Page 10
Portland (Obstruer
O ctober 19, 2011
Hijacked by Opioids
continued
from fron t
addicts, using over 80 percent of the
world’s opioid supply. Prescription
pills are now the drug of choice for
first-time drug users over the age of
12.
“It is an epidemic in this country
right now,” said Dr. Gregory H.
Pierce, a Pennsylvania doctor and
author of the recently published.
Addiction to Prescription Pain Kill
ers and the Street Drug Heroin.
Forapopulation living in an over
worked, fast-paced, and financially-
burdened society, immediate grati
fication is an alluring method to
cope with stress. M ind-altering
chemicals seem to meet that need.
W hether young people know
ingly consum e prescription pills
to relieve social anxieties, or adults
unknowingly dose them selves for
chronic pain relief, the brains of
A m ericans, young and old are in
dan ger of being hijacked one
bottle o f doctor-prescribed opio
ids at a time.
The misuse of opioids causes
.
PHOTO BY CARI H a CHMANN/T h E PORTLAND OBSERVER
Overdoses
of
opioids,
a
synthetic
version
of
opium,
caused
11,499
deaths
in
2007,
more
than heroin and cocaine combined.
large releases of dopam ine, sen
sations o f pleasure in the brain, believing that opioids are neces- tered, said Dr.Pierce, “you no longer specific effects o f pain killers and class family with decent health in-
wjocj create euphoria of such in- sarv
sary to
wjoci
to survive
s u rv iv e
haveachoice. You become addicted, how to take them correctly can help surance, but a lot of people don’t
tensity that it resets the brain to
Once the brain chemistry’is al
You react on impulse. Your only lessen the likelihood of addiction, have the support to pay for these
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function is to obtain pleasure.”
He prescribes non-narcotics first places,” said Ashurex.
Ashurex realized how fiercely to those with chronic pain before
He believes that affordable treat-
painkillers had taken control of his moving them to stronger medicine, ment is hard to come by because
mind and body when he tried to Encouraging patients to change opioid dependence is stigmatized
st°P;
unhealthy lifestyles through alter- as a white-collar drug addiction, so
Since quitting his job as a re- native therapies is another way he those who can afford the drugs in
gional sales consultant two years works with patients before rushing the first place should be able to pay
ago to get help, Ashurex has battled for a prescription.
their way out of it.
his addiction every day. Even with
Dr. Pierce says he avoids pre-
After calling more than 50 opiate
family support and health-insured scribing to “red flag “patients who addiction specialists in Oregon,
treatments, he can only stay clean may ask for narcotics first, demand Ashurerx found most doctors could
for 3 to 4 month stretches, until he a specific medication, or run out of not see patients until after Christ-
loses control again.
supplies early or lose their prescrip- mas. He desperately wants help,
If you don t take them, you liter- tions. He also considers the type of but says he is taking pills again “just
ally cannot live without them.” said injury that might warrant pain medi- so I can survive”.
Ashurex. Obtaining and using pills cation, such as a twisted ankle ver-
Ashurex also sees a psychothera-
became a survival instinct, “You sus a herniated disc.
pist for Severe anxiety and rampant
don't care about work, family, or
Such methods may not hurt, but depression that have worsened from
friends. You will rob, cheat, and both Dr. Pierce and Ashurex agree prescription pill use. The mental
steal to get them.”
doctors should have access to a da- battle takes a toll on him. He often
In one year, A shurex spent fabase that monitors how many doc- feels worthless and lethargic.
$60,000 dollars on pills alone. He tors an individual is receiving pain
He wishes that initially, he would
sold his laptop and his car. He medication from. That way, one per- havejust taken Ibuprofen and dealt
burned through a decent 401k. At son could not obtain the same pre- with the pain in his shoulder, in
rock bottom, he said, “If I had $20, scriptions from various doctors.
stead of masking the pain with pills,
and I could go buy a pill or put gas
Tarek Ashurex is frustrated that which in the end, caused him to tear
in my car, I would go buy that pill doctors and the pharm aceutical up his shoulder more,
and hope I didn t run out of gas.” companies who supply them are not
“Not only am I an opiate addict
A shurexsaidheneverw entm ore being held responsible. He is also but I have a left shoulder that never
than a day or two without being able annoyed that it is costing him so healed properly.”
to find pills. Often, users buy pills much to get treatment for a chemical
Ashurex says he is not ashamed
from numerous different doctors dependence that he cannot control, of his addiction because he never
that prescribe them the same drugs
He said, “When you hit rock asked for it. This week he started
or drug dealers who do the same, bottom, you don’t have any money treatment at a Methadone clinic and
Easy access to pills is one avenue left, you’ve already spent it all on is paying $ 120 a week. He will not
that allows many people to stay drugs.” Ashurex says most Metha- see a specialist until November.
hooked
done or Suboxone clinics, two com-
He hopes the money spent will
Though every doctor has differ- mon treatments for opioid abuse help him get better and lead a happy,
ent standards, which may be part of treatments, are expensive and have productive live, but he is not com-
the problem, Dr. Pierce says better wait lists up to six months long.
pletely convinced, “The journey has
education for the patient about the
“Fortunately, I come from a middle just started,” he said.