have thrown out like trash are just that; people. They are mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and your neighbors that need our help.

xoxo