In the past, accidental deaths in the United States consisted primarily of car accidents. Today though, drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., according to a report from the Trust of America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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“There are quite a few factors contributing to this epidemic of overdose deaths. First, the potency of the drugs,” said Cary Quashen, founder of ACTION family counseling. “Heroin and prescription drugs, such as opioids and benzodiazepines, are extremely powerful. When people use these drugs, they build up a tolerance and end up needing more and more.”
Prescription drugs are responsible for more than 22,700 deaths per year and from 2009 to 2013 drug overdose rates increased in 26 states and decreased in only six, according to the report.
“There is this struggle between the mind and the body. As an addict, your mind tells you that you need more and more.” Quashen said. “What really frightens me is that a lot of the people that are overdosing were actually not using. When you are off the drug for a while and then come back, you want the same high, but your body can’t handle it.”
Although heroin and prescription drugs are the most common in overdose deaths, they are not the only drugs to be concerned about.
“The most prescribed drugs in the country are benzodiazepines,” Quashen said. “They are even more dangerous than opioids to come off of. Like alcohol, you get physically addicted to it. It can be very dangerous. Those who are addicted to benzo’s really need medical help because they can die from their physical addiction.”
Another factor in the increase of overdoses becoming the leading cause of accidental deaths in the U.S. has to do with legitimate medical issues.
“Today we are treating more accidental addicts than ever before. People will be in genuine pain from a variety of different medical issues,” Quashen said. “A doctor will direct a patient to take 4 painkillers a day and then after a while, four doesn’t work anymore. The person taking the drug needs more. I have met people who were taking 30 vicodin a day.”
It is also important to mention that drugs such as heroin and prescription drugs have two different effects when it comes to addiction.
“Addicts build up a physical addiction and an emotional addiction. The physical addiction is easier to address. It’s the emotional addiction that is really hard,” Quashen said. “The other problem with pain meds is withdrawal. It becomes a vicious cycle. The opiate tricks your mind into thinking you need it.”
Thankfully, organizations such as ACTION exist to assist those who are struggling with addiction and combat this rise in overdose deaths.
“The bottom line is, anyone who has a problem with drugs and alcohol knows it,” Quashen said. “My message to them is, if you think you have a problem, you do. Please seek help and receive an evaluation from a chemical dependency expert. There are different types of treatments depending on what the person is dealing with.”
About Action Family Counseling
Action Family Counseling has drug and alcohol residential treatment locations in Santa Clarita, Piru, and Bakersfield; Intensive Drug and Alcohol Outpatient in Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Ventura, Pasadena, and Bakersfield, Action Family Counseling is here to help you.
Action Family Counseling’s primary goals are to maintain abstinence, stabilize co-occurring illnesses, and increase quality of life. We support and reinforce change in behavior patterns so that adolescents and adults, or clients and their families can fully indoctrinate the philosophies and principles needed to remain abstinent and stabilized for life.
Action Family Counseling accomplishes this by providing an effective treatment approach developed by the Department of Health and Human Services that includes a multi-disciplinarian personalized approach by a treatment team. Once a patient is identified, we provide an initial screening and assessment, which allows us to properly diagnose and place patients in the appropriate treatment setting.
Once a patient completes our intake process to our residential program he or she receives 24-hour crisis management, individual counseling, group therapy, family education and counseling, treatment planning, routine and random toxicology screening, pharmacotherapy and medication management, education about Alcohol and Other Drugs and mental health issues, self-help and support group orientation, case management services, and discharge service planning with a transitional service plan to our Intensive Outpatient treatment program to ensure a continuum of care.
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