overprescribedohio-blog

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Opioid Addiction: A Crisis Overlooked

On Friday September 7, Malcolm James McCormick, more commonly known as Mac Miller, was found dead in his home of an apparent drug overdose. The 26-year-old rapper and song writer battled with addiction for years. In his song, “Perfect Circle/God Speed”, the artist wrote about his struggle with addiction as he rapped “everybody says I need rehab . . . they don’t want me to OD and have to talk to my mother.”

Miller was aware that he was on a dark path. He was struggling with his own demons, as he had fallen victim to addiction. He knew that he needed treatment for his addiction but was failed by treatment facilities as he eventually lost his life, suffering a similar fate like millions of other Americans. The publicity of Miller’s death has become an example to society that addiction cannot only be characterized to a demographic of people. Addiction does not target people of a specific race or socioeconomic group. The issue is much broader.  

As the opioid epidemic spans throughout the United States, millions of lives are continuously being placed at risk. Opioid abuse has become the leading cause of death in people under the age of 50, which is why educational and treatment facilities should be implemented in schools and communities to focus on younger populations.

Although the issue seems distant, the urgency of the problem is close to home. Ohio has been deemed “ground zero” for the rapidly expanding opioid epidemic. Opioid addiction has become a nationwide problem across the United States, but Ohio has been described as the “epicenter of the epidemic”. An article published by Mercy Health Hospital named Ohio the “second leading state for overdose deaths”.

According to an article in the Springfield News-Sun, “Clark County sees spike in opioid deaths in 2017,” there have been 4,854 accidental drug overdoses in Ohio within the last year [2017], about an 800 person increase from 2016 and the rates are only continuing to rise.

In response to the increasing opioid statistics, the House Bill 367-Opioid Abuse Prevention was established to require the Governor's Cabinet Opiate Action Team to make recommendations for instruction in prescription opioid abuse prevention. The bill instituted that the board of election of local school districts select a health curriculum that explains the dangers of prescription opioid abuse. A program was established based on the national data provided by the National Institute of Drug Addiction, (NIDA) and the Center for Disease Control, (CDC) concerning prescription opioid abuse and heroin abuse, that is taught to all students in primary and secondary schools. 

The program created runs from kindergarten through twelfth grade with an age-appropriate education about the consequences of opioid abuse. It teaches children in kindergarten through third grade “differences among foods, poisons, medicines and drugs; personal responsibility for one’s actions;” and ends in twelfth grade by teaching students how to recognize symptoms of a drug overdose.

The efforts to help limit the rates of addiction have been funded through governmental functions, however, the statistics fail to reflect the policies. In 2015, the American Society of Addiction Medicine announced that opioid addiction was the leading cause of accidental death in the US, with 52,404 lethal drug overdoses. Unfortunately, this issue is stemming from younger generations, specifically high school students.

An article by the Recovery Village, found that nearly 44% of high school students know a classmate who sells drugs, with 24% knowing someone who sells prescription opioids. Prescription opioids are often a gateway drug towards abuse of other narcotics drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine as a cheaper alternative to the prescription medication. The National Institutes of Health reported that 80% of people who use heroin supposedly abused prescription opioids prior to using heroin. Therefore, the opioid epidemic is often perceived as additionally fueling the other societal issues such as heroin and fentanyl abuse.

Despite these statistics, Governor John Kasich stated at a Statehouse conference last Thursday on September 20th,  that he sees encouraging signs among the grim statistics – but adds there is little else for state officials to do in order to combat the opioid problem, according to TimesReporter.

Critics have faulted Kasich claiming that the state needs to fund more treatment facilities and educational programs. The issue is that there needs to be more government funding in preventing opioid addiction beginning with more educational programs directed towards the youth. An increased focus on how to cope with stress and mental health, which are both often factors in opioid abuse would help in preventative measures against the opioid crisis. The implementation of House Bill-367 has been a start in the encouragement of new policies and change, but we have yet to see the results.

In spite of the death and addiction rates, Kasich stated that “There is a perception — somehow this problem of drug abuse in our state is raging out of control. That is simply not true. We are beginning to win a number of the battles on the war on drug abuse.”

