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Author
Speaking
Assessment
Resources
Press
Blog
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Are You Ready to Do Something about the Opioid Crisis?
Step
1
of
23
0%
Yes. I have personally experienced or had people I know or work with overdose, suffer the challenges of chronic pain, or deal with opioid dependency and addiction.
No. I don’t see myself as having any role to play. This “crisis” is about other people breaking the law, and I don’t see how it relates to me.
I’m not sure how to answer. I don’t really understand what’s happening or what I can possibly do.
Overdoses, opioid dependency and addiction, and chronic pain are problems that pervade American life. The Opioid Crisis touches all Americans. In some cases, family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers can’t get access to needed relief from pain. In other cases, people get addicted to drugs. And many of us have lost loved ones to overdoses, many of them accidental. Whether you work in and around healthcare or not, this assessment will provide you with information on valuable skills and tools you can use to help put an end to the opioid crisis.
Take Action Today. Fill out the form in the next step to learn what you can do to stop the Opioid Crisis today.
Name
*
First
Last
Email
*
CAPTCHA
NOTE: By clicking the submit button, you are agreeing to receive email updates from Harry Nelson. You can unsubscribe at any time.
1. The essential issue to address the Opioid Crisis in America is:
*
A. The overdose death rate (almost 50,000 from Opioids in 2017 and over 70,000 from all drugs).
B. The rate of substance abuse disorders (almost 2 million diagnosed and 20 million reported) 2008. We are a decade into this crisis.
C. The rising rate of unaddressed chronic pain, which affects 1 in 5 adults.
D. All of the above.
Correct
Incorrect
Answer: D.
The Opioid Crisis is not just one problem. It’s three big interwoven problems: a nation with 1 in 5 Americans suffering in chronic pain, 1 in 12 people dealing with an addiction, 200+ people dying every day. Millions of Americans are suffering silently. Family and friends are grieving as loved ones are dying, in pain, and addicted. Tackling the opioid crisis requires addressing all three strands, not any one of them.
2. True or False? The Opioid Crisis was triggered by aggressive marketing of painkillers like Oxycontin and physician overprescribing. The priority to solving it needs to be more careful regulation of drug makers and doctors.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False.
While it’s true that Purdue Pharma’s marketing of Oxycontin and physician overprescribing sparked a rise in the number of overdose deaths and addiction to painkillers, the roots of the crisis around opioids go back well over 100 years. Oxycontin was just the most recent chapter in a much longer story. There have been multiple points of failure throughout our healthcare system and deeper issues behind the crisis. More importantly, the even bigger problem today is illegal drug trafficking in black tar heroin and fentanyl. Regulating drugmakers and doctors may help, but the much bigger problems we face are millions of people unable to get the help they need with pain and addiction, and turning to drug dealers to fill the void.
3. How far back does the rising overdose death rate in America go?
*
A. 2008. We are a decade into this crisis.
B. 1999. It’s been 20 years since the marketing of Oxycontin drove a rising death toll.
C. 40 years. Rising overdose death rates is an older problem.
Correct
Incorrect
Answer: C.
While the media links the Opioid Crisis to the last 20 years, a September 2018 University of Pittsburgh study traced a
40-year
exponentially rising curve in overdose deaths across all drugs categories. The problem of people accidentally or intentionally overdosing goes back twice as far as we usually talk about, to the 1970s. One key takeaway is that overdose deaths are a “push-down/pop-up” problem, meaning that when the DEA cracks down on one drug, people who are looking to buy it and drug dealers who had been selling it just switch over to something different. Cracking down on heroin drives users and dealers to fentanyl. The overdose problem is bigger than just opioids or any one drug.
4. True or False? The worst of the Opioid Crisis appears to be over, thanks to growing media attention and public awareness.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False.
The overdose death rate has been accelerating at a frightening rate, getting much worse every year. The Opioid Crisis is often divided into three waves of overdose deaths: physician overprescribing (beginning in the late 1990s), black tar heroin (beginning in 2010), and illegal fentanyl (beginning in 2013). While the rate of overdoses attributable to overprescribing has slowed, heroin overdoses continue to climb steadily and fentanyl overdose deaths are increasing at a rate of roughly 90% year over year.
