What is Opioid Abuse?
Definition of Opioid
When news sources present a big headline or give an update on the current status of the "Opioid Crisis", what they are referring to is the spread of addiction to a certain drug that is on the market. These drugs are called opioids and have a wide variety of uses (1). Opioids are meant to help people deal with chronic or severe pain. It is kind of like morphine (the stuff used when the dentist fills a cavity) and can only be given to patients through a pharmacy (2). They often come in pill form, but other forms can be found on the black market (2). The black market is the name for selling things on the street, away from an actual market.
The problem with opioids is that they can be highly addictive. This addiction comes from a physical dependency on the drug. That means that the body needs more and more of the drug for it to keep working (1). When people become addicted to opioids their lives and all their money tend to get all focused on drugs (2). This is dangerous because many have died due to an overdose of opioids, and selling them illegally is bringing more crime to inner cities and troubled areas.
Now you are able to understand those news headlines that seem to be so complicated. Having a clear understanding of the topic is essential to forming an opinion about it. The opioid crisis is simply referring to the number of deaths, illegal drugs sold on the black market, and how many people are addicted to them at a certain time.
References:
(1) Moghe, S. (2016, October 14). Opioid history: From 'wonder drug' to abuse epidemic. CNN. Retrieved from http://cnn.com/
(2) Nlewijk, G. (2017, January 20). Ancient Analgesics: A brief history of opioids. Yale Scientific. http://yalescientific.org/
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