How can we be winning the battles on drug abuse when sources such as The Washington Post have recorded that one hundred Americans die every day from drug overdoses? The facts are not correlating with statements from government officials. Data from the Department of Health found that Ohio’s surge in death rates was largely related to fentanyl and that synthetic opioids accounted for nearly three-fourths of the fatal overdoses in 2017, a 46% increase from 2016. The rates are increasing but being blatantly ignored as officials are lost for solutions to the problem facing Americans.

The issue has been continuously growing and people are left hopeless and without anywhere to turn. If government officials are saying there is nothing else to be done, then how can the problem be resolved? To combat the problem that has impacted the lives of millions of Americans, we need to focus our efforts and funds towards the people who are the target population of the opioid epidemic: younger generations.

An increased understanding in the harmfulness of abusing prescription medications and a greater awareness for mental health issues would be a good place to start. In a study conducted by StatNews, from 2011 to 2013, it found that people with mood disorders were at an increased risk of abusing opioids, and yet they received many more prescriptions than the general population. The study analyzed that 51% of all people who are prescribed opioids suffer from anxiety, depression, and the inability to manage stress, contributing to the possibility of addiction.

Governmental funding should begin in schools and carry on throughout treatment facilities for addiction. Money should be directed towards schools because the rates of mental illness have been increasing. The Mental Health Foundation reported that 70% of all children and adolescents experiencing mental health issues but have not received professional intervention. If we focus on treating the issues contributing to addiction such as stress, anxiety, and depression, then we will see a decrease in the rates of opioid addiction. The problem is not an illusion, the facts clearly represents the severity of the epidemic that is striking our country, and our homes.

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Over-Prescribed Ohio Facts Sheet

Updated: 09/19/2018

What are opioids?

• Opioid is a term for drugs that bind to opioid receptors in the body to prevent pain signals from being sent to that region of the body. • Opioids do not treat the issue, but rather reduce inflammation. • As a person develops a tolerance to opioids after a prolonged prescription, they require a higher dosage to continue to treat their pain.

What is the opioid epidemic?

• The opioid epidemic refers to the rapid increase in the use of prescription and non-prescription opioids in the United States and Canada. • In the 1990s, there was a massive market from pharmaceutical companies for their new opioid pills, claiming that they were non-addictive.

Has there been any progress in the issue?

• In June 2018, Congress passed the most extensive legislation to date to address the opioid crisis, approving a bipartisan package that combines 58 bills. • Jessie’s Law was passed, which requires the government to come up with guidelines for doctors and hospitals to display a patient’s addiction history to prevent relapse. • The Obama administration added $920 million for states to help treat addicts in 2016. 

What are the risks associated with the abuse of opioid prescriptions?

• Habitual users of opioids crave the feeling, the high is short-lived. • Opioid abuse can have negative mental and physical effects such as: nausea, vomiting, weakened immune system, slow breathing rate, coma, or death. • Intravenous use opioids can cause an increased risk of HIV or infectious diseases because of the potential of shared needles. • Abuse of opioids can result in an increased risk of addiction which can become a gate-way drug to substances such as heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.

What are the effects of opioid withdrawal?

• Withdrawal from opioids is described as having the worst flu imaginable. • The symptoms include: chills, sweats, muscles aches, nausea, diarrhea, anxiety, agitation, and runny nose. • The symptoms are usually accompanied by an uncontrollable craving for drugs. • An addict typical relapses because they want to avoid the symptoms of withdrawal. 

Does the heroin epidemic stem from the opioid crisis?

• The National Institute of Drug Abuse reports that nearly 80% of heroin users started with prescription opioids • From the late 1800s until 1910, Bayer sold heroin in 23 countries, claiming that it was a non-addictive substance to aid in morphine addicts getting clean. • People turn to illegal drugs such as heroin and fentanyl when they run out of prescription medications because they are less expensive than prescription opioids or they want something stronger. • From 1999-2016, overdose deaths from heroin increased 7x. 

What are the symptoms of heroin overdose?

• The symptoms may vary depending on the amount and purity of the heroin used, any other substances consumed, and the person’s age and weight. • Warning signs of overdose include: bluish nails or lips, depressed breathing, weak pulse, pinpoint pupils, disorientation, extreme drowsiness, loss of consciousness, coma, or death. • A person who has overdosed may need a dose of Narcan that blocks the effects of the drugs. 

How does heroin withdrawal occur?

