The significant rise in Marijuana use and the opioid epidemic is causing a need for a breathalyzer test to detect driving under the influence of drugs. While various factors such as a substance’s vapor pressure and determining the time the drug was taken are providing obstacles in the process, there is hope that a breathalyzer capable…
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Recently, researchers analyzed data from a survey of roughly 5,400 people between 2004 and 2009. They found that patients suffering from back pain who were also diagnosed with depression, were twice as likely to be prescribed an opioid pain medication. The data also showed that these individuals often received twice the usual dose for their…
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One of the advantages that has come out of the opioid addiction epidemic is the clear message that this type of drug can affect anyone. An addiction to opioids can develop because of the medical field’s standard practice to prescribe opioids for pain, not knowing the signs of addiction, or the relief of emotional stress…
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It used to be that drug addiction was a trend typically seen in lower socioeconomic societies. Those unemployed, homeless, and/or uneducated were more vulnerable to addiction because they tended to be around other users or drugs which were infiltrating into their communities. However, today, the opiate addiction is affecting not only the lower class, but…
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The opioid crisis continues to destroy lives and communities. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to combat addiction stigma and the harmful assumptions our society makes about drug use. A common belief is the idea that those who use harmful substances are weak, immoral, or selfish. This view is unfair to the millions of people…
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Why use Opioid Alternatives? One of the fastest ways people become addicted to opioids is when they’re given pain medication during and after surgery. For instance, during a painful surgical procedure, it has been standard practice to administer an IV with opioids and then provide the patient with a morphine pump when the surgery is…
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The opioid overdose epidemic in the United States has been simmering for years, and it shows no sign of stopping. In the 15-year period from 2000 to 2015, more than half a million people died from drug overdoses, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More than 60% of those deaths were…
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As a result of the opioid epidemic, more and more children are being born positive to opioids in America. During the first few days of their lives, infants shake, scream, and experience withdrawal symptoms. In fact, upon birth many opioid-positive babies are given opioids to lessen the intensity and suffering of their withdrawal experience. Using…
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There’s new talk among city officials about possibly supplying the streets in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a drug called Narcan. Narcan is a life-saving drug for those overdosing on opioids. The idea is that the drug would be placed in lockboxes on street corners. An individual witnessing an opioid overdose could call 911 and have the…
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The opioid epidemic continues unabated in the United States, with the rate of opioid overdose deaths having quadrupled since 1999, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It seems that each week, a new setback occurs in the fight against the opioid epidemic. The most recent crisis is the appearance of a…
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