Research shows that roughly 31 million people are injured every year and require some pain medication. The most common type of drug used to treat pain is opioids.
Types of Opioids
Many opiates are prescribed for pain; some common ones are morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and fentanyl. These opiates vary in strength and are used for different levels and tolerances of pain. For most injuries or post-op, a doctor will prescribe hydrocodone or maybe oxycodone if the damage is excruciating. For the most part, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and fentanyl are used for surgery or directly after surgery then immediately lowered. In most cases, a person will take the medication for a couple of days to a couple of weeks. The problem lies when the person is in ongoing pain and must take these medications for an extended period.
The Road to Addiction
By taking prescription opioids, the body builds a tolerance to the medication requiring more and more of it to produce the same results. The most significant risk factor with this is that the doctor can no longer continue prescribing the dose the patient needs to relieve the pain. At this point, the individual usually turns to street drugs like heroin that might be cheaper, but they don’t honestly know what is in it. The common street heroin is often cut with other substances like fentanyl, a much more potent opiate than oxycodone or hydrocodone.
The Opioid Epidemic
In 2012, 259 million prescriptions for opiates were written in the United States. The daily struggle for many Americans suffering from chronic pain is to continue to risk their lives for temporary relief or go through temporary discomfort to have a promising future ahead of them.
And in 2017 alone, 47,000 Americans paid the ultimate price and died from prescription-related overdoses. This is a severe problem that not only affects individuals but the economy and welfare of our communities. The CDC estimates that the cost of the opioid epidemic has reached $78B per year.
Getting Help
Once a person is afflicted with addiction, they can no longer drink freely as others can. The only way people get through this is through complete abstinence, which is very hard for many people. Many find it necessary to seek out professional help at an addiction treatment center. Treatment can make this process a more tangible task. There are many levels of treatment readily available to help here in Atlanta.
Getting help for your addiction is possible. The best way to get through the addiction is to find a local treatment center with an individualized approach to treating substance abuse. Many times finding an Atlanta detox clinic is the crucial first step. Detox typically lasts 5-7 days, during which time an individual will be medically monitored and treated for a host of potential symptoms that generally accompany this phase of the withdrawal process. Once an individual is medically stabilized, the next step to go to either outpatient or inpatient rehab.
The following Georgia based options provide support to individuals dealing with substance abuse issues
- The Summit Wellness Group: 770-692-2052
- GA CARES Warm Line: 1-844-326-5400
- Peer2Peer Warm Line: 1-888-945-1414
- Georgia Crisis & Access Line: 1-800-715-4225
- The Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741-741
In any other personal injury cases, Singleton Law Firm LLC. will help you with your issue.