• Withdrawal occurs after the discontinuation or decrease in intake of the drug. • The symptoms are like opioid withdrawal including: nausea, abdominal pain, sweating, shaking, nervousness, agitation, depression, muscle spasms, and cravings for the drugs. • Medical detox providers use medications and therapy to soothe symptoms, boosting the chance that a person will successfully withdrawal. 

What can individuals do to help prevent addiction? 

• The risk of drug use increases greatly during times of transition, particularly in times of stress. • Young adults are vulnerable to peer pressure because parts of the brain that control judgement and decision-making are not fully developed, which can lead to risky behavior. • An increased education surrounding opioids and the misuse of drugs can help prevent the abuse of prescription and non-prescription drugs.

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September 24, 2018

 The Honorable Sherrod Brown

United States Senator

713 Hart Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20510

 Dear Representative Brown:

I am writing to you as a constituent and a biology/undergraduate student regarding the Overdose Lifeline Inc. (ODL), a statewide Indiana nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals, families, and communities that are affected by opioid addiction. I am writing to you to urge your support to implement this program in Ohio so that education surrounding the opioid health crisis and substance abuse disorders can be taught to children throughout schools in Ohio.

The ODL Program provides funds to the only youth awareness prevention program that addresses the dangers of opioids, which is now used in more than a dozen states. The program also offers Naloxone (Narcan) training and distribution.  Aaron’s Law (SEA-406), went into effect April 2015 to increase the lifesaving treatment of Narcan, which is used to reverse an opioid overdose.

The Overdose Lifeline developed “This is (Not) About Drugs,” an educational program designed for students grades 6-12th that raises awareness to the risks of misusing prescription opioids. The program explains how the abuse of prescriptions can lead to more serious addiction, such as heroin use and overdose. “This is (Not) About Drugs” movement has reached more than 25,000 Indiana students and has 150+ delivery partners across 15+ states.  This unique program enables critically needed education surrounding the opioid crisis and encourages good choices among children when placed in stressful life situations.

Ohio is an epicenter of opioid addiction with an estimated 200,000 opioid addicts statewide, Ohio would greatly benefit from the implementation of an educational program. The ODL program reduces adolescent drug and alcohol use in high-risk teenagers. The focus motivates adolescents to understand their emotional and behavioral reactions, so that they can work on developing specialized coping skills that are relevant to their personality styles.

I urge you to support the Overdose Lifeline Inc., which benefits so many young children and adults, by providing them with the education needed to combat the opioid crisis. If you or your staff would like additional information regarding the Overdose Lifeline (ODL) or “This is (Not) About Drugs,” please contact me directly. Thank you for your time to read my letter and I look forward to hearing back from you about implementing this program in Ohio.  

Sincerely,

Anonymous, Wittenberg University

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DROP OFF YOUR UNWANTED MEDICATIONS AT MERCY HEALTH HOSPITALS

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

SPRINGFIELD, OH – On Saturday, October 27th from 10AM-2PM, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will be hosting national drug take-back day to deter people from selling or abusing their prescription narcotics. This day has been implemented to prevent the possibility of pill theft by providing people with a safe, reliable way to rid expired, unused, and unwanted opioids from their home.

The DEA has recorded 6.4 million Americans that have abused prescription opioids in 2015 with most of the narcotics residing from family and friend’s medical cabinets. It was also recorded in 2015 that approximately 2 million Americans had substance abuse disorders related to opioid medications. In the past 13 Take Back events, the DEA has collected 8.1 million pounds of pills.

In 2017 during one of the take-back programs, Matt Caldwell, President and CEO of Mercy Healthy said that “our community can help prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths by returning unwanted, expired and unused prescription drugs to secure drop boxes,” Mercy Health – Springfield.

Mercy Health Springfield Hospital supports this program by having drop-off boxes readily available for the public at the following locations:

Urbana Hospital, 904 Scioto St., Urbana, Ohio 43078 (available 24/7)

Springfield Regional Medical Center, 100 Medical Center Drive, Springfield, Ohio 45504 (accessible Monday-Friday from 7a.m.-5 p.m.)

The staff located at the front desks are also available to help in directing people to the proper locations to dispose of their unwanted prescriptions.

This take-back program is being sponsored by Over-Prescribed Ohio. For additional information about the opioid epidemic, you can follow Over-Prescribed Ohio on Twitter (https://twitter.com/overprescribeOH), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/overprescribedohio/?modal=admin_todo_tour), or Tumblr (https://overprescribedohio.tumblr.com/). For questions about the program, you can call Mercy Health Springfield at (937) 523-1000.

