fbpx

The rise of drug-related overdoses in our culture is becoming a reality that we cannot afford to ignore. More people are becoming addicted to opioids that we want to acknowledge. It’s a frightening epidemic taking over our culture and it’s time that we start taking notice and become aware of the trigger signs of addiction before it gets out of our hands.

Understand Who Opioid Addicts Actually Are

Our culture has taught us to believe that the majority those dying from Opioid overdoses are drug-addicts and hopeless cases. This is, however, a giant myth that we need to overcome before we can make proactive steps to solve the problem. Research from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has shown that those people most effected by Opioid overdoses are not even partaking in “heavy”, illegal drugs like heroine. Instead, they are people who have actually been given prescription painkillers from medical doctors. These aren’t “bad people” doing drugs; they are just everyday people suffering from immense and ongoing pain.

The misperception of Opioid addicts is becoming so skewed that Washington Senate members are now launching out to clear the air. Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell is becoming a passionate advocate for overcoming the stigma, recently stating, “This crisis of opioid related overdoses strikes without regard to geography, age, race, or socio-economic status and it requires an immediate and sustained response.” It’s important that in order for us to help these people, we begin to recognize who they really are. Only then can we actually help.

Physical Pain Impacts Emotional and Mental Health

Opioid prescriptions begin as a solution for pain; they are prescription that doctors write to help patients alleviate pain. However, these prescriptions have addictive qualities, and this reliance on an outside source for physical wellness creates a simple substance abuse. People who become addicted to painkillers honestly believe that in order to feel better, they just have to take one more pill.

Medical doctors, unfortunately, do not always offer alternative solutions for the pain to pair with the prescriptions. And as a result, people come to think that the prescriptions are the ONLY solution for their pain. These narrow minded solutions have created a cyclical path for pain relief that patients cannot break on their own.

In the National Journal, it was reported that the problem with Opioid overdoses is becoming so severe that even “Hillary Clinton said last month that she would address the issues of substance abuse and mental health as part of her campaign.” It seems to be becoming apparent that as a nation, we are ready to put an end to this radical overuse of Opioid prescriptions.

But What is the Alternative?

So how do we get this cycle to break? It’s pretty simple, really. We need to start implementing more medicinal-free treatments for sufferers of pain. We need to understand that there alternate cures for pain that do not involve prescription drugs. The more alternate solutions we can determine, the less that our culture will rely on prescriptions to “fix” them.

Blue Cross has recently published reports from a seven year study about the long-term effects of Chiropractic and the results are astounding. They tested 70,274 members over a 7 year period to determine what would happen if these people replaced their primary care doctor with the on-going, primary care of a Chiropractor. In the end the determined that “62% less outpatient surgeries and procedures, and 85% less pharmaceutical cost when compared with conventional medicine IPA performance for the same health maintenance organization product in the same geography and time frame”.”

This a huge realization! It means a lot of things for our culture. But mostly it means that our tendency to turn to prescription drugs as the only cure for pain is simply a misperception that we can begin to turn from. It is time that we begin to utilize the exciting drug-free alternatives for pain. And the good news is, that we can. We can do this! As a culture we can now begin to offer and seek solutions that will help people become less reliant on drugs.

Are you a long time sufferer of pain or do you have someone in your life who requires the on-going use of prescription pills to function? If you’re ready to seek alternative solutions for pain, don’t be shy, or feel guilty. Call us today to schedule your private consultation.