opioid

Charlie Oen revisits a garage where he abused drugs. Oen was addicted to heroin at the age of 16. Now 25, he is sober and working as a peer counselor in Lima, Ohio.

A Peer Recovery Coach Walks The Front Lines Of America's Opioid Epidemic

4:59pm December 27, 2016

Charlie Oen was addicted to heroin as a teenager. At 25, he's now clean and a peer counselor in Lima, Ohio, where he tries to help people who started using drugs before he was born.

John Evard, 70, at the Las Vegas Recovery Center in Las Vegas last July. Evard, a retired tax attorney, checked into a rehabilitation program to help him quit the prescribed opioids that had left him depressed, groggy and dependent on the drugs.

Opioids Can Derail The Lives Of Older People, Too

4:29pm December 20, 2016

by Jenny Gold

Doctors have commonly managed the persistent pain of people over 65 with prescription opioids. But that has left some still in pain, and with a physical and emotional dependence that can ruin life.

A police officer holds a bag of heroin that was confiscated as evidence in Gloucester, Mass., in March. Massachusetts is one of 38 states that allow civil commitment for substance abuse.

A Twist On 'Involuntary Commitment': Some Heroin Users Request It

5:51pm November 15, 2016

by Karen Brown

Some Massachusetts opioid users are so desperate to quit the drug habit that they are asking judges to lock them up and require treatment. Critics question whether courts should play this role.

This scan illustrates activity in the primary somatosensory cortex. This area is highly active during pain and rest. But its activity level is far lower during meditation and pain.

Science

Study Suggests Mindfulness Meditation Could Help Fight Chronic Pain

1:00pm October 14, 2016

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

We are in the midst of a global opioid epedemic, largly created though the use of prescription opiods. One ancient form of pain meditation is being explored with robust scientific rigor for use as a possible alternative.

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After a string of inpatient rehabilitation stays, Louis Casanova, who lives near Philadelphia, says he is still trying to break his addiction.

How We Got Here: Treating Addiction In 28 Days

8:28am October 01, 2016

by Ben Allen

Decades ago, a researcher came up with 28 days as the ideal length of stay for inpatient alcoholism rehab, despite lack of evidence that it worked. That model is now being used for opioid addiction.

Bob Topmiller, chief of toxicology at the Hamilton County Coroner's Office, holds a small vial containing carfentanil extracted from a sample of blood.

Deadly Opioid Overwhelms First Responders And Crime Labs in Ohio

12:53pm September 25, 2016

by Jake Harper

Carfentanil, a potent variation on fentanyl, is being blamed for a wave of opioid overdoses. In Cincinnati, the coroner, crime lab and first responders are struggling to keep up.

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The federal government is moving to crack down on kratom, which some people use for chronic pain and to lessen cravings for opioids and alcohol.

Kratom Advocates Speak Out Against Proposed Government Ban

6:18pm September 12, 2016

by Lauren Silverman

The Drug Enforcement Administration is cracking down on a plant that it says is involved in a number of deaths. Advocates say kratom can help treat opioid addiction, which is a far bigger hazard.

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Nearly half of Americans 12 and older take sedatives, stimulants, painkillers or tranquilizers.

Widespread Use Of Prescription Drugs Provides Ample Supply For Abuse

5:16pm September 08, 2016

by Richard Harris

A federal survey found that 119 million Americans over the age of 12 took prescription drugs that included painkillers, tranquilizers, stimulants or sedatives.

These pills were made to look like Oxycodone, but they're actually an illicit form of the potent painkiller fentanyl. A surge in police seizures of illicit fentanyl parallels a rise in overdose deaths.

Illegally Made Fentanyl Seems To Be Fueling A Spike In Overdoses

3:23pm August 25, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

Fentanyl is showing up in heroin and counterfeit pain pills, and users may not even know they're taking the extremely potent drug.

A Small Town Struggles With A Boom In Sober Living Homes

11:53am August 22, 2016

by Will Stone

Prescott, Ariz., has become a destination of choice for people trying to get sober, with growing numbers of group homes for recovering addicts. Some residents are calling for regulation of the homes.

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