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Dear patients,

Addiction, by textbook definition is a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance. But, like all words, addiction has a stigma attached to it. When you hear the word addiction, what comes to mind? Do you think of a person that comes from poverty? Someone who is uneducated? Of course, – why wouldn’t you? Society has placed the blame of addiction onto people who are often overlooked. You would never think that someone with a graduate education would fall victim to addiction, especially a doctor.  

Addiction is a disregarded illness, stereotyped to a certain demographic of people. No one ever expects someone in a white coat with a “god-like” persona to fall victim to addiction. No one reports on the doctors who insert intravenous ports into their feet for opioid injections or take Tylenol with codeine to “manage stress” during surgeries. These doctors know better than anyone how addictive narcotics are, and yet pharmaceutical companies market them as if they’re anything other than what they are – addictive.

Just as heroin was originally marketed by the FDA as a “non-addictive substance to aid morphine addicts” in 1910 by Bayer, opioids are being prescribed by doctors as a reliable method of pain management. Why are doctors still prescribing narcotics to young adults? Without a reliable person to manage their pain index and manage dosages, patients are left self-medicating with little knowledge surrounding prescription medications.

What people often forget is that no one is immune to addiction. The process of addiction is becoming an alarmingly repetitive process. A person undergoes a procedure and is then over-prescribed narcotics that may not have been required in the first place. If there are no constraints on the medication distribution, the person is likely to over-medicate themselves requiring a higher dosage each time. The process of withdrawal begins when the medication runs out often leading people to seek out cheaper and readily available opioids such as heroin and fentanyl.

Addiction does not discriminate. Just because we stigmatize the word “addiction,” it does not mean that people who are wealthy or from higher socioeconomic classes are immune to the mental illness. But, this idea is often forgotten when people in the medical field are faced with the same dilemma. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical professionals can fall victim to the inescapable addiction, just like everyone else. But, who reports on them? How is the public supposed to place their trust in a system that is failing even its own doctors?

When medical professionals self-medicate, hospitals turn a blind eye as if their degree provides immunity from addiction. After all, they’re professionals. Trust your doctor. Ask for their advice. They went to medical school, they have all the answers. How am I supposed to place my trust in doctors who are prescribing me narcotics? The same narcotics they are currently withdrawing from as I stand in the same room as them.  

There are thousands of personal accounts of doctors who explain their struggle with addiction and withdrawal. They themselves believed they were immune to addiction. Yet, they account times where they’ve performed surgeries and went through full shifts borderline coherent. When are we going to realize that we have a problem in America? A problem that is affecting everyone, not just the patients.

Opioids are readily available in a hospital and no one ever questions the one in a white coat. Doctors and other medical staff are given nearly unlimited access to opioids and narcotics with limited restrictions. Who is accounting for the loss of medications? Certainly not the hospitals because that could lead to a lawsuit and everyone knows that a lawsuit means a lot of lost money. Hospitals are more concerned about profit rather health and well-being of their staff, let alone the patients.

So, who are we supposed to trust? If the people who are supposed to be treating us are facing the same problems we are, then how do we find the right answers? Patients need to advocate for themselves. There are other treatment options available. As a society, we need to redefine addiction and understand that it does not just affect one demographic of people. It affects everyone, including the ones we’re supposed to trust most – our doctors.

Sincerely,

Anonymous

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the part of the family we don’t talk about

It’s hard to go through life without knowing someone - a friend, sister, neighbor, father - who hasn’t suffered with addiction. Me - I’ve witnessed people in my family struggle with alcohol and opioid addiction for my entire life.

Addiction is a hidden demon - ugly, daunting, and mean - it takes and morphs the person you thought you knew into something terrifying. My uncle fell victim to this demon. At a young age he began using prescription drugs to get high. Now, nearly 35 years later and he still battles with addiction.

When I ask him stories, he’s always willing to tell me about his life. He has used nearly every drug sold on the streets because they are cheaper than the opioids he was originally prescribed. Although opioid prescriptions are how his addiction began, he opted for the cheaper version of narcotics - cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl, ecstasy, and the list goes on . . .

