Opioid Addiction

Opioid abuse and Addiction is a terrible epidemic that is sweeping the nation like an air-born disease. People as young as teenagers who are still in high school are included in this epidemic. Opioids are drugs that slow down the actions of the body, such as breathing and heartbeat. Opioid addiction is a chronic disease, like heart disease or diabetes. A chronic disease is a medical condition for life and most cannot walk away from. Opioids also affect the brain to increase pleasant feelings. Doctors prescribe opioid medication to treat pain, and to treat a person addicted to heroin and opiates. There is also growing evidence to suggest a relationship between increased non-medical use of opioid analgesics and heroin abuse in the United States.
Some go to rehab to get help, go to prison, or have a fatal overdose. It is not often that you see an old junkie. Even if a person seeks help there is no guarantee they will remain sober. Addiction is a disease that will last a lifetime and it is an everyday struggle. Many relapse after getting out of rehab. A prime example is Oscar-winning actor, Philip Hoffman who went to rehab in May of 2013. “The sad news about Philip Seymour Hoffman broke on a sunny Sunday in February. The Oscar-winning actor, 46, had been found dead from a drug overdose in a New York City apartment, a needle still hanging from his arm. More than 50 packets of heroin were scattered through the apartment.” (Friedman) Various rehab centers use opioids to treat other opioid addictions. The user is trading one addiction for another. The is called harm reduction. The problem with this is “critics say the harm-reduction approach can amount to simply helping drug addicts get drugs.” (Katel) When using opioids such as methadone or buprenorphine to treat an addiction, many become addicted to this opioid and use illicitly. “There also has been a dramatic increase in deaths from methadone — in the wafer form prescribed as a pain medication, not the liquid form used as maintenance for former heroin addicts, says Hazelden's Seppala. “The pill is a
Methadone or buprenorphine can both be used to get a high the addict enjoys. Recovering heroin addicts especially enjoy Subutex because they can use a needle to medicate themselves as they would heroin. Several people get their opioids and then illicitly sell them. When drugs are being sold on the street they are endangering other people’s lives. The average age for a first-time user is 15. Females are as likely to use as the boy; however, boys are more likely to go out to find a dealer and get them. The dealer does not care the age, gender, or if the person has a family. The dealer cares solely on making money or selling just enough to pay for their own habit. “Ronald G. is every parent's nightmare. Shortly after he began snorting heroin nine years ago, the 51-year-old Maryland man started selling the drug to feed his own gnawing habit.” (Cooper) Dealers often time find a doctor that care more about making money then the person. These Doctors’ offices are often called pill mills. Theses doctors write out prescriptions for pain medicine without any medical reasoning so they can keep patients and make money. Once an addict has the drugs he can then sell on the streets or on the internet black market. Drug trafficking as raises the rate of crime. There are many dangers in buying or using someone else’s pain pills. It’s possible that a drug that works for your friend can trigger an adverse reaction in you. Another danger is that some