After reading about what opioids are and how dependence, tolerance, addiction develop, the next question we will discuss is: How can I tell if someone is involved in drugs.
Sadly, in conversations with those incarcerated or in recovery, many of them say they started experimenting with drugs in middle school when they were eleven to fourteen years old. It is so important for parents of this age child to know the signs of drug use to begin conversations and treatment ASAP. General signs of drug use include:
If someone you love is showing signs of drug use, what can you do? Here are some resources that might help: SAMHSA National 24/7 Hotline (English and Spanish): 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Indiana Addiction 24/7 Hotline: 1-800-662-4357 Mental Health America Crisis Center 24/7 Hotline: 765-742-0244 Tippecanoe County Quick Response Team 24/7 Hotline: 765-607-6771 211 is easy to remember and can guide you to the best helpline for your situation. Here are several websites with helpful information: https://www.tallcopsaysstop.com This is one of my favorites. Tall Cop is police officer Jermaine Galloway. He says, “You can’t stop what you don’t know.” https://www.drugabuse.gov/family-checkup: This website highlights the parenting skills that can be useful in preventing young people from beginning and continuing drug use. It lists five questions to use to help families think about their interactions with their children. Remember, the earlier intervention is begun, the easier it is treat drug abuse. There are resources out there that can help. The key is noticing the signs and being aware. Lynn Saylor is an AmeriCorps member serving in the United Against Opioid Abuse Initiative through the White County United Way. She can be contacted at opioidinformation@gmail.com. Previous articles may be found on whitecountyunitedway.org/opioids.html. 461 words
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Because of how opioids affect our brains, it is very easy to become addicted. For many, opioid use begins with an injury or surgery and take opioid pain killers prescribed by their medical provider to deal with acute pain related to their medical condition. Initially, prescribed opioids can be very effective in dealing with acute pain and increase the feeling of pleasure in the brain. For some, even the legitimate prescribed course of opioids can begin the process of becoming dependent and addicted.
After taking the opioids for a brief time, tolerance begins to develop. The initial effects of the original dose don’t attain the same results. As a result, the patient needs increasing amounts to achieve the same effect. When a patient develops tolerance, he may ask his doctor to increase the dose to get the same effect. After a person develops tolerance and the amount of opioids taken increases, the next phase is dependence. At this stage, the individual feels a physical and psychological need to take the drug. Not taking opioids may result in physical symptoms of withdrawal. (Severe flu like symptoms, body aches, runny nose and watery eyes, hot and cold sweats, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. ) Addiction is the last phase. In addiction, the actual wiring and structure of the brain has changed so the individual no longer gets the pleasurable effect of the opioid but has to take the drug to avoid withdrawal and dope sickness. The person compulsively seeks out the drug without regard to negative consequences for themselves or those around them. The individual loses interest in things that used to be pleasurable: family, friends, jobs, hobbies and food, becoming obsessed with finding the next dose. In a recent conversation with someone who has been in recovery for ten years, I learned that while most young people understand that abusing drugs is wrong and can hurt you, they don’t understand that even just experimenting with drugs one-time can lead down the path of addiction and years of wasted life. My friend said “If I could make kids understand anything it would be: Don’t try drugs even once. For many, just experimenting with drugs one time is what leads to years of being lost in addiction or completely losing your life. If you never start drugs, you won’t need treatment or recovery. You won’t destroy your life and family.” As my friend indicated our youth are especially vulnerable. One dose of opioids for those under fifteen years of age makes them five times more likely to become addicted later in life. A person’s brain does not stop developing until they are in their early twenties; until then their brains are especially sensitive to the effects of drugs. The elderly are also vulnerable. As we age, we have more pain causing health issues and more prescriptions. Often the elderly live alone and mismanage their prescriptions, not taking them as directed. Again, it is very easy to unwittingly become addicted to opioids even when prescribed by your medical provider for a legitimate pain need, but with knowledge and vigilance, we can be prepared and fight opioid abuse. Sources: teens.drugabuse.gov, drugfree.gov, drugabuse.gov, https://medmark.com/does-long-term-opiate-use-change-the-brain. Next time: A story of addiction Lynn Saylor is an AmeriCorps member serving in the United Against Opioid Abuse Initiative through the White County United Way. She can be contacted at opioidinformation@gmail.com. Previous articles may be found on whitecountyunitedway.org/opioids.html. Word count 569 In previous articles we discussed drugs that are frequently misused: Opioids, Meth, Cocaine and Benzos. Each of them has different effects, but all can quickly cause dependence and/or addiction. Opioids are depressants, pain killers and cause euphoria. Meth and cocaine are amphetamines and have the effects of increased alertness, talkativeness and activity. Benzos are used to treat insomnia, anxiety and panic attacks.
Today we will focus on how our bodies/brains become addicted to opioids. Both prescription and illegal forms of opioids are HIGHLY addictive. For some people, all it takes is one dose to begin the downward spiral of addiction. Many of us have the mistaken caricature of a drug user as a weak willed, skid row bum who doesn’t have the gumption to pull himself up by his boot straps, but brain science tells a different story. Brain science research has shown that opioid addiction harms the brain in at least three ways: First: Opioids inhibit natural pain killers in our brains that help our bodies deal with pain and also create a stronger sense of reward and pleasure. Opioids are much stronger than the naturally occurring chemicals in the brain. After being introduced to opioids, our bodies are no longer satisfied with the weaker natural pain relief. Second: The wiring of the brain becomes used to the constant flow of opioids and creates more receptors for opioids. This new chemical “set point” is the beginning of tolerance and needing more opioids to achieve the same results. The person becomes extremely stressed and anxious until another dose of opioids can be taken. Third: Opioids weaken the part of the brain that helps a person make good decisions and control impulses so that even if they desire to stop taking the drug, they may not be able to overcome the chemically induced desire for more. Next time, we will discuss how tolerance and dependence develop. Sources: teens.drugabuse.gov, drugfree.gov, drugabuse.gov, https://medmark.com/does-long-term-opiate-use-change-the-brain. Lynn Saylor is an AmeriCorps member serving in the United Against Opioid Abuse Initiative through the White County United Way. She can be contacted at opioidinformation@gmail.com. Previous articles may be found on whitecountyunitedway.org/opioids.html. 350 words Last time we discussed opioids, what they are, how they work and specific opioid prescriptions. Today the focus is other common addictive drugs, their use and side effects.
