My Recovery Day is a Cleveland Ohio based nonprofit that provides post-treatment support resources to individuals in addiction recovery. By the very nature of what we do, we look at statistics concerning addiction. Sadly, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner reported 66 deaths from heroin, fentanyl and cocaine for the month of May 2020. This number is one short of the record 67 recorded in February 2017 and may be exceeded once more tests are confirmed. Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are not unique. Other cities and counties like Chicago and Cook County has experienced a doubling in its opioid related deaths, too (ProPublica). It is a well-known fact the pandemic has increased isolation, anxiety and financial stress. For those in active addiction and in addiction recovery, these stressors can result in fatal overdoses and in relapses. Yes, the pandemic is a crisis but the opioid crisis never went away. It was…
Opioid
Recently, I had a serious medical condition requiring surgery. It left me in the hospital for almost 2 months with pain I had never experienced before. It also left me on opiates the whole time. I never felt any real sense of euphoria or “buzz” but I did feel anxious about taking pain meds. I still have pain and a healing journey ahead of me but the pain is manageable with Tylenol. I remain grateful. Interestingly enough, I never felt a physical or real mental craving – Thank You God. However, during these times, thoughts (Stinking Thinking) would float in my head like “Now you just blew years of sobriety.” “Drinking is better using those pain pills.” The thoughts seem to come out of nowhere. Today, I can think them through and talk to others in recovery so they don’t stay in my head. What I did to avoid getting…
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.
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