Here are some fast facts about opioid addiction
Opioids are drugs that are medically intended to be used as painkillers. They act on the nervous system to help provide pain relief. They come in the form tablets, capsules, and liquids. They remain on the top of the list of most continuously abused drugs.
Opioids are set of different drugs within the same category. Here is a list of fast facts about opioid and its addiction:
- Opioids, in the form of pills, are most frequently being used in the current opioid epidemic.
- The ingredient that makes it a prescription pill as well as the most abused substance is morphine.
Morphine is a derivative that is found in the opium plant. Some street names of opioids include Cody, Captain Cody, Schoolboy, Doors and Fours, Pancakes and Syrup, Demmies, White Stuff, Monkey, Goodfella, and Apache. One of the most prevalent fast facts about opioid addiction is that cough medicines contain codeine which is a strong opioid drug that can lead to its addiction. The street version of opioids is heroin. Though it may not be pure, heroin is also derived from the opium plant. Heroin can be made with varying ingredients on the streets. This makes it one of the most dangerous substance to control.
Following are some critical and fast facts about opioid addiction and its abuse epidemic:
- In the past 15 years, deaths due to opioid overdose has quadrupled. The drug now unfortunately claims the lives of more people than car crashes across the country.
- One of the most scariest facts about opioid addiction is that the American Society of Addiction Medicine has recently revealed that the number of prescriptions for opioids have quadrupled between the years 2000 and 2010. By the year 2013, more than 300 million prescriptions were written across the country. The number is scarily large as it is enough to get every adult American addicted to the drug.
- Prescription and over usage of opioids leads to heroin use. Opioid are less likely to lead to addiction. Still, about 5% of cases have developed addiction of heroin due to abuse of opiates. A survey revealed that 5 in every 6 people in the country used prescription opioids for nonmedical purposes.
- Fentanyl and carfentanil is 100 times more powerful and potent than morphine and have been causing high death rates among the drug abusers. Drug handlers usually use protective gear such as masks and gloves to prevent themselves from accidental exposure.
Disclaimer:
The content provided on our blog site traverses numerous categories, offering readers valuable and practical information. Readers can use the editorial team’s research and data to gain more insights into their topics of interest. However, they are requested not to treat the articles as conclusive. The website team cannot be held responsible for differences in data or inaccuracies found across other platforms. Please also note that the site might also miss out on various schemes and offers available that the readers may find more beneficial than the ones we cover.
