The Cycle of Opioid Abuse and Addiction

More than 130 Americans die each day due to fatal opioid overdoses, nearly half which involve a prescription opioid.

In the struggle with opioid use disorders, family members see the sufferer experiencing a range of negative impacts. For example, withdrawal symptoms are common if someone suddenly decides to stop. A relative seeing such behaviors may feel concerned, unable to recognize their family member’s actions. What was once a loving home can become a place full of extreme irritability, lying, or isolation.

As the individual with an opioid use disorder struggles with daily actives, they may become curious about trying other substances; some may resort to abusing heroin. Searching the streets for heroin not only opens the door to befriending dangerous people, it also puts the user at risk of more exposure to more dangerous opioids, like fentanyl. Countless stories exist of heroin users running away from home and risking job loss to be closer to a drug supply. Other stories exist of people becoming homeless and even engaging in prostitution to support heroin habits.

The Cycle of Opioid Abuse

Heroin and non-pharmaceutical fentanyl abuse are often the result of a patient who was once prescribed opioids…