Opioid Use and Heroin Addiction: The Ugly Epidemic
In America today, there is a rising number of abuse and addiction to opioids. An opioid can be anything from prescription painkillers to morphine and heroin. This can affect both the health and economic welfare of all communities. An estimated 500,000 people are addicted to heroin, and heroin rehab clinics are here to help.
Are Some Doctors Making the Epidemic Worse?
In recent years, there has been a drastic increase in the number of prescriptions written by doctors, especially opioids. This is primarily due to the social acceptability of using medications for various ailments and the insane marketing done by pharmaceutical companies. Since prescription drugs became easier to acquire, there has been an increase in the adverse effects related to their abuse. Doctors need to be held more accountable for the number of prescriptions they write.
Recently, it’s been evident that young, white males are the most likely to fall into addiction. This drug epidemic claims nearly 80 lives a day in the United States. Even though there are groups of people who are more susceptible to drug abuse, it is now widespread among people in all social classes.
Heroin is Getting Laced with One of the World’s Deadliest Drugs
One of the biggest problems is that many dealers are now lacing heroin with fentanyl. It is a highly addictive, powerful synthetic drug. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. When these two drugs are combined, it makes both much more potent. Some people have even begun calling it “killer heroin” due to the number of deaths it causes. It is said that death can occur within minutes of injecting laced heroin.
Addiction is a Disease, but Heroin Rehab and Opioid Detox are Achievable
Addictions are often tough to break on your own, and most people need help to recover. It’s easier to think of an addiction the same way you’d think of a disease. When you become addicted to an opioid, your brain changes functionally and becomes dependent on those drugs to feel normal.
Those that want or need help can get suboxone treatment. Suboxone is a medication that significantly reduces the withdrawal symptoms from opioids such as heroin, codeine, morphine, and Vicodin. This makes it much easier for users, as they usually shy away from sobriety simply because they know how hard it will be in heroin rehab or opioid detox. When starting a suboxone treatment, a doctor will meet with you to make a specialized opioid addiction treatment plan to help you reach your goals. Most importantly, many places will also give you resources to help you stay sober in the long run.
Whether treatment is for you, a family member, or a friend, we are happy to speak with you about our and how AOC can help patients with their opioid addiction recovery. Since 2007, AOC has helped thousands of patients on their path to recovery.
