Turn the Tide

Addiction Recovery Resources

About the Opioid Crisis

From 1991 to 2016, the number of painkiller prescriptions in the United States quadrupled from 76 million a year to 289 million a year. In 2018 alone over 46,000 americans died from an opioid related overdose, and over 1.7 million were diagnosed with substance abuse disorders from prescription Opioid pain reliever.  An estimated 22 to 30 percent of people prescribed opioids misuse them, and 80 percent of people who try heroin first misused prescription opioid medications.  Our website helps spread awareness of the opioid epidemic as an education resource.  So that we can help promote better methods of pain management and strengthen our understanding of the epidemic through better data.

  • Detoxification and then Abstinence – in this form of treatment, the patient slowly tapers off opioids, and then eventually aims to become completely abstinent.  This is a more difficult treatment process and for some people it has a higher risk of relapse.
  • MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment – This type of treatment can help make detoxification safer.  After completing detox, the treatment involves the use of a medication like methadone, buprenorphine, or naloxone.   Relapse is less likely with MAT and has been shown to have benefits like improving socialization and reducing infections disease transmissions.
The types of medications used to treat opioid addiction
  • Methadone – this type of treatment is taken daily by mouth and is shown to be very effective.  The downside of Methadone is that the patients must visit special clinics to receive their daily dose, which can be difficult for some patients.
  • Buprenorphine – Also taken by mouth but has a lower risk of abuse so there is no need to visit a clinic daily.
  • Naltrexone – new formulations are taken by injection once per month and it is not addictive or sedating.

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