OPIOIDS
Dr. John Symeonides, President of the Florida Society of Addiction Medicine, said, “More than 10% of students have addiction problems.” He also insists on family engagement against drug overdose Thursday in Tampa, FL.
Drug overdose deaths rose from 12,122 in 2015 to 53,495 in 2021, particularly from 2019 -2021, when more than 106,000 persons in the U.S. died. Today, fentanyl has become the number one cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45,” according to a recent release by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. From the data collected regarding this report, it shows that drug overdose addiction is spreading everywhere, even at school., even at school.
Symeonides advises parents to be suspicious about it, don’t say my kids are not drug users, or they are not going to get an overdose. Because “Most of the time, students take drugs by peer pressure” while “drug traffickers and influencers tell them they’ll feel better.” So he explains with their strategy they try to get students hooked and make them dependable on opioids.
“The overdose patient will be lethargic or sometimes combative, confused, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate can be and usually are low, heart rate or rhythm may vary, there may be a loss of bowel and bladder function, and cognition is impaired,” explained Darren Dubecky (Master of Science in nursing and registered nurse) who worked in an Emergency Department for nearly a decade.
Now than ever, the role of relatives in prevention and recovery is more than necessary,” according to Dubecky. He said, “Family and friends can curb addiction and support recovery without professional support.” Furthermore, Symeonides said, “Prevention means being aware and understanding what those symptoms could be.”
Besides, “the absolute best support to recovery is a strong support system outside the healthcare system, family, and friends,” explained Dubecky, who also advises that the very best of facilities will fail addiction recovery without relative support. On the other hand, family members can curb addiction and support recovery without professional support.” If today, experts call for a family engagement is because “we have a significant number of individuals with drug addiction,” Dr. Symeonides said.
Drug overdose or drug addiction leads to violence said Symeonides, who described “any drug user is at high risk of violence.” He declares, “when they are intoxicated,” that easily “directs to a lack of control which may lead them to become a perpetrator or victim of violence.
stay connected
DC of Tampa 