WXII News 12 Focus On Addiction

WXII News 12 has launched a new effort to combat drugs in the Triad via media reports and analysis on the pervasive, local opioid drug problem. The initiative is called the “State of Addiction”, and it will explore the origins of the escalating drug addiction problem, drug treatment, government intervention to resolve the addiction crisis,
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Advocates For Opioid Recovery

Advocates For Opioid Recovery is a non-profit organization spearheaded by Newt Gingrich, Patrick Kennedy, and Van Jones. The group is dedicated to advancing evidence-based treatment to better address the effects of America’s opioid addiction dilemma. A main focus of the organization is breaking down regulatory barriers that exist in patient access to recovery medications like
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Infants Born To Opioid Addicted Mothers

The Winston-Salem Journal has posted a story about the increase in infants being born to mothers addicted to heroin or other opioids. This trend is nationwide. The article explains that many of these infants are experiencing withdrawal symptoms after birth requiring hospitals to treat & stabilize the infants before they are released and sent home.
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Recovering From Heroin Addiction

Opioid addiction is a particularly difficult addictive disorder to deal with because it creates not only a strong psychological dependency, but also a powerful physical dependency. The progression of opioid addiction is rapid for most people because of the euphoric effects (stimulation of the brain’s pleasure/reward center) and increased tolerance to the drug. Increased tolerance
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CBS News on Opioid Addiction

In the video shown below, CBS News aired a short piece on America’s opioid addiction crisis highlighting how people begin with prescription opiates and then transition to heroin. The segment addresses the well-publicized opioid overdose concerns making headlines, and raised questions for which there are yet no clear answers. Also of interest is the recent
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Opioid Prescriptions – Surgeon General Makes Statement

The Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Vivek Murthy, took an unprecedented step this month sending out a cautionary letter to 2.3 million U.S. healthcare providers. In the letter, he shared his concern regarding the prescription opioid crisis which has led to a staggering number of opioid overdose deaths across the country. Dr. Murthy
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CNN Special Show On Prescription Addiction

CNN aired an informative special program on 5/11/2016, Prescription Addiction: Doctors Must Lead Us Out. The one hour special was hosted by Anderson Cooper and neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta. It specifically addressed how the current opioid epidemic in America has been driven by the over prescribing of opioid medication. Various doctors, recovering addicts, and others
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$30 Million Proposed For NC Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders

The NC Council of Community Programs just published its bi-monthly newsletter. In it, Governor McCrory proposed that $30 million dollars be allocated for Substance Use Disorders, Mental Health, and Developmental Disabilities. Included in the allocation is a standing order which allows naloxone to be dispensed to anyone who requests it. Approximately 2500 lives were saved
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Lethal Overdose Map of the United States

Using CDC statistics from 2002 – 2014, TIME has produced a coded map of fatal overdoses in the United States. In the graphic below, red areas are geographical locations with the highest concentration of fatal overdoses per capita. The study has a disclaimer however which states that small counties are not represented as accurately on
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Touching Stories – Heroin Lives Here

North Carolina Health News published a thought-provoking article profiling the heroin problem in rural North Carolina. The piece is titled “Heroin Lives Here” and documents how heroin began to infiltrate NC communities leading to unexpected overdose deaths from an unprecedented influx of heroin from Mexico. Taylor Sisk is the article author. “Heroin Lives Here” focuses
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