America is currently failing to educate its people on the dangers of addiction, a price being paid for with human lives. A reported 130 Americans die every single day from overdoses on opioids such as heroine, fentanyl, and their pharmaceutical equivalents. The United States is losing upwards of 78.5 billion dollars a year in loss of productivity, health care, and criminal justice involvement, among many other factors. According to a December 2019 New York Times article entitled, “Heroin Addiction Explained: How Opioids Hijack the Brain,” opioid overdose has become the leading cause of death for those under the age of 55 in America, killing more than the H.I.V crisis at its peak, or the wars in both Vietnam and Iraq. Heroine and other similar substances hijack users' brains, trapping them in vicious cycles of addiction. Very little has been successful at fighting this epidemic, yet one unlikely tactic remains: education.
How an epidemic was formed.
According to Dr. Zeev N. Kain, for Psychology Today, doctors are currently over prescribing opioid painkillers, drugs nearly chemically identical to heroin or fentanyl. This issue has been perpetuated by both a lack of proper addiction education, and a spread of biased information from the pharmaceutical industry which receives a monetary incentive from the usage of their dangerous drugs. In 2017 alone, members of the pharmaceutical industry spent 170 million dollars on providing education to medical professionals. Such numbers appear as unsettling when taking into consideration that, as illustrated by The National Institute on Drug Abuse, lies spread by large pharmaceutical companies in the early 1990s regarding the addictive properties of opioid painkillers directly influenced the misuse and over prescription of the drugs in the hands of medical professionals.
How we can respond moving forward.
When lacking adequate education, doctors risk neglecting proper identification and treatment of addiction, leaving patients defenseless against a crippling disease. Doctor Leslie Rae Dye explains that “healthcare providers need more education to recognize that addiction is a disease and that those suffering require more than disdain and disgust.” The sad truth is that addiction carries a painful stigma. Even using terminology such as “drug abuse” can be harmful, and can point blame at users who struggle to be understood. Without the support of those around them, and those in the medical community, many feel lost, digging themselves deeper into holes of addiction. A clear message is needed. People must understand that support exists, support that should not be hindered by negative connotations accompanying addiction.
Furthermore, a well educated medical community isn’t the only step America must take when confronting this issue. Americans of everyday life play a role in combating drug use. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse examines in their October 2017 report on opioid addiction how an educated public and widespread awareness is the first step in effective prevention. The more that vulnerable populations understand the risks of opioid use, the safer they become. Parents, educators, and medical professionals all play roles in opioid use prevention for the young and vulnerable. This task must encompass both in school learning during appropriate health education courses, as well as personal understandings with parents or guardians. For our society to properly tackle this epidemic, we must move past shameful stigmas and misinformation, and towards such unwavering support.
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