5. True or False? The national health policy solutions to the opioid crisis have focused heavily on alternative pharmacotherapy, meaning new drugs to undo the harm.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
True.
Two of the main components of the official government policy solution to the Opioid Crisis have been different medications:
Naloxone
(most well known by the brand ‘Narcan’), a drug that reverses overdoses if administered in time, and
Buprenorphine
(most well known by the brand Suboxone), a drug that replaces stronger opioids by suppressing cravings and preventing uncomfortable opioid withdrawal symptoms, commonly known as “Medication Assisted Treatment” (MAT). Other major components of public health policy have been funding increased outreach and education on prevention and early intervention in opioid dependency, improving physician training, expanding efforts to stop illegal drug trafficking, using data analytics to monitor prescribing and opioid-related risks, and improving access to addiction treatment across the country.
6. True or False? Government policy to address the opioid crisis has made a priority of addressing underlying causes of drug use, addiction, and pain, such as anxiety, chronic stress, social isolation, and a lost sense of purpose.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False.
Despite the evidence that overdose deaths are a problem that transcend any one particular opioid or even any particular drug, public health policy on the Opioid Crisis has largely ignored dealing with the root causes that are driving people to drug use, abuse, and feelings of pain. It has been much easier for government to come up with smaller, practical solutions to slow the accelerating death rate, while avoiding the deeper and bigger underlying issues that need to be addressed but are difficult to talk about, such as the increasing suicide rates and other signs of deep unhappiness across all demographics around the country.
7. Obstacles to addressing the crisis levels of chronic pain include:
*
A. Reluctance on the part of physicians to talk with patients about other non-medication solutions to pain, such as neurostimulation, stretching, and relaxation techniques.
B. Government pressure on physicians to limit opioid and other controlled substance prescribing.
C. Insurance company pressure on doctors to prescribe medications rather than discuss other solutions.
D. Government policy blocking research on new therapeutic options for pain, such as cannabis.
E. All of the above.
Correct
Incorrect
Answer: E.
People in chronic pain are being denied the care they need in significant part because doctors are under pressure not to prescribe at the risk of facing investigations by state medical boards. They also deal with time and economic pressures not to discuss alternative solutions. There are many non-medication options that work for many patients, including physical therapy, chiropractic care, massage, and neurofeedback, to name a few. Insurance company reimbursement has encouraged pain medication over these options because it is faster and cheaper to give out pills than provide individualized, in-person care. The economics of practice put physicians under enormous time pressure for fast solutions, meaning pills are prioritized as solutions, instead of other options. It takes 30 seconds to say yes, 30 minutes to say no. There is also a mind-body connection between stress and physical symptoms of pain that many doctors are reluctant to discuss and that insurance does not pay for doctors to share. The evidence is that, in many cases, stress and trauma led to the disease state and pain, and just being aware of the linkage makes people better. Meanwhile, the DEA has been and continues to be a part of the problem by pressuring doctors not to prescribe controlled substances and by insisting on maintaining limits that prevent researchers from investigating cannabinoid therapies, as well as many other therapeutic uses of illegal controlled substances.
8. True or False? The risk of opioid dependency begins in high school, and the most effective thing parents can do is to warn their teenage kids about how dangerous these drugs are.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False:
The evidence is that middle school children as young as 10 years old are one of the fastest growing demographics using opioids. Parents should not wait until their kids are approaching high school to talk about opioids. The problem is not simply a lack of awareness about the danger of opioids. The most important thing parents can do is to talk to children about underlying feelings of anxiety and stress, making children feel that they will not be shamed or judged for these feelings, letting them know that these are things parents feel, too. Parents need to monitor for the risks that kids are socially isolated by technology overuse and turning to drugs to self-medicate or for other reasons. It’s critical to maintain open lines of communication and not delay seeking professional healthcare and school resources for early intervention.
9. True or False? Many employers address the opioid crisis in their workplace wellness programs.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False.