Methamphetamines, Meth, Crystal meth and Cocaine are not opioids. These are amphetamines--stimulants or “uppers.” The effects of taking amphetamines are increased alertness, talkativeness and physical activity, decreased appetite, faster breathing, rapid/irregular heart beat and increased blood pressure and body temperature. Long term use of amphetamines causes extreme weight loss, dental problems (meth mouth), intense itching, anxiety, confusion, sleep problems, paranoia and hallucinations. Although Meth and cocaine are highly addictive, the effects of meth are more neurologically devastating and irreversible than cocaine, in other words Meth damages your brain in a way that cannot be fixed. Benzo’s or benzodiazepines are a class of drugs used to treat insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks and depression. They can also be used as a sedative, muscle relaxer or general anesthesia. These include alprazolam (Xanax ®), diazepam (Valium ®), oxazepam (Serax®), lorazepam (Atvian®), clonazepam (Klonopin ®), clorazepate (Tranxene®), chlordiazepoxide (Librium ®), flurazepam (Dalmane®). The side effects include dizziness, weakness, unsteadiness, loss of orientation, headaches, sleep disturbances, confusion, irritability, aggression, excitement and memory impairment. All benzodiazepines can cause dependence in a few months and may cause symptoms of withdrawal when discontinued. Withdrawal may cause seizures, tremor, muscle cramping, vomiting and sweating. Medical assistance may be required to safely stop their use. Many of these drugs have a legitimate medical use if taken as prescribed by a medical provider. All of them can be highly addictive. If you find that you have been prescribed any of these medications, it might be worth a conversation with your doctor to discuss why you are taking them and the long-term consequences. My purpose is to promote awareness of the drugs that are most often abused. I have included the generic and brand names so that you can see if any of your prescriptions are on the list. You can also Google your prescriptions and learn more online about the prescriptions you are taking. Next time, we will discuss tolerance, dependence and addiction. Sources of this article: www.drugfree.gov, www.therecoveryvillage.com, www.drugabuse.gov and www.drugRehab.com, www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov, www.centeronaddiction.org. Lynn Saylor is an AmeriCorps member serving in the United Against Opioid Abuse Initiative through the White County United Way. She can be contacted at opioidinformation@gmail.com. Previous articles may be found on whitecountyunitedway.org/opioids.html. 385 words Welcome to the first in a series of articles to inform the community about the opioid crisis nationally, in Indiana, and in White County. I recently began serving as an AmeriCorps member at White County United Way as a part of Indiana United Ways’ United Against Opioid Abuse project. Part of my AmeriCorps service is to have conversations with community members about how opioids are affecting our county, what is being done to combat the crisis, and how we can continue to deal with it. I have had more than fifty conversations with individuals, community groups and agencies to learn about how opioids have impacted our community. I have spoken to people in jail and recovery, law enforcement and the judicial system, churches, health care workers, and educators, just to name a few. In those conversations, I have learned about the great work people have been doing in White County over the years to address opioid use, and about community aspiration, needs, and frustrations.
I am interested in your feedback, so please send any comments or questions to opioidinformation@gmail.com. Please note that this email is not monitored daily, so if you are in an emergency situation, please call 911. If you are in need of services immediately, please contact 211 and they can connect you with agencies who can help. Let’s start with some basics questions: what are opioids and how do they differ from other drugs? An opiate is a drug naturally derived from the poppy plant, while opioid is a broader term that includes any synthetic or natural substances (opiates) that bind to the brain’s opioid/dopamine receptors. (Centeronaddiction.org) (This will be discussed more fully in a later article.) The terms “opiates” and “opioids” will be used interchangeably here. Opiates can be legal prescription drugs as well as illegal street drugs. Both are highly addictive. Opioids are depressants, cause euphoria and reduce the body’s ability to feel pain, making them very effective in treating pain. They can also be used to treat coughs and diarrhea. Opioids produce effects of pain relief, cough relief, constipation, dulled senses, euphoria, slowed respiration and heart rate. Opioids include morphine, (MS Contin®, Kadian®) heroin, oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percoset®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®, Hysingla®, Zohydro ER®, Lorcet®, Lortab®, Norco®), hydromorphone (Dilaudid®, Exalgo®), Meperidine (Demerol®) codeine, fentanyl (Sublimaze®, Duragesic®) and methadone (Dolophine®, Methadose®). The long-term effects of opioid use include nausea and vomiting, bloating and constipation and liver damage. But, the most devastating long-term effect of opioids is how they change the wiring and structure of the brain causing dependence and addiction. Many other addictive substances are not opioids and we will discuss these in the next column. Lynn Saylor is an AmeriCorps member serving in the United Against Opioid Abuse Initiative through the White County United Way. She can be contacted at opioidinformation@gmail.com. 502 words |
AuthorLynn Saylor is the AmeriCorps member working with the United Against Opioid Abuse Initiative alongside the White County United Way. She is a major facilitator of the United Council on Opioids serving White County and a regular contributor to local media. Archives
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