Whenever you think of a story being told you think of the typical beginning, middle, and end. This is to be expected, but seeing as we cannot see into the future, nobody can be definite which chapter is which while discovering life and all that it has to offer. This is all terribly true in regards to the opioid plague that is responsible for the deaths of thousands in recent years. Plain and simple: life is random. So much can be left to uncertainty in the fast-paced world we attempt to thrive in.

We do however know in this life that nothing is permanent except death. Looking further into that existential point of view, nothing lasts forever. Eventually, everything comes to an end and everything takes its last breath- so to speak. We can be talking about material possessions, living breathing organisms, or even just an idea. Everything changes for even water shapes stones over time. With this in mind, this disgusting pharmaceutical endemic can’t last forever, can it?

Ohio Crying for Help

Time changes a lot sure, but so does action. Some things cannot be changed until the proper channels have been taken in support with or against something. Time will change a rainy day into a sunny one, but it won’t necessarily change a disease into strength. Action must be taken when controversy boils to the top or things will only go from bad to worse. The possibilities of this world are innumerable, and with that being said something has to change immediately with this opioid epidemic that has swept the nation into a dustpan of chaos.

Painkillers and benzodiazepines of the like have devastated the addicts and alcoholics of this country mostly for the better part of the last decade. Yes, there were raging substance abuse issues before the 2000’s, but addiction trials have only picked up since Y2K. With a plethora of states suffering from record-breaking accidental opioid overdoses, Ohio made its way to the top. With an alarming number of cities facing the brutality of opiate addiction, we wonder when the madness will end. A few of the bigger cities in the Midwestern state just to mention include:

Cincinnati
Findlay
Parma
Kettering
Columbus
Akron

This War on Drugs in the state of Ohio has gotten to a point with the involvement of a lawsuit against some of the major pharmaceutical companies out there. Fortunately for Ohio’s case, there are other states backing the same case against the legalities of the opioid-induced deaths sprouting up left and right. This is a double-edged sword here, but it’s time for change.

A Glimmer of Hope

Recently, the Department of Justice granted the southwestern area of Ohio a $2.9 million sum to help in the fight against addiction. This grant is the start to something beautiful hopefully. It seems as if this chunk of money being given to the lower region of Ohio is almost like a rough draft of a much bigger plan in eliminating the epidemic. The $2.9 million will go to various treatment services such as drug monitoring programs and selective rehabilitation and opioid dependence programs.

With Franklin and Hamilton County to be receiving large portions of the funding, it’s safe to say that a lot of eyes at the top of the food chain will be observing. This kind of feels like a guinea pig project that involves a massive collective of people desperately needing help- not the fun school projects that the euphemism is derived from.

Knowing Public Enemy #1

What’s the cause of all this emergency funding? If painkillers and opiates have been around forever, why is it now that things have gotten out of control? Well, fortunately, today we have the privilege of making contact with this specific drug called Carfentanil. Between this and it’s all too familiar sibling Fentanyl, the opioid epidemic has become catastrophic.

The first of the two particularly is a narcotic that is guilty for the terrifying increase in Ohio overdose rates in 2016 and the alarming follow up of 2017 specifically. It is the most potent opioid used commercially for large animals typically and never for human consumption. The smallest dose of this narcotic can bring a 2,000-pound elephant down and out cold. It is reported to be thousands of times stronger than Morphine which for years used to be one of the biggest enemies to opiate addiction.

Trying New Paths

Although at the moment things are still looking grim, there is a hope on the horizon that we as a country can look forward to. The thing with this epidemic is that it is like any other widespread disease such as the Bubonic Plague that took out half of England. Although addiction and alcoholism are not airborne diseases that travel as pathogens from vessel to vessel, it is a disease that can be picked up. Men and women everyday fall victim to the clutches of substance abuse and the easy access to opioid that flood the streets and doctor’s offices. Nobody is exempt from the possibility of being the next obituary.

The reality of it is that once something has been studied enough, it is only then that we can understand all the possible angles it can be approached. The state of Ohio and the rest of the United States are learning that enforcement and punishment aren’t going to stop a disease. This is a pandemic that is going to synergy and understanding. This story isn’t nearly over, but we’re finding a good bookmark as prevention and treatment make themselves more prevalent.

Taking Advantage

Addiction and alcoholism can manifest themselves in anybody’s life at any time. Young or old, tall or short, man or woman- the opioid epidemic is available to all who seek it while the misery awaits. On the plus side- it doesn’t have to be that way. If you or a loved one has been struggling with getting a firm grasp on sobriety and need treatment, please call1-800-481-8457 or visit oarcstaging.wpengine.com. Our teams of specialists are waiting by to help figure out what options are best for sending your life is a comfortable direction that you can proudly stand behind.