While some companies offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to refer people for addiction treatment, the primary focuses in workplace wellness for most employers has been smoking cessation and weight reduction. There is a massive opportunity to expand a full continuum of services to address chronic pain, substance use, and underlying stress and mental health in the workplace -- not just when people at the breaking point need an EAP referral for treatment program, but across a continuum of creating awareness among co-workers that many people are experiencing opioid-related problems, early identification of risk, and teaching people to engage and express concern without judgment, shame, or stigmatizing people for their feelings, pain, or substance use.
10. The best things I can do to promoting health and wellness related to opioids in my home, community, and workplace are:
*
A. Understanding the continuum of use disorders (SUDs/OUDs) and pain from mild to severe
B. Focusing on reducing stress and anxiety in supporting wellness
C. Ending a culture of shame around substance use
D. Educating myself about non-opioid forms of treatment for pain
E. Developing the skills of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT))
F. Assessment of safety risks
G. All of the above
Correct
Incorrect
Answer: G.
The real solution to the Opioid Crisis will be at a grassroots level, when all of us come to understand that we have the capacity and power to be agents of prevention and intervention in the lives of the people around us. This does not mean just warning people that opioids are dangerous, but deepening our awareness of the underlying issues that drive addiction, pain, and overdose deaths, and engaging with the people in our lives to reduce the stress, anxiety, and isolation, and to eradicate the culture of shame that keeps people suffering in silence and self-medicating. We all have work to do to change the risk trajectory for our families, our communities, our co-workers, and everyone we come into contact with.
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Are You Ready to Do Something about the Opioid Crisis?
Step
1
of
23
0%
Yes. I have personally experienced or had people I know or work with overdose, suffer the challenges of chronic pain, or deal with opioid dependency and addiction.
No. I don’t see myself as having any role to play. This “crisis” is about other people breaking the law, and I don’t see how it relates to me.
I’m not sure how to answer. I don’t really understand what’s happening or what I can possibly do.
Overdoses, opioid dependency and addiction, and chronic pain are problems that pervade American life. The Opioid Crisis touches all Americans. In some cases, family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers can’t get access to needed relief from pain. In other cases, people get addicted to drugs. And many of us have lost loved ones to overdoses, many of them accidental. Whether you work in and around healthcare or not, this assessment will provide you with information on valuable skills and tools you can use to help put an end to the opioid crisis.
Take Action Today. Fill out the form in the next step to learn what you can do to stop the Opioid Crisis today.
Name
*
First
Last
Email
*
CAPTCHA
NOTE: By clicking the submit button, you are agreeing to receive email updates from Harry Nelson. You can unsubscribe at any time.
1. The essential issue to address the Opioid Crisis in America is:
*
A. The overdose death rate (almost 50,000 from Opioids in 2017 and over 70,000 from all drugs).
B. The rate of substance abuse disorders (almost 2 million diagnosed and 20 million reported) 2008. We are a decade into this crisis.
C. The rising rate of unaddressed chronic pain, which affects 1 in 5 adults.
D. All of the above.
Correct
Incorrect
Answer: D.
The Opioid Crisis is not just one problem. It’s three big interwoven problems: a nation with 1 in 5 Americans suffering in chronic pain, 1 in 12 people dealing with an addiction, 200+ people dying every day. Millions of Americans are suffering silently. Family and friends are grieving as loved ones are dying, in pain, and addicted. Tackling the opioid crisis requires addressing all three strands, not any one of them.
2. True or False? The Opioid Crisis was triggered by aggressive marketing of painkillers like Oxycontin and physician overprescribing. The priority to solving it needs to be more careful regulation of drug makers and doctors.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False.
While it’s true that Purdue Pharma’s marketing of Oxycontin and physician overprescribing sparked a rise in the number of overdose deaths and addiction to painkillers, the roots of the crisis around opioids go back well over 100 years. Oxycontin was just the most recent chapter in a much longer story. There have been multiple points of failure throughout our healthcare system and deeper issues behind the crisis. More importantly, the even bigger problem today is illegal drug trafficking in black tar heroin and fentanyl. Regulating drugmakers and doctors may help, but the much bigger problems we face are millions of people unable to get the help they need with pain and addiction, and turning to drug dealers to fill the void.
