In the past couple of years, opioid addiction has increased drastically killing millions every day. Could you imagine dealing with a family member being addicted to heroin. Wondering if one day you are going to wake up and them be gone because of an overdose. These are the struggles that families are dealing with now-a-days. Let’s take a look into opioid addiction and what we can do to help it.

There are many common types of Opioids:

  • Codeine
  • Demerol
  • Dilaudid
  • Fentanyl
  • Heroin
  • Hydrocodone
  • Methadone
  • Morphine
  • Oxycodone
  • Tramadol

The way people become addicted to opioids is after receiving a prescription from a health care official. Opioids are an addictive prescription drug, that after taking them you kind of feel as though you need them to live. You feel like you need them to survive each and every day. These prescription drugs are very expensive so people are unable to afford them, that is when they tend to take on using heroin.

Ways to approach and solve this problem is by keeping an eye out for the dangers and signs of addiction or abuse. If you have a family member that is addicted to opioids you need to take the steps into helping them get back on track. One way is by monitoring anything and everything that they are taking. Counting the amount of pills that are in the bottle and knowing when the pills have been refilled. Another way is by keeping the pills in a secure and safe area. If you keep them hidden from them they aren’t going to be able to take them whenever they want. Also, disposing of old or expired medicine. They have programs where you are able to send your old medicine into a company, and they will dispose of them correctly.

I feel as though ways to help with this problem are exactly what has been mentioned above. I believe that if someone keeps continuing to overdose and not get the help they need, we shouldn’t continue to help them. We are giving people Narcan and they are just continuing to do the bad behavior’s without caring. If we continue to “save them” it isn’t going to solve the problem. They are just going to continue to believe that they can do it, and they will be saved no matter what.

So when it comes to the opioid epidemic what do you think should be done with the people who just continue to overdose? Should we continue to save them and let them keep overdosing, or should we force them to go to rehab and get help from this addiction? Opioid addiction isn’t a joke and is happening every day. If you or a family member is dealing with opioid addiction you can give the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) a call to find a drug treatment facility near you at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Thank you guys for reading, remember to like, comment, share, and subscribe!

 

Check out: When Seconds Count…Physician Anesthesiologists Save Lives. To learn more about opioid addiction.