Pubdate: Thu, 19 Jan 2017
Source: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)
Copyright: 2017 The Daily Herald Company
Contact:  http://www.dailyherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/107
Author: Megan Delaney

OPIOID EPIDEMIC IS REAL, GETTING WORSE

I am writing to you in regard to the article "New pitch made for alcohol,
drug treatment center near Campton Hills."

The opioid epidemic is a rather common in the U.S., but the opioid
overdose statistics in Illinois have risen dramatically over a very short
period of time, nearly 1,700 people in our state died from overdoses in
2014. This is a multifaceted problem, but our first step is
destigmatization.

The recent opioid overdoses are directly related to an overall decrease of
prescribing large amounts of pain killers. This crack down, which is
absolutely necessary, causes people with narcotic addiction to seek it
through heroin, rather than narcotic pain killers. Many reports all over
the U.S. are pointing to heroin laced with fentanyl, a super potent
narcotic, most likely from China, as the culprit to the heroin overdoses.
This problem is not going away any time soon.

We must treat opioid addiction like a disease, a problem of brain
chemistry, rather than pointing fingers of past poor choices. These people
with narcotic addiction are not given proper immediate treatment, or the
treatment given is not nearly long enough to address the brain chemistry,
most experts say at least three months of treatment are required to rewire
the brain to not crave the substance.

We must use every resource of our community to offer treatment, rather
than prosecution, and offer solutions, rather than blame.

Megan Delaney

St. Charles
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