Risk Education and Responsible Use

 

POP_RiskEducation_Landing2.jpg
 

What are opioids and what are they for?

Opioids are a classification of pain medications that include oxycodone, hydrocodone, Oxycontin®, Percocet®, Vicodin®, and morphine.

Opioids block our ability to feel pain and are most commonly used to manage intense, short-term pain. But they don’t actually cure what’s causing the pain in the first place. In fact, using opioids may dull pain in the short-term, but in the long-term they’re actually shown to increase your sensitivity to pain, causing us to crave increased amounts of medication to feel the same effect.

 
POP_RiskEducation_WhatAreOpioids.png
 
 

Why are opioids dangerous?

Opioids are extremely powerful and addictive. When used beyond 5 days, rates for addiction skyrocket because of the addictiveness that comes alongside pain relief. And opioids are nearly chemically identical to heroin. Our bodies actually process these substances in the same way. It’s no wonder why 80% of people currently in treatment for heroin addiction began with prescription opioids. There are two main factors:

 
 

Tolerance Becomes Dependence. Dependence Becomes Addiction. FAST.

Our bodies develop tolerance to opioids very quickly, meaning we need to take increased amounts to feel the same level of pain relief. This rapidly becomes a physical dependence on their powers to make us feel comfortable, so that when we stop using a prescription opioid, pain can feel worse than it did to begin with. This leads some of us to crave more and more, a cycle which can spin out of control if we don’t deliberately taper off of opioids. Before we know it, this can become a full blown addiction.

 

Opioids Are Powerful Depressants

Depressants are substances that slow down our breathing rate. Common examples include opioids, Benzos, and alcohol. When taken in small doses, we likely won’t feel much of an effect. However, each person’s tolerance for depressants is unique, and when we take too much it can cause our breathing to slow to dangerous levels. Along with trouble breathing, our heart rate declines, which can prevent our organs from getting enough oxygen to survive. This is known as an overdose.

The risks of dependence, addiction, and overdose are not one in a million. Roughly 1 in 7 people who get a refill for their prescription opioids are still using a year later, and as of 2018, overdose deaths exceeded 70,000. That’s higher than deaths from H.I.V., gun violence, and car crashes at their peaks. Source

 

Next: Your Prescription

Learn the risks of opioid use and check out some tips for safely handling your prescription


Learn more
yellowbg.png