He told me how his friends would have “pill parties” where they would dump pills (ecstasy, opioids, molly, etc) into a bowl and take them throughout the night - never knowing what he was putting into his body.

At the age of 40, he had open heart surgery. He had done so much damage to his body and his heart that he had developed pulmonary abscesses. The day after his surgery, he snorted cocaine while also taking his prescribed medications from his surgery.

If you ask me, I have no idea how he has lived to be 52 years old. He has neglected to take care of his body or health for the majority of his life. In addition to his drug abuse, he was an excessive drinker. But, today he is clean. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy, and he has had setbacks, but he has maintained his sobriety.

I think my uncle’s life would have been different if he would have had a different friend group as a teenager. His friends pressured him into taking more medication than he was prescribed and eventually leading him to trying different drugs. Similarly to most people, he became addicted.

I’ve seen both sides of my uncle. The fun-loving, pain in my ass who likes to tease and joke around with me and the person who’s cussed me out before, slurring his speech as he was nearly incoherent at my grandma’s house.

Drugs do change the person you know, the person you care about. It’s hard to blame him. He has made a lot of bad choices in life, but he has a mental illness. My uncle isn’t a bad person just because he’s made bad choices in life. Addiction needs to be redefined. There need to be more restrictions on prescriptions and more consideration for people who suffer from addiction. This problem spans the entire United States, so when will someone address the problem – we need to advocate for change. Change amongst our hospitals, change in our addiction programs, and change in how we view addiction.

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Dear editor

September marks the start of national pain management month. The month has brought forth awareness of the effects of pain as well as the treatment options available. As a society that has become more dependent on prescription medication, this month is about working towards ending the opioid epidemic by limiting the use of opioids as a method of treatment.

Instead of the conventional treatment of opioid prescriptions, people should take control of their own health situation and seek out other pain management treatments. People who suffer from chronic pain can seek relief in other treatments such as physical therapy, meditation, electro-therapy, and other mind-body techniques. These methods can help to limit or eliminate the use of prescription opioids, reducing the risk of addiction and allowing for a healthier lifestyle.

Opioid prescriptions for chronic pain do not treat the ailment, but instead reduce inflammation which in turn reduces the pain. The issue is that our bodies build a tolerance to the opioids requiring a higher dosage of pain medication to continue treating the pain. As people need to increase their dosage, they’re more likely to become addicted to their medication.

The choice does not have to be between addiction or chronic pain. Seek out additional help or information and bring awareness to the epidemic that has been striking America. There are other options for treatment, so become aware of the treatment plans doctors are providing because there is never one solution to the problem!

Sincerely,

Anonymous 

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“I want the f*cking Dilaudid”

Over the summer I spent a lot of time shadowing in the emergency room. I typically worked the 7:00PM-3:00AM shift in a trauma one emergency department. As someone who hasn’t had much experience in healthcare, the experience was quite eye opening. 

I would arrive early, even though I wasn’t getting paid, to begin my long 8 hour shift. I’d come dressed in navy blue scrubs, looking semi-professional despite the fact that I often wore white converses. I would shadow different physician’s assistants each time and each of them possessed drastically different methods of practice. I witnessed a variety of patients walk through the doors, frequent fliers seen every week, homeless people desperate for some food and a bed, and trauma victims on the brink of death. 

I observed how the physicians, the physician’s assistants, the nurses, the patient care assistants, and other medical professionals interacted with the patients. Although society places a lot of faith into the medical system that all people will receive “equal treatment” by medical professionals, this is rarely the case. People are judged once they walk through the door. 

I have heard stories and witnessed incidents that make me question if the people who make my medical decisions have my best interest in mind. Maybe it’s because the doctors and nurses who work in a constant state of stress, in a rushed atmosphere, prefer to choose an easier way out. This usually includes doing whatever the patient may want, including prescribing them opioid drugs, despite the fact that there is no medical necessity. Or maybe it’s because these medical professionals have built a wall around their emotions, as they are surrounded by hopelessness seen every day. Hopelessness by the increasing number of cases of people who arrive by ambulance after being narcanned multiple times because they accidentally overdosed on heroin for the tenth time. Whatever the case may be, protocol needs to be adjusted.

