I am actually not very educated on this topic. I know that there are thousands of deaths each year due to the access of hard drugs that people use each day. These drugs include heroin, cocaine, meth, etc. Many of these people are homeless and don’t have any other way of living but to use these drugs. Their bodies are so dependent on their drug that they will never be able to stop without the proper help they need.
I want to know ways we can prevent these deaths because these people need help. I want to know the average cost of these drugs because many of them are homeless and cannot pay for an apartment or any sort of household. Lastly, I want to know how many people die from these drugs each year and which drug is used the most.
“Among those who reported using opioids in the past year, prescription drugs were the most common type used, Enomoto said. An estimated 3.8 million people in the U.S. currently misuse prescription pain relievers, according to the report. An estimated 830,000 people in the U.S. used heroin in 2015, Enomoto said — more than double the number from 2002. She noted that there was a slight decrease, however, in heroin use from 2014 to 2015, but it was not statistically significant (meaning it could have been due to chance). In addition, nearly 300,000 people knowingly used the drug fentanyl in the past year, Enomoto said. Fentanyl is a prescription painkiller that is up to 100 times more potent than morphine and is often linked to fatal overdoses. In many cases, people who use heroin may unknowingly use fentanyl, because heroin may be laced with fentanyl.” Nearly 21 million Americans face difficulties with these drugs and the age starts around twelve years old. “These prevention programs work to boost protective factors and eliminate or reduce risk factors for drug use. The programs are designed for various ages and can be designed for individual or group settings, such as the school and home. There are three types of programs:
- Universal programs address risk and protective factors common to all children in a given setting, such as a school or community.
- Selective programs target groups of children and teens who have factors that put them at increased risk of drug use.
- Indicated programs are designed for youth who have already begun using drugs.”
There are ways to prevent drug use and we need to act on it fast to help those who are already affected and to help those who are struggling to stop.
Dear Brooklyn,
I am satisfied with your article because you provided some facts and it wasn’t based on your opinion, you also provided some programs that could help people who are struggling with drug usage. One thing you said “The programs are designed for various ages and can be designed for individual or group settings, such as the school and home. There are three types of programs.” I think this is interesting because you wanted to try to help promote some programs even though there’re not many promotions about them around the world.
Brooklyn, I agree that this is a very important topic and it is increasing in how common it is in our society today. I do think that more emphasis needs to be put on rehab, but it seems that all the rehab programs you presented are aimed towards keeping children off the drugs. I think more of it could be aimed for adults or teens that have already started and need to be stopped before they seriously hurt themselves or someone else. I also believe there are many other drugs that can lead to death that aren’t thought of in a fatal way like heroin and fentanyl are. Drugs as common as marijuana and alcohol can lead to many deaths not due to the drugs themselves, but because of the impaired decisions people make when affected by them and it can also cause tragedies.
Hello! I really liked your piece, and how you are bringing awareness to drug abuse. I think drug abuse related deaths are not talked about enough, and I really do not think that enough action has taken place. As you said, the homeless are affected by drug abuse, but they are the one’s who can’t get help for their “problem,” because the sad truth is, is that Rehab is incredibly expensive. Thank you for this informative read!
Jessica
I really liked that you chose this topic to write about and how you tied it into the homeless population we have today. I liked that you listed what you wanted to know about the issue and then showed what you found out about it while you researched. It was also interesting to read about the types of programs that help people and what they target in the program. This website might help with further research: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/drug-addiction-treatment-in-united-states/types-treatment-programs.
Brooklyn,
I enjoyed reading your piece because it was very informative. I do not know much about drugs/drug abuse in general but you were able to explain and summarize it in a way that was easy to understand. Although there are programs to help with drug abuse, I think that they are not promoted or emphasized enough in the Unites States. Do you think that these programs for drug abuse are making an impact in America currently? In what ways could they be improved?
Regards,
Shenika