This snippet from the Washington Post says what professionals in the trenches already suspected . . . the opiate problem is getting worse . . .
Washington Post 12/20/17: Opioid deaths continued to surge in 2015, surpassing 30,000 for the first time in recent history, according to CDC data released Thursday. That marks an increase of nearly 5,000 deaths from 2014. Deaths involving powerful synthetic opiates, like fentanyl, rose by nearly 75 percent from 2014 to 2015. Heroin deaths spiked too, rising by more than 2,000 cases. For the first time since at least the late 1990s, there were more deaths due to heroin than to traditional opioid painkillers, like hydrocodone and oxycodone. “The epidemic of deaths involving opioids continues to worsen,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden in a statement. “Prescription opioid misuse and use of heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl are intertwined and deeply troubling problems.” In the CDC’s opioid death data, deaths may involve more than one individual drug category, so numbers in the chart above aren’t mutually exclusive. Many opioid fatalities involve a combination of drugs, often multiple types of opioids, or opioids in conjunction with other sedative substances like alcohol. In a grim milestone, more people died from heroin-related causes than from gun homicides in 2015. As recently as 2007, gun homicides outnumbered heroin deaths by more than 5 to 1. (FULL ARTICLE)
More interesting than this dreary news . . .
is that treatment works and people do recover! But the key to lasting recovery is a foundation of good treatment led by an addiction medicine expert. The right combination of medical interventions with supportive therapies and a family-centered approach produce the best outcomes.
Repeated use of alcohol or other drugs changes the brain’s chemistry and structure. Treatment is based on the latest advances in brain science. The primary goal of treatment is to establish recovery. Recovery heals the brain over time.
Getting and staying sober can be difficult. Whether the problem is alcohol, prescription medications or street drugs, most people who attempt recovery end up relapsing. However, lasting recovery is possible. Treatment works best when driven by experienced clinical experts, bringing together the individual and family to develop a speci c care plan. BoardPrep is comprised of top national experts specializing in addiction recovery, psychiatry and behavioral health.
Congratulations to Dr. Robben on being voted TOP ADDICTION MEDICINE DOCTOR for the second year in a row by his physician peers in the Tampa Bay Area. As a Board Certified Psychiatrist with additional Board Certification in Addiction Psychiatry, Dr. Robben possesses a unique set of skills and training that qualify him to handle complex dual diagnosis issues. Dr. Robben also has the honor and distinction of being approved by the Florida Department of Health (all health licensee boards including Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing) for the evaluation and treatment of Florida Licensed Health Professionals who may be having mental health or substance use issues. This includes participants who may be referred by Florida’s PRN (Professionals Resource Network) or IPN (Intervention Project for Nurses).
If you are concerned about your own or someone else’s substance use or dual diagnosis, call BoardPrep for a complimentary phone consultation or face-to-face evaluation today.
Call 813-600-7929
