Case_Study_1_Rhodes
Opioid Addiction Case Study
James C. Rhodes
Liberty University
HLTH 252-D04: Drugs in
Society Dr. Darlene
Martin
April 6, 2020
This study source was downloaded by 100000832558064 from CourseHero.com on 06-02-2022 00:26:47 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/70122743/Case-Study-1-Rhodesdocx/
, Case_Study_1_Rhodes
Opioid Addiction Case Study
Opioid addiction continues to plague America. The growth of this addiction has
been linked to the frequent prescription of opioids for pain relief from injuries and
surgeries. Using opioids as the primary option for pain relief can lead to frequent
addition.
Issues
Summary of Issues
Opioid addiction and abuse are plaguing the nation. The current opioid crisis
started around 1999 with an increase in the rate of prescriptions written for opioids for
pain management. This created an increase in Heroine deaths and eventually deaths from
synthetic opioids like Fentanyl. However, the identification of this epidemic has slowed
the death rate, but it has taken more than eight years to effect some change.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the total
number of drug overdose deaths dropped by 4% from 2017 to 2018. Nearly 70% of the
drug overdose deaths were from opioids. The rate of change between 2017 and 2018 in
opioid deaths by category are: “Opioid down 2%, Prescription Opioid down 13.5%,
Heroin down 4%, Synthetic Opioids up 10%” (Understanding the Epidemic | Drug
Overdose | CDC Injury Center, 2020). These numbers could be encouraging if they were
all decreasing.
“Since 1999 the sales of prescription pain killers have quadrupled”(Grant, 2018).
The prescriptions for opioids reached its peak in 2010 at the astonishing total of “240
million opioid prescriptions” (Grant, 2018). This is enough for “every adult in America to
have a 30 day supply” (Grant, 2018). The ease of obtaining these prescription drugs has
This study source was downloaded by 100000832558064 from CourseHero.com on 06-02-2022 00:26:47 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/70122743/Case-Study-1-Rhodesdocx/
Opioid Addiction Case Study
James C. Rhodes
Liberty University
HLTH 252-D04: Drugs in
Society Dr. Darlene
Martin
April 6, 2020
This study source was downloaded by 100000832558064 from CourseHero.com on 06-02-2022 00:26:47 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/70122743/Case-Study-1-Rhodesdocx/
, Case_Study_1_Rhodes
Opioid Addiction Case Study
Opioid addiction continues to plague America. The growth of this addiction has
been linked to the frequent prescription of opioids for pain relief from injuries and
surgeries. Using opioids as the primary option for pain relief can lead to frequent
addition.
Issues
Summary of Issues
Opioid addiction and abuse are plaguing the nation. The current opioid crisis
started around 1999 with an increase in the rate of prescriptions written for opioids for
pain management. This created an increase in Heroine deaths and eventually deaths from
synthetic opioids like Fentanyl. However, the identification of this epidemic has slowed
the death rate, but it has taken more than eight years to effect some change.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the total
number of drug overdose deaths dropped by 4% from 2017 to 2018. Nearly 70% of the
drug overdose deaths were from opioids. The rate of change between 2017 and 2018 in
opioid deaths by category are: “Opioid down 2%, Prescription Opioid down 13.5%,
Heroin down 4%, Synthetic Opioids up 10%” (Understanding the Epidemic | Drug
Overdose | CDC Injury Center, 2020). These numbers could be encouraging if they were
all decreasing.
“Since 1999 the sales of prescription pain killers have quadrupled”(Grant, 2018).
The prescriptions for opioids reached its peak in 2010 at the astonishing total of “240
million opioid prescriptions” (Grant, 2018). This is enough for “every adult in America to
have a 30 day supply” (Grant, 2018). The ease of obtaining these prescription drugs has
This study source was downloaded by 100000832558064 from CourseHero.com on 06-02-2022 00:26:47 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/70122743/Case-Study-1-Rhodesdocx/
