The Opioid Addiction Crisis…How We Got There

The Opioid Addiction Crisis…How We Got There

According to the Washington Post, “newly disclosed federal drug data shows that more than 100 billion doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone were shipped nationwide from 2006 through 2014 — 24 billion more doses of the highly addictive pain pills than previously known to the public.

Nope – not a typo. 

100 billion…

That’s enough to give every living human in the United States 285 doses of these dangerous and highly addictive drugs.

Opioids were literally flooding into American households for eight years – driven by pharmaceutical marketing dollars, and physicians unwilling to change behavior even with abundant evidence of harm.

Perhaps even more incredible – this data was released by the feds only after a court challenge waged by a West Virginia newspaper.

According to the Washington Post,  “McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, Walgreens, AmerisourceBergen, CVS, and Walmart accounted for 76 percent of the oxycodone and hydrocodone pills that were shipped between 2006 and 2014… 

Three manufacturers accounted for 85 percent of the pills: SpecGx, a subsidiary of Mallin­ckrodt; ­Actavis Pharma; and Par Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Endo Pharmaceuticals.”

As has been the case since the beginning of the crisis, the drug companies and pharmacies blame physicians for the crisis.  Consumer advocates assign blame to both sides.  The drug companies concealed evidence of the dangerous nature of these drugs while promoting them to physicians aggressively.  Physicians failed to acknowledge or act on the clinical harm they were witnessing daily…

All while hundreds of thousands of Americans died as millions more had their lives irreparably damaged by addictions difficult to escape.

If you are struggling with an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol and need help in Connecticut, New Hampshire or Southern Maine, the recovery teams at Aware Recovery Care are here to help.  Our unique model of care is giving clients a significantly better chance of recovery when compared to traditional inpatient rehab care.  To learn more or to talk to one of our Recovery Specialists, please fill out our form or call us at 1-844-AWARERC.