Last week President Obama named this week, September 18 through September 24, 2016, as Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week. His intention being to raise awareness to the now well-documented opioid problem continuing to claim lives from our rural towns to our major cities.
The amazing thing it that people are still in denial about this epidemic. Much of the general public still chose to think of this ‘heroin epidemic’ as something that young kids are doing. Many people are still in denial that the high functioning adults who are using heroin and/or dependent on opiates are among us. They are working at the restaurant where you picked up dinner, your Uber driver, your co-worker and even someone in your own family.
Our president calls attention to the epidemic and people die daily, yet there is still this level of total denial. How can we change this? What are the first steps? Will dedicating a week be of use and how can each of us continue to decrease the stigma and increase the awareness?
Dr. Sanders
AToN Center 888-535-1516
