Is There Really an Opiate Crisis?

You can’t deny that more than 33,091 deaths in 2015 due to opiates and opioids is a crisis. These deaths in one year from any cause is indeed a problem. But, the opiate crisis includes more than just street drugs. It also includes medications prescribed by doctors and widely abused by patients nationwide.

The Opiate Crisis Explained

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 90 people die in the United States each day, due to opioids. These drugs include heroin, fentanyl, and prescription painkillers. The number of deaths affects public health and our country’s social and economic position. According to the CDC, the opiate crisis costs Americans $78.5 billion each year.

The effects of the opiate crisis on our country include:

• Lost lives
• Higher healthcare costs
• Lost productivity
• Addiction treatment services
• Criminal justice involvement

Clearly, with so many lives affected and so much economic and social loss as a result of these deaths, there is a real opiate crisis. Experts in the US confirm this, especially knowing that more than two million Americans suffer addiction to opiates and opioids.

What Caused the Opiate Crisis?

There is no single cause of the opiate crisis. But a considerable part of the problem is the over-prescribing of prescription opiate drugs. In 1992, only 112 million patients received opioid prescriptions from their doctors in the US. By 2012, that number was 282 million.

The good news is that doctors’ prescribing habits are now monitored. Government agencies have cracked down on doctors who prescribe too many pills. This has helped the crisis improve in the past two years. In 2016, doctors wrote 50 million fewer prescriptions for these highly addictive medications.

What if Your Loved One is Part of the Opiate and Opioid Crisis?

Millions of people use opiates every day. Many of these people start their drug use under a doctor’s prescription. A significant percentage move into street drug use when their prescription ends, after accidentally sliding into addiction to their prescription painkillers.

There is no shame in the addiction. It just requires the right help.

If your loved one suffers addiction to opiates or opioids, this help is available. It comes from an accredited rehab facility, one capable of providing detox and the treatment and therapies needed for lasting recovery.

In Jacksonville, Florida, Beaches Recovery provides detox and rehab programs designed for opiate addiction recovery. This treatment starts at Tides Edge, Beaches’ partner detox facility. After detox, you or your loved one move into rehab at Beaches Recovery, where true long-term healing begins.

Your detox at Tides Edge includes:

• Supervised medical detox
• Medically assisted withdrawal
• Individualized treatment plans
• Individual, group and family therapy
• Insurance acceptance
• Safety, support, and privacy

For a better future with freedom from your personal opiate crisis, call Beaches Recovery now at 866.605.0532. You can get back to healthier and happier days. There are many more of these days ahead, so call now.