Often when I’d shadow, the PA’s main concern was to get the patient in and out of the emergency department as quick as possible. This is mainly for financial reasons. If the person isn’t dying, then they are simply viewed as using up a bed, resulting in the hospital not making money. As disturbing as this may seem, patients who were searching for drugs could come in with the routine “chronic abdominal pain” and the doctors would prescribe them opioids just so they would leave, otherwise the patient may act out and refuse to cooperate. As I would silently watch this same scenario again and again, all I could tell myself was that this is the reason we have a drug problem in America. 

A woman once came in who was deemed a “frequent flier” by the airplane on her chart, which meant she had been in the emergency department within the past month. She was notoriously known by the staff and no one wanted to claim her case because everyone knew why she was there; she wanted drugs. All her tests came back clear, showing that there was nothing medically wrong with her. Yet, she flailed around in her room, screaming in pain and cussing at the nurses as they took her vitals. She continued screaming “I want the fucking Dilaudid”, which is a pain killer for severe pain that is typically given to surgery patients. A dose of Dilaudid is nearly ten times stronger than one dose of Morphine. The PA I was shadowing, who was definitely fed up with the patient, told me she would have written her a prescription if there wasn’t a shortage of it from the hurricane in Puerto Rico. Instead, she sent the patient home with two separate prescriptions of Oxycontin and Morphine. 

I don’t want to blame or discredit the medical staff I shadowed. I learned a lot of valuable information and I’m glad they gave me the opportunity to shadow them and witness what the job entails. But, I think there is a problem with the system. We need to set up better regulations to prevent people from slipping through the cracks in the system in search of drugs. The doctors often feel pressured by upper management in the hospital to get patients out the door, even if that means prescribing them the narcotics that they definitely do not need. 

I want to join the medical field to help people, but I’m afraid that if changes in healthcare don’t occur then the capitalistic system of turning out “healthy” patients will continue as addiction rates skyrocket because of over-prescriptions. 

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“Take As Needed”

When I was fifteen years old, I suffered a fracture to my ankle during soccer practice. As I was playing goalie, I dove to block a shot but my cleat got stuck in the mud. I heard my ankle break and felt immense pain as I fell onto the grass. As the adrenaline rushed through my blood, I lost sensation in my entire leg. With tears streaming down my face, my coach lifted me from the ground and carried me a football field’s length back to the parking lot. My ankle was limp and flopped up and down with each step he took. When my dad arrived, he immediately took me to the emergency room. In the car I could feel each turn and bump in the road as I knew my ankle was definitely broken. 

When I arrived in the emergency room, I was immediately given a dose of Oxycontin to manage the pain before I had even seen a doctor. I was wheeled back for an X-ray, but the nurse had to cut my shoe and shin guard from my foot. When the images returned, a doctor came in the room to explain to my parents that “they had never seen a break this severe” and that I needed to be sent to the main campus downtown for emergency surgery on my growth plate. 

The following morning I was taken into surgery to have a screw placed into my ankle. I spent the next three days in the hospital, although I barely remember any of my time spent there. I was given hourly doses of pain killers to manage my pain which left me feeling disoriented and sleepy. When I was finally able to head home, I was given a prescription of Vicodin with the instructions “take as needed.”

I spent the next 5 months immobilized in a cast as I was forced into using a wheelchair since I suffered damage to my nerves and blood vessels. My foot would turn black when I would stand to use crutches and I woke up every morning in tears from pain. I took Vicodin consistently 2-3 times daily to help with pain, but the prescription also helped to calm me. I had a long road ahead of me and to this day I still haven’t completely recovered as I still suffer from sharp pain and cramps in my ankle. But, this was the first time in my life that I had truly experienced the meaning of depression. 

At fifteen years old, I was on the verge of addiction as I woke up each morning wanting to take the pain killers to take the physical and emotional pain away. Throughout those months, my doctor continued refilling my prescriptions, after all it said “take as needed” and I felt I still needed it. Luckily, my story is different unlike the stories of millions of other teens and adults. My parents and friends gave me unconditional support and my parents slowly stopped letting me take the drugs, even when I’d beg for them. This typically isn’t the case for most people. Most people don’t have someone to manage their dosages and support them through depressing times in their life. That’s why I’ve created this blog. 

I want to bring awareness to the social epidemic that is striking America. The use of narcotics needs to be limited. In the beginning, I did need the pain medicine to help manage the pain, but not several months after the surgery. We need to find other methods of pain management and lessen the increasing rates of opioid addiction because of over-prescriptions.