There is a rapidly growing issue going on in our country that has quickly become the leading cause in death. The opioid epidemic is the deadliest tragedy in history, yet many people choose to ignore its significance because of their beliefs around addiction. To put it into perspective, the opioid epidemic is now deadlier than the AIDs epidemic, which has over twenty-two million victims. The opioid epidemic has also caused a 2-year drop in life expectancy in the United States, compared to the 1-year drop from the AIDs epidemic. This is not a small inconvenience that can be overlooked - the opioid epidemic needs recognition and understanding before it can begin declining.

Opiates first made their appearance in the early 1900s when the idea of unbearable pain became a more understandable topic with many doctors. Because of the medical community's new concerns regarding pain, pharmaceutical companies took advantage of doctors by lying to them about amazing pain killers, the safety, and the side effects. The popular opiate at the time was a highly addictive drug called OxyContin, which doctors soon began writing an overabundance of prescriptions for. Because of the high chance of an addiction and the large amount of prescriptions, the United States soon became the leading country in opioid addictions and overdoses.

National Institute on Drug Abuse- Total U.S. Drug Deaths

In 2016, it was recorded that 64,000 people have died from opiate overdoses. That number continues to rise. Why are many people not taking this issue seriously? The answer is that many people believe that addiction is a choice not a disease and that the person suffering did this to themselves.

The person using the drug is not the only one affected. Pregnant women suffering from an opiate addiction can give birth to an opiate dependent baby. In 2012, every 25 minutes, there was a baby born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (a drug dependency). Since 2012, that number has quadrupled.

National Institute of Drug Abuse

There are currently six states suing Purdue Pharma, the creator of OxyContin, for lying about the addictive qualities of the drug. This will still not change the state of the opioid epidemic. President Trump has recently declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency hoping to bring some aid in addressing the growing crisis.

The United States government is also using programs such as Take Back Day to aid in the safe disposal of every expired and unused opioid. The goal to keep them out of public reach, reduce usage, and educate the public.

The opioid crisis is a massive tragedy that affects the lives of many people throughout the world. It will not be cured until there is a great understanding of why this issue has taken place. There needs to be increased compassion for those that are suffering. While the opioid epidemic shows no sign of decline any time soon, efforts to change can make a huge difference.