If you think the opioid crisis does not affect you or your business, think again. A study was published on March 27, 2018 by the American Action Forum looking at just the effects of opioid use in the labor market and the economy. The Result: The loss of employees and their productivity between 1999 and 2015 cost the U.S. economy $702 billion, or just under $44 billion per year, the study calculated. In order for business to stay in business this cost is passed on to consumers in the pricing of products and services or tax dollars. We are all pay for addiction somewhere. These figures do not even take into account the economic impact of theft due to addiction, healthcare related costs or the cost of drug related crime.
Bill Tymoszczuk
May 1, 2018 The National Institute on Drug Abuse announce that an analysis of opioid-related overdose deaths found that synthetic opioids, such as illicit fentanyl, have surpassed prescription opioids as the most common drug involved in overdose deaths in the U.S. A research letter
My Recovery Day will be applying for the “eBay Shine Awards for Small Businesses.” This video illustrates part of what we do for our JOBS (Just Online Being Sober) Program. It is a contest to show what impact eBay has on your business or nonprofit. For our nonprofit, we use eBay as an ongoing way to support our mission and as a teaching platform to help individuals in recovery. So, using eBay is huge for us. This video will be submitted along with the application text. It was good to go through the application process anyway just to put a framework around what we do as part of our JOBS Program using eBay to support others in recovery. Besides, if we don’t enter, we simply have no chance to win.
Cleveland.com By Jackie Borchardt COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio is suing five drug companies for flooding the state with prescription painkillers that gave rise to the state’s opioid addiction and overdose crisis. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced the lawsuit during a Wednesday news conference. Ohio is the second state to sue drug manufacturers, following Mississippi. The lawsuit, filed in Ross County Common Pleas Court, seeks an injunction and damages from five major opioid manufacturers: Purdue Pharma. Endo Health Solutions. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and subsidiary Cephalon. Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Allergan, formerly known as Actavis. The lawsuit alleges the companies overstated benefits of prescription opioids and understated the risks. DeWine said the evidence will show the companies did so to boost profits and deceived physicians who prescribed the drugs. “This lawsuit is about justice, it’s about fairness. It’s about what is right,” DeWine said during a news conference. “It…
A question that is asked a lot. Sometimes it’s hard for friends and family members to understand why their loved one can’t just quit using the substance that is hurting them. The reason it’s so difficult for people struggling with drug or alcohol addiction is that it isn’t just a habit—it’s a disease. When a person takes drugs or drinks alcohol over a period of time, it can change their brain circuits. In fact, addiction changes the way that crucial parts of the brain function so much that the person has a very hard time stopping their use of drugs or alcohol—even when they want to. Researchers call this the “brain disease model of addiction.” They view drug and alcohol addiction not as a problem caused by a lack of willpower, but instead as an illness that needs treatment. Addiction beats up your brain Brain science research has shown that addiction harms the brain in at least three…
New York Times By JOSH KATZ June 5, 2017 New data compiled from hundreds of health agencies reveals the extent of the drug overdose epidemic last year. AKRON, Ohio — Drug overdose deaths in 2016 most likely exceeded 59,000, the largest annual jump ever recorded in the United States, according to preliminary data compiled by The New York Times. The death count is the latest consequence of an escalating public health crisis: opioid addiction, now made more deadly by an influx of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and similar drugs. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50. Although the data is preliminary, the Times’s best estimate is that deaths rose 19 percent over the 52,404 recorded in 2015. And all evidence suggests the problem has continued to worsen in 2017. UPDATE The first governmental account of nationwide drug deaths shows roughly 64,000 people died from drug…