The Opioid Crisis in the United States

1 The Opioid Crisis in the United States The opioid crisis in the United States started in the 1990s following the increased prescription of opioid-containing medications to treat chronic pain. The pharmaceutical companies had reassured healthcare professionals that users could not become addicted to pain relievers containing opioids. However, increased prescriptions of these medications contributed to the pervasive misuse of prescription and non-prescription opioids. These drugs trigger endorphin release in the brain, thus, generating feelings of pleasure and a powerful sense of wellbeing. When the effects wear off, a person is overwhelmed by the desire to consume more opioids to maintain the pleasurable feeling. Anyone who takes substances containing opioids is at risk of developing an addiction. The risk is, however, determined by the dose and the duration one uses these substances. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict the people vulnerable to eventual addiction upon using these drugs.

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2 Illegal and inappropriate uses of prescription and non-prescription opioids have contributed to adverse health outcomes, including many deaths. The harmful effects of opioid misuse include drowsiness, confusion, euphoria, and respiratory depression. Seniors with longterm use of opioids may experience memory impairment, falls, and fractures (Tolomeo et al., 2019). The adverse health effects led the Department of Health to declare opioid addiction a health emergency in 2017 to facilitate resource mobilization to deal with this issue.

Overdose deaths are the main societal concern with opioid use. NIDA (2022) noted that drug overdose-related deaths have increased steadily in the last two decades. Opioid-related deaths comprise a significant portion of these deaths. For instance, between 2000 and 2010, approximately 46,802 opioid-related deaths were reported. This number increased to 47,600 in 2018 (NIDA, 2022).

Opioid addiction raises significant moral and biblical implications. These implications ripple throughout families and communities. Religious factions classify opioid misuse as substance abuse and argue that it is immoral and contradicts religious principles. Religious leaders use biblical teachings to prohibit people from using substances that cause intoxication, decrease sobriety and harm the body (Grim & Grim, 2019). Although the Bible does not address disease addiction, it encourages people to avoid substances that cause addiction.

Opioids effectively treat severe pain in patients with chronic conditions such as cancer, particularly when other pain relievers have failed. Therefore, these medications cannot be avoided completely to prevent addiction. However, health leaders can implement stringent measures to prevent opioid addiction. De la Cruz et al. (2017) pointed out that patient education on the safety, storage and disposal of opioids could help reduce the risk of addiction. Education programs increase awareness among patients of the risks and health benefits of use. Users are

3 also encouraged to comply with the safe use and disposal of opioid-related medications to avoid risking their health.

Safe and appropriate prescribing is the other evidence-based intervention for reducing opioid addiction. Losby et al. (2017) argued that quality improvement programs that support recommended prescribing practices could effectively reduce opioid addiction among patients.

Safe prescribing practices include reducing the opioid dose, the duration of use, and the number of prescriptions (Losby et al., 2017).

The opioid crisis is an overwhelming public health issue associated with the inappropriate use of prescription and non-prescription opioids that has persisted since the 1990s. This behavior exposes people to numerous health risks, including respiratory depression and death. Opioid addiction could be prevented through proper prescribing practices and patient education.

4 References de la Cruz, M., Reddy, A., Balankari, V., Epner, M., Frisbee‐Hume, S., Wu, J., ... & Bruera, E. (2017). The impact of an educational program on patient practices for safe use, storage, and disposal of opioids at a comprehensive cancer center. The oncologist, 22(1), 115-121. https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2016-0266 Dydyk, A. M., Jain, N. K., & Gupta, M. (2021). Opioid use disorder. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553166/ Grim, B. J., & Grim, M. E. (2019). Belief, behavior, and belonging: How faith is indispensable in preventing and recovering from substance abuse. Journal of religion and health, 58(5), 1713-1750. https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10943-019-00876-w Losby, J. L., Hyatt, J. D., Kanter, M. H., Baldwin, G., & Matsuoka, D. (2017). Safer and more appropriate opioid prescribing: a large healthcare system's comprehensive approach.

Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 23(6), 1173-1179. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.12756 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2022). Overdose Death Rates. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates Tolomeo, S., Davey, F., Steele, J. D., & Baldacchino, A. M. (2019). Effects of opioid dependence on visuospatial memory and its associations with depression and anxiety. Frontiers in psychiatry, 10, 743. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00743