Every 19 minutes someone dies from an opioid overdose, but most people have no idea. When someone mentions heroin, most people think of the ‘60’s & ‘70’s, but it’s a very modern problem. In fact, those numbers would suggest we’re in the middle of an epidemic.
What has caused heroin to become so “popular”? If you stop to consider the economics of drug addiction, when there is an increase in supply, the price goes down. As supplies dry up, prices go up. Since crops have been good for some time now, the supply has been up. The Latin America cartels have been able to get the drug in through the gangs who have helped distribute it to your neighborhoods. Prices have dropped.
Also, there has been an increase in prescribing practices for opioids over the past few years. This isn’t about blaming the doctors, but frankly, it’s been fairly easy for patients to get prescriptions for opiates by doctor shopping. Typically, someone gets injured or has surgery where they’re introduced to painkillers. There are times where the person justifies taking more pain pills than they need and recreational use begins. Opiates such as hydrocodone, oxycontin, oxycodone, etc. are powerful painkillers that definitely alter mood. It doesn’t take long for a non-addict to cross a physical threshold into physical dependence.
Recently, Obama spoke in Atlanta and addressed the heroin epidemic in our country and what he planned to do about it. For many years now, doctors have used medications like methadone and buprenorphine to help treat addicts, but the government limits physicians allowed to prescribe buprenorphine to only 1000 patients. Obama indicated that he would change the rules to allow physicians to have 2000 patients on their caseload. Plus, he indicated plans to increase the number of physicians trained to prescribe this medication.
While this is a positive step, the question remains, how will you deal with a family member that is struggling with opioid addiction? It’s not a simply process. Dealing with it alone rarely is effective. That’s where a drug and alcohol intervention can be useful.
There are many types of interventions, but at Pathfinders, we tend to shy away from the traditional, “surprise party” approach. The types of interventions that make great TV don’t tend to lead to successful outcomes long term. That’s why we use a more respectful approach that involves the addict’s entire system.
For more information about how we help families address drug or alcohol addiction, call 770.569.3801 for a free phone consultation. Not doing anything just isn’t an option.
Pathfinders Interventions is a group of interventionists that are based in Atlanta Georgia, but travel all around the state to help addicts and alcoholics begin the process of recovery. Our focus in the family system of the addict or alcoholic rather than that individual. Dealing with the individual only helps that person when everyone around an addict has been suffering. It’s time to make suffering optional. Call 770.569.3801 for a free consultation today.