The opioid crisis is no longer the best-kept worst secret in America. With President Trump declaring the situation a national emergency, the time is now to bring together the best science and most effective public policies and remove the veil of denial and guilt associated with this human carnage.
In 2015, over 52,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses. That’s 143 lost lives every day. This is the single greatest cause of accidental death in the USA. Of those, 20,000 were due to prescription opioids and another 13,000 due to heroin. Four out of five heroin addicts begin with abuse of prescription opioids and started using heroin because it was far cheaper and easier to get.
On Aug. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Drake Field in Peachtree City, there will be an event to recognize the 2017 International Overdose Awareness Day. Come learn, share, and be aware as we shed the stigma and shine a light on this national tragedy.
This event will include local and state politicians, non-governmental organizations, specialists in addiction therapies, recovering addicts, and those who have experienced directly the loss of a loved one to overdose.
Come join us and bring your children. We will all be challenged to reconsider our biases and recognize that these deaths are not limited to any economic group, race, or sex. With over 143 deaths per day, most of us have no more than two degrees of separation. These tragedies touch people you know or people who know the people you know.
There are solutions, but first we need awareness.
Alan Felts
Peachtree City, Ga.
