At least half of all U.S. overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid.
Though Americans are not reporting being in more pain, the number of prescription painkiller purchased has nearly quadrupled since 1999. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 78 out of 120 drug overdose deaths per day are caused by opioids.
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| Photo source/wackystuff |
Between 2000 and 2014, drug overdoses have killed more people than car accidents.
The National Vital Statistics System released data which indicated opioid pain relievers still cause deaths at a higher rate than heroin, though pain-reliever deaths have leveled, heroin-related deaths have risen 37 percent a year since 2010.
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NOTES: Drug-poisoning deaths in 2013: 43,982. Deaths involving opioid analgesics:16,235. Drug-poisoning deaths involving heroin:8,257. Both opioid analgesics and heroin: 1,342. Access data table for Figure 1[PDF - 86KB].
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.
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President Obama announced several steps to combat the epidemic in the Rx National Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit last March. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have changed their recommendations for prescribing opioids.
Congress, too, has been working to increase funding and change the nature of addiction treatment in the United States.
For two years, Republicans and Democrats have been working on a bill that would allow the attorney general to authorize grants to address the heroin and opioid epidemics. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island sponsored the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 to develop a more effective approach to treating and preventing drug addiction in the United States. The bill has passed the Senate with a 94-1 vote.
If it becomes law, the bill would:
- Create safe locations for people to dispose of unused medication.
- Allow first responders better access to naloxone, a drug that temporarily reverses the effects of heroin overdose. According Christina Chavira, communications and media coordinator for Enloe Medical Center, the Butte County EMS ambulance currently carries Norcan (naloxone) in case of overdose.
- Expand veteran treatment programs “that identify and provide treatment, rehabilitation, legal and transitional services to incarcerated veterans, and training programs to teach criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse personnel how to identify and appropriately respond to incidents involving veterans.”
- Implement a state response initiative to address opioid abuse.
- Prohibit the Department of Education from requiring a drug-free conviction record as a requirement for federal financial aid.
- Create an inter-agency task force that would create a “best-practices” approach to prescribing and monitoring opioid prescriptions. The U.S. population is 5 percent of the world’s but consumes more than 80 percent of the world’s opioids.
- Provide alternatives to incarceration for people with substance use disorders or mental health disorders or both.
- Implement strategies for communities suffering with local drug crisis.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that at least 23.5 million people needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009, but only 2.6 million—11.2 percent of those who needed treatment—received it at a specialty facility.
Data collected by the agency shows that while there are a number of programs in the United States --14,148 in 2014 -- only 9.6 percent offer detoxification services.
Liz Galasso, director at MyLife Recovery, a treatment company that uses an implant to help heroin and alcohol addicts control their cravings, said that fear of going through the detox process can keep people from trying to become sober. Galasso also said that many treatment centers may not be accessible for people who cannot travel for treatment or can’t afford the cost of treatment.
MyLife Recovery compares addiction to diabetes, saying that it would be unheard of to deny a diabetic insulin and to only instruct them to exercise and eat better. Their website acknowledged that behavior modification is key, but not always successful by itself.
“There is no one size fits all treatment for everybody, so there is a variance of options for people,” Galasso said.
Ruth Wallace, director and owner of Chico Recovery Center, said that there is more to treatment than simply becoming sober. “It’s only in remission if you are working the program actively,” Wallace said.
She said that people who suffer from substance abuse disorders are hardwired that way, and that denial of the disease will inhibit recovery. It’s important that addicts seek out professional help from doctors and psychiatrists to treat co-occurring mental health or physiological issues that can coincide with addiction. People with addiction disorders may also need to talk to a therapist to work through emotional issues that stem from childhood, Wallace said.
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Photo source/Robert Valmont
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In the past, addiction has been thought to be caused by poor willpower. Studies are beginning show that drugs change the chemistry of the brain. The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines addiction as “...a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.”
Drug abuse is recognized as an epidemic across party lines, but the best way to solve the problem is still debated.
H.R. 953, the House version of Sen. Whitehouse’s bill, was referred to a committee on February 10, 2015. Govtrack, a website that provides free tracking and research of daily activities in the U.S. congress, has calculated that this bill has an 8 percent chance of being enacted by the House.
The The New York Times said that conservative members of the House of Representatives may be thinking along the same lines as Sen. Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, when it comes time to vote. Sasse was the only “no” out of 95 senators who voted on the bill last month.
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| Photo source/Sen. Dianne Feinstein facebook page |
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| Photo source/Sen. Ben Sasse facebook page |
"I'm distressed by opioid abuse as a dad and citizen,” he told The Times. “Families, non-profits and government at the state and local level can help. I'm not convinced fighting addiction — as opposed to stopping drug traffickers — is best addressed at the federal level.”
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein disagrees.
"Opioid addiction is an epidemic in this country. Nearly 2 million Americans are addicted to opioids and 19,000 Americans overdosed and died in 2014. It’s long overdue for Congress to take action, and the bill we passed today is just a first step. This crisis requires a comprehensive, national response,” Feinstein wrote in a recent news release.
By Samantha O'Reilly
By Samantha O'Reilly