America’s Wound The uprise of opioid related deaths is claiming countless lives everyday in the United States, medical and non-medical users are misusing this prescribed drug, and getting their hands on it, is easier than it should be. Millions of American users of this prescribed drug are easily becoming addicted and continue to be prescribed over and over again by doctors and physicians. Families are being torn apart and lives are being ruined by this highly addictive drug. The government has let this go on for too long. First, death and addiction affected thousands, now millions of people of all ages are experiencing and witnessing the horrors of addiction. This self-inflicted crisis is only beginning to boom, as it reaches more and
…show more content…
According to the “Opioid Crisis” article, the current crisis began with the over-prescription of painkillers, between 1991 and 2011 prescriptions nearly tripled, “by 2016, “only” 215 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed” (Rothstein). As prescriptions increased, so did potency. This made them even more addicting. In addition, “The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 91.5 million Americans are taking opioids” (Rothstein). This large scale of prescriptions has now taken its toll on America, out of millions of people, the risk of addiction, overdose, and Death is higher than ever. Today, At least 21 million people have an opioid use disorder (Murthy). Opioid addiction puts an immense pause on people’s lives and leaves a gaping hole filled with misery and confusion, leaving them to wonder how it all could of been avoided. In reality, the evasion of this problem was almost impossible, because the trust for caretakers and physicians was unintentionally manipulated. Are the users to be blamed, when the sense of security of a patient was falsely …show more content…
In 2016 opioid related deaths jumped by 21 percent and synthetic drug overdoses , such as fentanyl, nearly doubled since the previous year (Etter). “More than 200 States and localities” are suing companies who developed these medicals drugs, accusing them of mishandling these powerful drugs (Etter). This misconception of the developers led to the careless prescriptions to patients, setting them up for addiction. Patients who complained of back, joint, and muscle pain were being prescribed strong painkillers for non severe pain, for a quick solution to their problem. Which is why “these disorders have reached the rich and poor, urban and rural dwellers, and all race and ethnicity” (Murthy). This crisis has touched all corners of America
According to the “Opioid Crisis” article, the current crisis began with the over-prescription of painkillers, between 1991 and 2011 prescriptions nearly tripled, “by 2016, “only” 215 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed” (Rothstein). As prescriptions increased, so did potency. This made them even more addicting. In addition, “The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 91.5 million Americans are taking opioids” (Rothstein). This large scale of prescriptions has now taken its toll on America, out of millions of people, the risk of addiction, overdose, and Death is higher than ever. Today, At least 21 million people have an opioid use disorder (Murthy). Opioid addiction puts an immense pause on people’s lives and leaves a gaping hole filled with misery and confusion, leaving them to wonder how it all could of been avoided. In reality, the evasion of this problem was almost impossible, because the trust for caretakers and physicians was unintentionally manipulated. Are the users to be blamed, when the sense of security of a patient was falsely …show more content…
In 2016 opioid related deaths jumped by 21 percent and synthetic drug overdoses , such as fentanyl, nearly doubled since the previous year (Etter). “More than 200 States and localities” are suing companies who developed these medicals drugs, accusing them of mishandling these powerful drugs (Etter). This misconception of the developers led to the careless prescriptions to patients, setting them up for addiction. Patients who complained of back, joint, and muscle pain were being prescribed strong painkillers for non severe pain, for a quick solution to their problem. Which is why “these disorders have reached the rich and poor, urban and rural dwellers, and all race and ethnicity” (Murthy). This crisis has touched all corners of America