Addiction : Addiction And Addiction

Heroin and opioids have grown in appearance in communities. Since, 2008 in Allegheny County alone there was more than two thousand overdose deaths, with one hundred-seventy-seven deaths in this year alone (Pennsylvania). Furthermore, in 2015 there was only one -hundred-twenty-six;

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that often results in some sort of relapse. Addiction is characterized by inability to control drug use which results in problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships. This disease causes compulsive behaviors such as the need to use drugs despite the many harmful consequences that affect the addicted individual and those around him or her. Although for most people, the initial decision to use drugs is a one time lapse in judgement, the brain is easily affected by these drugs if the person decides to use these drugs multiple times. The changes that occur to the brain over time will cause the addicted person’s ability to resist the intense impulses of drugs to be altered causing the addict to often give into the temptation of these drugs. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. Drug addiction is an issue that many people deal with whether they are the addict or the addict is their loved one; but with a good source of support anyone can over come the challenges and consequences of addiction.

Analysis: According to the Center for Disease Control, in Florida, there was over 3,200 deaths from opioid overdoses, and opioids account for the most overdose deaths in the United States (“Opioid Overdose,” 2016).

Many people believe the misconception that an addiction is a moral problem and not a disease. To better understand the reasons why an additicition is in fact a disease; I will identify several types of addictions, and the problems associated with them. I will examine reasons why certain people are more susceptible for developing an addiction. Also, I will determine why many addicts deny their problems and many recovery methods addicts use to fight their illness. Researching these issues, will help aid my claim that addiction is a disease.

If you watch the news it should come as no surprise that drug abuse and overdoses have increased dramatically in the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as many as 36 million people abuse opioids throughout the world with 2.1 million in the U.S. who currently suffer from opioid abuse disorders (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014). These astonishing numbers are only marginalized when comparing them to opioid related deaths in the United States. With an increase of 137 percent since 2000, deaths from drug overdoses now occur 1.5 times more often than deaths from motor vehicle accidents (Rudd Aleshire, Zibbell & Gladden, 2016). The opioid epidemic in the

In Florida alone, thousands of Americans die every year due to the struggles of opioid addiction. According to Becker’s Hospital Review 1,399 (Rappleye) Floridians die each year from prescription or heroin overdose. Many families are affected by opioid

Opioids are being over prescribed in the United States resulting in increased deaths by drug overdose. Pain medication strategies are being looked into as substitutes for pain management. Over decades, the amount of medicine being prescribed has more than tripled. State policies regarding the medication were implemented and who'd a small decrease in the likelihood of opioid prescriptions. Nationally, death rates are on the rise. Studies monitoring prescription drugs do not account for illegal opioids and manufactured fentanyl. While not mentioned in this article, there is a possible correlation between young people prescribed opioids and illegal drug use seeing that overdoses are common in patients already abusing their prescription medication, yet overdose death being most common after

I spoke with a good friend of mine Robert Ramos about this issue. He is a recently retired, 17-year veteran of the Attleboro Police Force in Massachusetts. He stated the problem is that with the addition of Fentanyl, a painkiller, heroin has gained an increase in popularity and has become more fatal. Overdoses from heroin laced with the painkiller Fentanyl jumped to new levels across New England over this past year.

As a result on this alarming phenomenon, deaths related to drug overdose saw a material spike upwards as recently as 2013. The number of deaths (13.2 for every 100,000 residents) earned the state the dubious honor of being ranked #19 in the nation for said deaths. In order to keep these numbers from getting worse, residents and their representatives need to start working together to develop prevention programs while making sure those who are suffering from an addiction have reasonable access to treatment and

Since 1999 to 2015 more than 183,000 people have died in the United States from overdose involving prescription opioids (www.CDC.gov). The number of deaths in the US, involving prescription opioids, has nearly quadrupled. The number of opioids overdose nearly equaled the number of deaths involved in a car accident and, surpassed gunshot homicides (www.CDC.gov). Death ages range from 45-years of age to 64-year-olds, and is highest among non-Hispanic whites, American Indian and non-Hispanic blacks. Kentucky was dealing with at least 50 overdose cases per day. At the National level, there are several states that had the highest unintentional deaths due to opioids and are predominantly rural states, such as West Virginia, New Mexico, Utah, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nevada, Kentucky and Tennessee (http://hhs.gov). Canada has become the second largest consumer of prescription opioids to the United States. Since 2007, 47,000 per year are due to drug overdose, and the numbers continue to grow. In 2015 has been a record high, in opioid overdose. Many doctors liberally

Over the past decade, Massachusetts has lost close to 7,000 people to heroin and other opioid drug related overdoses. As of 2015, there have been almost 1,200 deaths

West Virginia has the highest rate for an overdose in this particular state. The heroin is an inexpensive drug to buy. Drug dealer can make their money this way. This particular drug called Heroin gives you an internal rush it keeps you going for a couple hours. This website called West Virginia Public broadcasting Levi says these rates are high because they started at a young age. Also Levi said “is too keep the kids interested in a sport of some kind of activities is so they don’t get hooked on this particular drug”. (McCormick, 2015) Heroin has taken a heavy toll in parts of West Virginia. The website called West Virginia Public Broadcasting Prosecutor attorney William Fell said Baltimore is the first heroin addiction and then Berkeley is the second highest heroin issues (Mccormick, 2015).The website called West Virginia Public Broadcasting said Officer Master said the drug dealer is willing to drive to a larger city to get the heroin cheaper like the Pittsburgh District of Columbia or even Baltimore. (McCormick, 2015). This website called West Virginia Public Broadcasting said ‘The drug dealers will go to Berkley to get new customers or to get more people interested in this drug. Also the West Virginia Broadcasting mention Heroin Mass is up with person breathing system”. (Vorhees, 2015). West Virginia Broadcasting, Dr. Harman said When a person goes into an overdose, when they are brought to the hospital, they are given Narcan to bring them back to a normal breathing

Modern day America is plagued by a surplus of tragedy, most may have seen viral videos of these “zombies” slumped in cars or streets and yet it continues. In fact, this terrifying epidemic was created by drugs that were intended for pain relief, Opioids. This includes prescription pain relievers like oxycodone, morphine, methadone, and hydrocodone. Ironically, the well-known street drug, Heroin, is one of the most serious offenders of the Opioid crisis (Anderson). With each day, more mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers are witnessing and losing loved ones from overdoses, which is why the focus of society absolutely needs to be on a path of action towards the rising deaths, excessive prescriptions and governmental influences in opioid addiction.

Being addicted to a substance, thing or activity may be considered a problem to most people. This uncontrollable habit can completely flip people’s lives around. The sad part is that it’s so hard to break someone addicted to something because you cannot help someone that doesn’t want to be helped. Addiction is so powerful that people can’t see the wrong in it all the time. Addiction is a powerful brain disease and the healing process can be dangerous.

Many of us really do not understand what addiction is. In searching the Internet the search engines will come up with a lot of information on what addiction is, but sometimes reading about it feels like I almost need to have a degree in words I cannot understand. Why do they talk in scientific language? I want to know what it is in words I can understand. Don't you?