Introduction
The main issue of this case study report focuses on a problem such as the opioid epidemic in the United States. The current opioid crisis is one of the main domestic problems of the United States: in recent decades, the death rate from opioid overdose in the country has quadrupled (Drake et al., 2020). The key problems and issues in the case study are the increase in deaths from opium and the number of people with an addiction.
The opioid epidemic or opioid crisis is a term that usually refers to the rapid increase in the use of opioid medications in the United States. This trend has appeared since the 1990s (Jannetto, 2021). The most important issues of the public health emergency are adolescent deaths from this drug. The scope of the problem is colossal – the opioid crisis has reduced the overall life expectancy of Americans from 79 to 78 years (Rosenfeld et al., 2021). The significance of the problem lies in both its frequency and its effects.
The magnitude of the public health problem, including preparedness challenges that may have affected response and recovery efforts, is a lack of understanding by patients and their environments of the problem’s seriousness and social stigma, which makes seeking treatment untimely in most cases. Current research and knowledge regarding the public health issue or problem are extensive – scholars have been studying it since the 90s (Hernandez et al., 2020).
Awareness of gaps and unresolved issues is to identify the most effective method of combating the effects of the opium epidemic at the state level, since most studies are aimed at preventing its occurrence (Upp & Waljee, 2020). The purpose of this work is to analyze existing research and search for potential solutions to the issue. Thus, the purpose and outcome of this analysis is to highlight recommendations on how to help victims of the opium epidemic integrate back into society and not return to addiction.
Assessment of Public Health Response
Positives
The causes of the opioid epidemic are diverse and complex: one of the main reasons is the increase in prescriptions for opioid analgesics for pain management. Many patients received prescriptions for opioid medications to manage chronic pain or after surgery (Upp & Waljee, 2020). However, uncontrolled use of these drugs often leads to addiction. Doctors managed to identify this cause and combat it by developing a reorientation of migraine treatment and rehabilitation of patients who were on such drugs (Rosenfeld et al., 2021). Since the attending neuropathologists knew which medications the patients were taking, they were able to identify addiction in time and fight it.
The consequences of the opioid epidemic are extremely serious. It leads to an increase in deaths from opioid overdoses, as well as physical and mental problems in addicted people. Doctors and community organizations are working to develop strategies to prevent overdoses and treat addiction (Drake et al., 2020). The availability of programs to help former addicts re-integrate into society is also a positive public health response.
Negatives
The opioid epidemic also has several medical consequences. Drugs can cause various diseases and conditions, such as infections, venous diseases, heart attacks, and also increase the risk of transmission of infections such as HIV and hepatitis (Hernandez et al., 2020). Negatives of the public health response consist of the absence of programs that allow for the combined treatment of the consequences of both the psychological aspect of opium addiction and the prevention of secondary health outcomes.
Coordination of efforts at the State and local levels is necessary to combat the effects of the opioid epidemic. This includes measures to control opioid prescriptions, the development of prevention programs, increased access to addiction treatment, educational campaigns, and tougher legislation on drug trafficking (Hernandez et al., 2020). However, at the moment, the actions of the local and state governments are scattered. The effectiveness and specifics of the measures taken vary across states (Upp & Waljee, 2020). This is a negative of the public health response, as it prevents coordinated coordination of building rehabilitation methods.
Public Health Emergency
Comparison
A similar emergency to the opium epidemic in the United States is the increased consumption of alcoholic beverages. Their similarity lies in the fact that all psychoactive substances affect the functioning of the body and, over time, require an increase in the dose or replacement with stronger analogues to get an effect (Jannetto, 2021). Drugs become heavier, alcoholic beverages become stronger, which leads to the progression of both opium and alcohol addictions over time (Jannetto, 2021). Taking both alcohol and opium greatly worsens the health of patients (Drake et al., 2020). Their inflammatory processes get worse, chronic diseases become more acute, and the nervous system suffers.
Contrast
The body of a dependent person is destroyed according to the same scenario, but there are differences in the course of both diseases. Alcoholism takes longer to develop: in the early phases, a person can still exert control over the situation and eventually break the habit (CDC, 2023). The opium epidemic has developed more rapidly, as less time is needed to develop drug dependence (Upp & Waljee, 2020). Drug addiction is more difficult to treat: the body resists chemicals from drugs more severely, so the destruction takes place faster (Upp & Waljee, 2020). Therefore, the elimination of the consequences of opium emergency is more time-consuming than the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.
For patients suffering from alcohol addiction, treatment is more predictable: first, detoxification takes place, then restoration of health with subsequent rehabilitation. In the case of opium addiction, cases of unforeseen reactions of the body are not uncommon, and the restoration of physical health may take a long time (Jannetto, 2021). This is another reason for a stronger degree of emergency for opium than for alcohol.
