Summary

Opioids are a pain pill. They are used to relieve pain. Opioids are in a family with heroin, synthetic opioids; ie fentanyl, and other pain relievers; ie oxycodone, codeine, hydrocodone, morphine, ect. Opioid is extremely addicting, due to the fact they trigger the reward centers of your brain. In the 1980’s, people wanted to be able to control their pain, and opioids became something prescribed to do so.

Originally, the rise in Opioid deaths began in 1999. However, the Opioid Crisis or Opioid Epidemic was not declared a public health emergency until October 26, 2017. This public health emergency is defined by the overuse or misuses of addictive opioid drugs with consequences. These consequences can be mental, physical, communal, or economical. Opioids take over these people’s lives, and it is taking over everything we knew.

Secondly, to receive prescription opioids, you, of course, have to have a prescription. When people go in with pain or have a surgery where pain will be common afterwards, these patients are usually prescribed some sort of pain medication. This was a reason opioids were able to control the Appalachian Region. In 2019, 684.6 thousand people in the U.S. had mining jobs. Also in 2019, 7,492.2 thousand people in the U.S. had construction jobs, another labor- inducing job. Another reason it hit the Appalachian region is because people on Medicaid are more likely to be prescribed higher doses of opioids. They are also prescribed for longer periods of time.

However, there are programs in place to help people. In 2016, NIDA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and ARC, the Appalachian Regional Commission, announced a funding opportunity. They planned to research grants to address an opioid injection drug. There are several other programs as well. There is the Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States and Data-Driven Prevention Initiative. These programs look to provide tools and resources for the states. Another research based program, that hopes to look for an answer in the brain, is ABCD, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development. This research fund hopes to find what makes young adults so vulnerable to addiction. There are many more programs.

One located right here in Huntington, is Recovery Point West Virginia. Recovery Point helps people who are suffering from some type of substance abuse. It is of no cost to the addicted. It is funded by grants, donations, and fundraising. It has grown larger over the years, and there are more locations in Bluefield, Charleston, and Parkersburg.

Finally, the outcome of the Opioid Crisis is in our hands. Together we can stop this. We have to talk about it, and change the way we know addiction. We have to be open minded, and educated about the topic. Change is not going to come quickly, but we can all help. The first step is to know what we are dealing with. This is our home and our people being affected. We should want to fight.