How Preventive Care and Mississippi Drug Rehab Centers Can Deter Residents From Opioid Abuse
Mississippi ranks 5th in the nation for its number of opioid painkiller prescriptions issued to residents every year. Opioids are highly addictive and can lead to severe addiction problems when used long-term.
Health care agencies that regularly deal with opioid abuse say that preventive care and education such as that offered at Mississippi drug rehab centers can help prevent residents from developing opioid addictions.
Are you struggling with opioid addiction and live in Mississippi? Understand that you don’t have to overcome opioid dependence and addiction on your own without medical help. Call our 24/7 confidential helpline at 888-414-2380 to learn more about nearby drug rehab centers that will help you conquer addiction for good.
Improving Mississippi’s Opioid Crisis
The state of Mississippi recently implemented a prescription drug monitoring program.
In an effort to improve its opioid epidemic, Mississippi implemented a prescription drug monitoring program that prevents patients from visiting different doctors to obtain painkillers. Before prescribing opioids to patients, physicians are required to use the drug monitoring program to check whether patients already have active opioid prescriptions. If so, physicians can hold off on prescribing additional painkillers their patients don’t readily need.
Heather Stathem, Day Treatment Lead at Mississippi Children’s Home Services, says in many cases, teens are accessing unused opioids in their parents’ medicine cabinets. Unfortunately, these youth lack the information and education needed about the dangers surrounding painkillers and addiction. Factors such as these are what’s driving the state and nation’s opioid epidemic.
Stathem also indicates that teens who use opioids eventually move on to harder, stronger drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. Many times, heroin is far less costly than prescription opioids, more easily accessible, and produces a similar high. But the better Mississippi residents understand the risks associated with opioid use, the better they’ll be at avoiding addiction and dependence.
Raising Opioid Awareness and Preventing Addiction
President Barack Obama and administration recently announced Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week in an effort to make U.S. citizens more aware about the ongoing crisis. The Obama administration had asked Congress for $1.1 billion to fund addiction treatment and awareness efforts aimed at improving the opioid epidemic. According to the campaign’s fact sheet, funds would go toward reducing national supplies of fentanyl and increasing access to opioid overdose antidote drug naloxone.
A large portion of the funds would also go toward expanding access to opioid addiction treatments — specifically medication-assisted treatments involving the use of buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is an FDA-approved medication proven effective at helping opioid addicts overcome dependence by reducing cravings and minimizing withdrawal symptoms. Previously, very few practitioners had access to buprenorphine for use in treating opioid addiction.
Many Mississippi drug rehab centers now offer medication-assisted treatments that can help opioid addicts improve their lives and achieve sobriety. These programs often combine medication with counseling, therapy, and education sessions that teach recovering addicts about the importance of staying healthy and drug-free so they can successfully re-enter society.
If you are struggling with opioid addiction and live in Mississippi, call our 24/7 confidential helpline at 888-414-2380 to learn more about your rehab options. One of our caring treatment specialists will help you find Mississippi drug rehab centers that can help you overcome dependence and addiction.
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