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CoachMorningGerbil13
CURRENT ADDICTION ISSUES IN YOUR COMMUNITY My Colleagues post….
CURRENT ADDICTION ISSUES IN YOUR COMMUNITY
My Colleagues post.
Recently, my community has been the victim of a deadly tranquilizer called Xylazine that is being added to narcotics. This tranquilizer is mixed with fentanyl in certain substances which is causing more overdoses than normal. “The xylazine and fentanyl drug mixture poses a higher risk of fatal drug poisoning. As xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone (Narcan) will not work to reverse its effects. In addition, individuals who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine can develop severe wounds involving necrosis, leading to possible amputations.” (Higgins, D.M., 2023.). This tranquilizer is used for sedation and anesthesia in animals such as horses and cattle. There are several street names for this tranquilizer including “sleep-cut” and “zombie drug”. The people that are addicted to these substances are unaware of the presence of the tranquilizer and therefore, they are unaware that they are about to potentially die. The risk of an overdose is part of drug addiction no matter what, but these risks are heightened when the tranquilizer is added.
There are many social and political ramifications attached to this issue. People in my community are beginning to become terrified of a potential overdose resulting in death from using these substances. The sentencing of drug dealers that are knowingly or unknowingly distributing these substances is going to be harsher. The people that are addicted are at a loss for addiction care from health insurances that they likely cannot afford. There are higher consequences for both the users and the sellers of these substances. The user could lose his or her’s limbs from the wounds Xylazine creates and they could even die from using the substances. If you are caught selling these substances, they will likely sentence you to higher charges than drug distribution. They could charge you with murder. Your friends could hand you a narcotic with this deadly tranquilizer without knowing it. Doing these laced drugs socially, could cause a group of people to lose their lives in a type of “mass overdose”. These tranquilizers are being added to “cut” the substance, most of the time to save more of the drug and raise their profits from selling them.
Addiction professionals could have a great deal of impact on this issue. If a person comes to them with an addiction, they could potentially have a part in getting them clean and sober before they have a chance of touching a narcotic laced with Xylazine. If an addiction professional put themselves out there, and explains the risks of this substance, it may have an impact on how many people want to enter a rehab facility and kick their habit. The addiction professional could ensure a treatment plan that works for the addict instead of putting them on the same path as everyone else. Caring about each individual person and what will work for them helps more than anything else. As a future addiction professional I could do the same thing. I could begin by making everyone aware of what is happening around them and the risk it entails. Spreading the word and doing simple things such as sharing these articles on social media, could save someone’s life.
Higgins, D.M., Publisher/Editor- Southern Maryland Chronicle: DEA warns of deadly “tranq” drug mixture in St. Mary’s County. DEA warns of deadly “Tranq” drug mixture in St. Mary’s County – The Southern Maryland ChronicleLinks to an external site.
Respond to my colleague post above by offering additional recommendations for how the issue can be addressed by addiction professionals or community members.
Support your reply to my colleague’s Discussion post with evidence from at least one Learning Resource. You may state your opinion and/or provide personal examples; however, you must also back up your assertions with evidence, including in-text citation(s) and reference(s) in APA style.
Learning resources.
Impact of Addiction on Society
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2016, November). Chapter 1: Introduction and overview of the report. Download Chapter 1: Introduction and overview of the report.In The Surgeon General’s report on alcohol, drugs, and health. https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/sites/default/files/chapter-1-introduction.pdf
Note: Read only pages 1-33.
SAMHSA. (2020). Highlights for the 2020 national survey on drug use and health. Download Highlights for the 2020 national survey on drug use and health.https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/2021-10/2020_NSDUH_Highlights.pdf
Veach, L. J., & Moro, R. R. (2018). Chapter 10: Societal systems impacted by the addiction spectrum: Legal, workplace, and medical settings Download Chapter 10: Societal systems impacted by the addiction spectrum: Legal, workplace, and medical settings. In The spectrum of addiction. SAGE.
Note: Read only pages 210-231.
Societal Approaches Towards Addiction
Thombs, D. L., & Osborn, C. J. (2019). Introduction to addictive behaviors (5th ed.). Guilford Press.
Chapter 3: Public Health and Prevention Approaches
Chapter 9: Social and Cultural Foundations
Murphy, J. (2017). Addiction frameworks and support for expanding treatment for drug offendersLinks to an external site.. Contemporary Drug Problems, 44(3), 232-245.
Csete, J. (2019, March). Criminal justice barriers to treatment of opioid use disorders in the United States: The need for public health advocacyLinks to an external site.. American Journal of Public Health, 109(3), 419-422. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC63664852sw
Hari, J. (2015). Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong [Video].Links to an external site. TEDGlobalLondon. https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong
