Understanding the Opioid Epidemic
PRESENTED BY: Meaningful Movies of IssaquahThis film traces the causes behind the unprecedented growth in the use of prescription opioids and the devastating impact these drugs are having in America. Β A single opioid prescription can be the forerunner of opioid addiction and even death. Estimates of death in the U.S. by opioid overdoses now range from ~100-140 users per day. Β Opioid addiction now extends into virtually every neighborhood, socioeconomic class, and age group in the country. The several-decade acceptance and use of opioid painkillers has led to, for example, health care providers in 2013 writing nearly a quarter of a billion opioid prescriptions, commonly for moderate to severe pain. Β Anyone who takes prescription opioids can become addicted to them. Yet even those who are not opioid users are ensnared in the crisis: e.g., families of the addicted, babies addicted at birth, and growing numbers of first-responders being trained in overdose medication delivery. Β Steps to stem the epidemic can include non-drug treatments for pain, improved opioid prescribing, and treatment of those already addicted.
Sponsors: Highlands Council
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1264393070392352/
No Comments so far
Jump into a conversation