Summary of Recovery Efforts
In the course of therapy, the narcologist individually prescribes drugs and medical measures to the patient aimed at achieving cumulative recovery efforts. First and foremost, it is a detoxification that removes toxic opium breakdown products from the body (Hargan, 2017). Moreover, it is necessary to relieve withdrawal, which, with the help of painkillers, anticonvulsants, and absorbent drugs, the course of withdrawal syndrome will be shorter (Drake et al., 2020).
At the same time, their symptoms will cause significantly less pain for the patient (Scholl et al., 2018). Another recovery effort is psychological correction, during which, in the format of individual and group consultations, clinic residents will relearn how to use self-control and introspection skills (Jannetto, 2021). They also learn to take responsibility for their words and actions.
There is no universal solution to cure an opium user. Drug addiction develops over several months; therefore, it requires long-term and comprehensive treatment, which is carried out in stages. On average, treatment of opium addiction takes about a year (Drake et al., 2020).
The removal of physical cravings for drugs takes about two weeks, the relief of psychological dependence takes up to six months, and psychological correction takes up to eight months (Rosenfeld et al., 2021). After discharge from the center, the patient will be offered to undergo a course of social rehabilitation, after which the risk of relapse of opium addiction will be minimal.
Epidemiology
Data on the spread of chemical dependence come from different sources and are obtained using different methodological approaches. However, the actual number of patients with opium addiction among the population is about five times higher than the number registered in drug dispensaries (Soelberg et al., 2017). This is consistent with expert opinions, which believe that the number of people seeking medical help correlates with the true number of drug addicts as 1:10 (Yeo et al., 2022).
At the same time, several experts claim that this ratio is even higher, at 1:20 (Blanco et al., 2020). By the beginning of 2019, in the United States, more than 30,000 patients with opium addiction and substance abuse were under medical supervision in drug treatment facilities (Gladden et al., 2016). They include a group of so-called preventive accountants, that is, people who abuse opium-based medicines.
Preparedness & Response
The readiness of the State at the moment is not enough to help all victims of the opium epidemic. State programs for the prevention of this addiction, rehabilitation of patients, and prevention of drug sales are successfully implemented in practice. The annual funding of anti-drug activities is about $1 million (Stoicea et al., 2019).
However, there are not enough places in such programs, and those in need of assistance have to wait their turn (Perdue et al., 2024). During the waiting period, addiction increases, and the diseases caused by addiction worsen (Lim et al., 2022). This is one of the outcomes demonstrating the lack of preparedness of the health and social protection sector to combat the opium epidemic.
The response to the opium epidemic in the United States, with the spread and use of narcotic substances, is carried out in two forms. This is a foreign policy response to restricting the drug trafficking of opium and opium-containing drugs from other countries (Volkow & Blanco, 2021). In addition, the response also finds itself inside the United States through the control of the sale of narcotic substances and the introduction of administrative and criminal sanctions for their illegal sale and use (CDC, 2022). Thus, the response consists of both state prevention and rehabilitation of opium addiction.
Mitigation
Mitigation of the opium epidemic consists of step-by-step, consistent, and comprehensive treatment of people with an addiction. It is carried out in a mandatory format even if patients do not seek help on their own and do not seek to be cured (Lyden & Binswanger, 2019). Considering that the denial of problems related to drug use is one of the main symptoms of the disease, drug addicts turn to a narcologist on their own quite rarely (CDC, 2024). If a drug addict has a stable motivation to heal, then we can assume that they are already close to remission, and mitigation has been successful.
Treatment
Today, there are enough practitioners in the field of narcology and addictology in the United States to help victims of the opium epidemic. Private narcologists, clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, and nutritionists offer their services (Han et al., 2019). Many specialized medical clinics and rehabilitation centers for drug addicts have been opened (Lim et al., 2022).
The anonymous rehab community is growing each year (Volkow & Blanco, 2021). Most medical programs aim to eliminate the symptoms of the disease and address the problem at its root (Perdue et al., 2024). All of these groups of addiction treatment techniques, which are popular in the United States, offer various treatment options so that every person with an opium addiction finds an option that works for them.
Recommendations
Many people with an opium addiction return to their usual lifestyle after the end of treatment. Therefore, it is imperative to continue that social rehabilitation is an important tool in the fight against drug addiction and helps people return to a full life. The recommendations are in the process of helping people suffering from drug addiction and in their recovery and return to a sober life (Jannetto, 2021).
An important recommendation will be assistance in finding a job and establishing relationships with relatives. They are the main reasons for the adverse effects of the public health emergency incident, which is the return to drug addiction (Upp & Waljee, 2020). Thus, the recommendations are to apply not only preventive measures for primary dependence, but also to address the emergence of secondary dependence.
Conclusions
The goal and outcome of this analysis were to emphasize ideas for helping victims of the opium pandemic reintegrate into society and avoid relapsing into addiction. The main points from the findings obtained from this assessment are the need not only to prevent opium addiction, but also to provide constant assistance to those affected by it. Even though the effects of opium are similar to those of alcohol, its effects are more devastating, the health emergency is developing more rapidly, and requires longer-term control methods. The recommendations include not just primary dependence prevention measures, but also actions to address the onset of secondary dependence.
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