The opioid crisis is probably one of the epidemics that the USA is dealing with right now. This is a leading project of healthcare institutions and the government, trying to decrease the mortality rate due to opioid overdose. The Opioid Crisis Response Act is about having more budget for painless drug addiction therapies and other research supporting it.

There is no point in denying the facts and figures plaguing our country. The opioid overdose epidemic is tragic and staring right at our faces.

Scenarios like these make us wonder if we are doing enough. But then again, sitting in our domestic realm, what more can we do?

The first step to help any social cause is knowing everything about it. So, why not begin here?

In this excerpt below, we will give you all the important facts and figures about the current opioid crisis in the USA.

What Is The Opioid Crisis Crisis Act

The Opioid Crisis Response Act contains government efforts to increase research to eradicate the opioid crisis. Here are some broader aspects they are asking healthcare research centers to put their efforts into.

Finding other more benign pain management methods by hospitals. Medicines that do not increase the chances of addiction. Especially among the ones who already have other substance abuse issues in the past.

Promote pain care and education against the dangers of opioid addiction. Especially for families, and provide them with the right education to determine if someone in the family suffers from one.

Help teach patients to carefully dispose of the opioid medicine after they are no longer in need of it.

The total of the Opioid Crisis Response Act had the following budget assigned to them.

Authorize appropriations of $500 million from 2019 to 2023 period. This is for the Department of Labor. This is to ensure a grant program to improve the workforce and economic effect of opioid abuse.

A total of $1.5 billion throughout the 2019 to 2021 period, which states and Indian tribes to respond to the current opioid abuse crisis and

The Opioids Crisis Act also grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make changes and strengthen its surveillance of opioids and other controlled substances, especially for medicines that are used for pain management.

A Few Data On Opioid Overdose Crisis

If you are still living under a rock and do not know the grave dangers of opioid addiction the country is going through, maybe this gives you a clear picture. Vis a vis, what compelled the government to have an Opioid Crisis Response Act.

From the year 1999 to 2021, nearly 645,000 people have lost their lives from opioid overdose. These include prescription pills and illicitly getting hold of the drug.

The opioid addiction in the USA came in three waves, the first wave starting during the early 90s.

The first wave was due to the increase in opioid prescriptions during the 1990s. During this time, addiction took a skyrocketing toll when many understood the psychological effects and euphoria that come from a dose of Opioids. These deaths were mostly involving prescription opioids. These include natural and semi-synthetic opioids and even methadone. The numbers started increasing since at least 1993.

The second came almost a decade later, in 2010. This was less due to the prescription since opioids or other painkillers became more controlled. The death toll during this time increased due to the illicit spread and use of heroin.

The third wave began just after three years of the last opioid epidemic. It was during 2012 when there was a significant increase in opioid and other painkiller overdose deaths.

Especially those involving illicitly manufactured fentanyl. The market for illicitly manufactured fentanyl grew and was changing due to the lack of border control and the increase of the digital sphere. Now, transactions are getting easier due to digital conveniences. Some of the common drugs that were contributing to the Opioids Overdose Epidemic are cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin.

How To Protect Your Family During This Opioids Overdose Epidemic

Sometimes, we cannot think as broadly as helping our society like the Opioid Crisis Response Act. With our limited resources, we can only help our immediate people. That is, often, our family members.

If every family is on high alert about their opioid addiction and taking action against it, they will, in a way, help society.

1. Educate Your Kids On The Perils Of Drug Use

Over the years, start educating your children about the perils of drug usage. The moment pre-puberty hits them, the concept of peer pressure will become more obvious. Plus, the sudden change in their body and mind due to the introduction of hormones will also weaken their willpower for the time being. This is the tender age where children can get exposed to these substances. Therefore, early education is crucial for prevention.

2. Keep A Covert Eye On Your Children

Keeping an overt eye on your children might not always be possible. Plus, when it comes to teenagers, you cannot always keep a close eye on them without irritating them. However, as a parent, you must ensure your children keep the right company and not take any wrong path. Therefore, know your child’s friends, the company they keep, and where they are going. Most importantly, ensure they always have you to come to if they ever mess up.

3. Open Communication

Talk to Your Family: Talk about opioid use and its risk of addiction. Create an atmosphere of free communication for them to discuss these issues.

Prescription Medications: Always insist that anybody who is being advised to take an opiate in your family understands what it should be taken for, its side effects, and why one should adhere to the prescribed dosage.

4. Safe Storage and Disposal

Secure Medications: Make sure you put prescription medicines, especially opioids, safely and close the locked box.

Proper Disposal: Ensure that any expired or unused medications are disposed of correctly. Take the drugs for disposal in many communities’ drug take-back programs or use a drug disposal kit.

Be aware that substance abuse is a complicated matter because it requires expert intervention once you note it is affecting your family member or yourself. Get personalized assistance and advice from your doctor, a specialist on drug abuse, or a psychologist.