Smacked On O

Interviewers: Francesca Collins; Jack Pasi; Perry Elyaderani

Jammed on bags. Smacked on …... Oxy ,Kickers, Percs, Vikes, Captain Cody, “Doors and fours”, Apache, Tango and Cash, Miss Emma, Fizzies, Blues, Biscuits, Smack, Juice…..OPIATES.

Every day, about 3,900 people initiate nonmedical use of prescription opioids, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The HHS reports that by the 12th grade, more than half of adolescents have abused an illicit drug at least once. The second most commonly used drug by this age group are prescription drugs.

Many opioid addictions start after a doctor has prescribed them for pain. Oftentimes, these drugs are overprescribed. The attorney general of North Carolina, Josh Stein, said “it’s common to get 30, 50, 60 pills for that operation but you may need one or two.”

After having back surgery, Diego, a recovering opioid abuser, said he received a percocet prescription and assumed his doctor would only give him as many as he needed for the pain.

Diego was given about 60 pills in one bottle and once he ran out, he said, “it was way too easy to ask him [the doctor] for refills...describing myself in moderate pain would get me a bottle I could overdose on easily like multiple times over.” He claimed it was easy to get as much as he wanted as long as he waited a reasonable amount of time.

Diego, having attended a therapeutic boarding school for anxiety was exposed to addicts in their worst form. A therapeutic boarding school, otherwise known as a private residential treatment is a tuition-based, out of home treatment that combines therapy and education for students with emotional, behavioral, or substance abuse disorders. At this type of school, Diego saw students being forced to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings and watched many struggle adopting the Twelve Steps of Recovery.

This exposure gave Diego the knowledge and foresight to know when he was about to cross the line with his percocet usage. He described his experience getting high on percocets as this:

“Before I take it, I have whatever stress feels like to people; that is my baseline. Basically, it’s that feeling in your stomach and my heart beating. When I take it, it’s just gone; it’s like having a normal relaxed day … It’s like my heart isn’t pounding anymore and my throat isn’t a little closed and my stomach feels fine I just feel happy.”

Many opioid abusers experience a relief like this after taking the drug.

Diego’s advice for those recovering from a surgery is to only accept a prescription for an opioid if you’re in serious pain that is unmanageable, otherwise, you could just be asking for trouble.