The opioid addiction has taken the nation by storm and has everyone looking for a solution to fix it. Awareness is one of the best tools that has helped significantly to get the word out about what opioid addiction is and who it really affects. After years of thinking that people who abuse drugs were mostly homeless or lower income people, the face of addiction has broadened to not discriminate against anyone.

According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids killed approximately 64,000 people in 2016 alone. This extends to mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters from every demographic known. A mother who lost her son to addiction recently reported to say that she had thought her son was only on painkillers and did not know that he had begun shooting up heroin. What tricked this mother was that her son showed up for work every single day and did not isolate from the world until he overdosed.

These kind of examples of people dying from the opioid epidemic is exactly what one author is trying to put out there. The misconception is that someone must be really addicted to narcotics in order to die. Author Beth Macy has written a book titled “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America” to show how the country got to where it is with addiction and why.

Macy has followed the opioid problem from the early days in some rural cities to the nationwide crisis that has become in the last few years. She uses true stories and discerning how the systems in place have failed our society. By going on the frontlines where addiction has overtaken the country, she has better explained how Purdue Pharma had a huge role in introducing OxyContin to doctors under the guise that it would reduce the risk of addiction. While Purdue would give the doctors thousands of dollars to get them to use their product, overdosing was ramping up due to their product which they adamantly denied having any wrongdoing. Instead the blame was put on the people who were accused of misusing their products.

Many people who were prescribed opioids for minor ailments became easily addicted within a month or so. Instead of getting “dopesick” they turn to illicit drugs to help them cope with the withdrawals. This boundless cycle has continued to take over with so many unsuspecting individuals that is so disturbingly depicted by Beth Macy in her book.

If you are battling drug and alcohol addiction, The Kimberly Center can help assist you into your recovery. One of our primary purposes is to help you to restore your life free from abuse and destructive behaviors. We treat our clients on an individual basis to ensure their well-being.

Call us today to begin: 855-4-KCENTER (855-452-3683)