Opioid Crisis

Why are people in recovery ashamed or embarrassed to be open about there history of using? My opinion, I think it’s not talked about enough. People are not aware of the importance of recovery. Weather it took someone 1 or 10 tries to get clean, they should be proud of their sobriety.  As a parent, friend or spouse to someone in recovery we need to make them comfortable enough to be open and feel proud of their accomplishment! We need to teach kids, teens and even adults the importance of drug treatment and not being ashamed to ask for help. Drug addiction can happen to anyone. It is extremely easy to become addicted to opioids or in that matter and other substance. Do you think someone wakes up one morning and decides to buy that bag of heroine or snort that cocaine? 80% of heroine users have reported to have started with opioid pills prior. Majority of the time someone has had an injury such as a broken bone or even car accident and gets prescribed a pain medication. No one wants to feel pain but what the doctors should explain on a level from 1-10 (10 being the worst) we need to feel as least a 3. If we are injured and feel absolutely no pain, we become dependent on that pain medication. What happens when the doctor no longer prescribes those pain relievers? We resort to the street, we find a dealer and start buying them illegally, this becomes an addiction and a very expensive one. This is when heroine comes into play, its cheaper then buying those pain pills and its affects are more intense, our first hit of heroine weather it be intravenous or you are snorting it, you are hooked. Did you know 591,000 people have used heroine in one single year just in America! Not only that but over 40,000 people have died from overdoses! Yes, this is a CRISIS and as a community we NEED to make asking for help easier and not frowned upon. If you have a loved one that is addicted to opioids or heroine, please reach out and help them. There is help out there and it is never to late to get the help you need! Your story can save a life and make a difference, never be ashamed of your sobriety. Lets make recovery a big deal!