By: Jonathan Ayala '21
Across the United States, there is a large opioid crisis, which has been occurring since the late 1990s. The addictive substance found in opioids affects people of all ages. While most receive prescription opioids for pain, such as morphine after surgery and Advil for someone's daily headache are one of the many ways someone would acquire opioid- drugs. Many of these drugs are to be obtained over the counter by prescription, or even illegally.
An opioid article from the U.S National Library of Medicine explains how inherited genes can affect someone's addictions or how they receive the drug. Many well-established genes are usually involved in opioid addiction. Genes play a role in the endogenous opioid system are naturally made by the human body. The word endogenous means ‘internal cause’ or ‘origin’. Boosting the endogenous genes to work more effectively or the exogenous opioids do the work all alone. Addictions have increased if one’s inherited genes have a history with opioid addiction.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the more corrupted areas such as Camden or Newark where people are exposed to illegal drugs such as heroin, are a major factor in acquiring an opioid addiction. Many rural or suburban areas, specifically New Jersey, have been seeing a spike in heroin addictions. In 2010 there were about 100 deaths in New Jersey. In 2016, there were 850 opioid-related deaths in New Jersey. Since 2016, 40 percent of overdoses in the United States can be blamed on prescription drugs. According to the news site Prescription Opioid Data, more than 46 people die every day from overdose because of prescription opioids. In the opioid article from the U.S National Library of Medicine explains how more than 20,000 thousand people die of prescribed opioids, which is resulting in drug overdose is the leading cause of death in the United States, with more than 13,000 people have overdosed on heroin and died. Over half of all drug overdose is caused by because of prescribed opioids, says U.S National Library of Medicine.
Fortunately, the US has been creating programs that are trying to push people against drug abuse. Even small high schools are helping young teens against any drug abuse. Currently, Mrs. Lisa Leibowitz, the Assistant Student Counselor at DHS, is running a program for kids that are being affected by drugs or alcohol. It also does not have to be the students themselves, as it can be one of their family members who is affecting them in a negative way.
From an emotional standpoint, Ms. Leibowitz says “Is not so much of a teen epidemic, we see it more in older generations, in the ages of 25 through 40. It's really about the age of those who are struggling with opioid addiction. In DHS there are going, obviously, we don't say names, you can know that there are peers and students in this school that is being affected, not with all personnel use but with family members who are in that age range. That is what we are seeing in Dunellen.”
The Injury Prevention Coordinator of the Trauma and Injury Prevention Department, in Middlesex County, Diana Starce states, “Dunellen youth are well educated about opioid use and are not reporting misuse of prescriptions medication in general. Dunellen Police and EMS report that Narcan recoveries are infrequent and usually involve residents from the town in the 24-45 age bracket. This may be because Dunellen is a stop on the NJ Transit line which brings individuals over NJ. No town is immune from the opioid epidemic affecting NJ and the entire United States”. Opioid epidemic affects people between the age of 24 through 45. Although all ages can be affected, it's just between these two groups, that are most likely to become an addict.”
Mrs. Starce also speaks about why opioids are so common, “Opioids are common in New Jersey and in the U.S because the United States consumes 90% of the world’s opioids prescriptions. We want a quick fix for any ailment or sickness; we don't want to be in pain, so we take opioids. Once an individual starts taking opioids they can become addicted-they build up a tolerance- and they want more. Prescription drugs on the Black market are very expensive. When someone realizes they can get high from heroin, it’s an easy transition as heroin is much less expensive and just as available.” The most important part of this quote is that the U.S consumes 90% of the worlds prescription opioids. That means that out of 325.7 million people, 293.13 million use drugs.
Currently, even Dunellen is being affected by the opioid crisis. Even when people are trying to put themselves out in public to offer help, they’re still are cases with people abusing opioids. Most citizens first contract an addiction from a regular dose of medication they need, which is quite unfortunate, but hopefully, people like Diana Starce, Lisa Leibowitz and many other people can prevent more cases of opioid addiction.