3. How far back does the rising overdose death rate in America go?
*
A. 2008. We are a decade into this crisis.
B. 1999. It’s been 20 years since the marketing of Oxycontin drove a rising death toll.
C. 40 years. Rising overdose death rates is an older problem.
Correct
Incorrect
Answer: C.
While the media links the Opioid Crisis to the last 20 years, a September 2018 University of Pittsburgh study traced a
40-year
exponentially rising curve in overdose deaths across all drugs categories. The problem of people accidentally or intentionally overdosing goes back twice as far as we usually talk about, to the 1970s. One key takeaway is that overdose deaths are a “push-down/pop-up” problem, meaning that when the DEA cracks down on one drug, people who are looking to buy it and drug dealers who had been selling it just switch over to something different. Cracking down on heroin drives users and dealers to fentanyl. The overdose problem is bigger than just opioids or any one drug.
4. True or False? The worst of the Opioid Crisis appears to be over, thanks to growing media attention and public awareness.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False.
The overdose death rate has been accelerating at a frightening rate, getting much worse every year. The Opioid Crisis is often divided into three waves of overdose deaths: physician overprescribing (beginning in the late 1990s), black tar heroin (beginning in 2010), and illegal fentanyl (beginning in 2013). While the rate of overdoses attributable to overprescribing has slowed, heroin overdoses continue to climb steadily and fentanyl overdose deaths are increasing at a rate of roughly 90% year over year.
5. True or False? The national health policy solutions to the opioid crisis have focused heavily on alternative pharmacotherapy, meaning new drugs to undo the harm.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
True.
Two of the main components of the official government policy solution to the Opioid Crisis have been different medications:
Naloxone
(most well known by the brand ‘Narcan’), a drug that reverses overdoses if administered in time, and
Buprenorphine
(most well known by the brand Suboxone), a drug that replaces stronger opioids by suppressing cravings and preventing uncomfortable opioid withdrawal symptoms, commonly known as “Medication Assisted Treatment” (MAT). Other major components of public health policy have been funding increased outreach and education on prevention and early intervention in opioid dependency, improving physician training, expanding efforts to stop illegal drug trafficking, using data analytics to monitor prescribing and opioid-related risks, and improving access to addiction treatment across the country.
6. True or False? Government policy to address the opioid crisis has made a priority of addressing underlying causes of drug use, addiction, and pain, such as anxiety, chronic stress, social isolation, and a lost sense of purpose.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False.
Despite the evidence that overdose deaths are a problem that transcend any one particular opioid or even any particular drug, public health policy on the Opioid Crisis has largely ignored dealing with the root causes that are driving people to drug use, abuse, and feelings of pain. It has been much easier for government to come up with smaller, practical solutions to slow the accelerating death rate, while avoiding the deeper and bigger underlying issues that need to be addressed but are difficult to talk about, such as the increasing suicide rates and other signs of deep unhappiness across all demographics around the country.
7. Obstacles to addressing the crisis levels of chronic pain include:
*
A. Reluctance on the part of physicians to talk with patients about other non-medication solutions to pain, such as neurostimulation, stretching, and relaxation techniques.
B. Government pressure on physicians to limit opioid and other controlled substance prescribing.
C. Insurance company pressure on doctors to prescribe medications rather than discuss other solutions.
D. Government policy blocking research on new therapeutic options for pain, such as cannabis.
E. All of the above.
Correct
Incorrect
Answer: E.
People in chronic pain are being denied the care they need in significant part because doctors are under pressure not to prescribe at the risk of facing investigations by state medical boards. They also deal with time and economic pressures not to discuss alternative solutions. There are many non-medication options that work for many patients, including physical therapy, chiropractic care, massage, and neurofeedback, to name a few. Insurance company reimbursement has encouraged pain medication over these options because it is faster and cheaper to give out pills than provide individualized, in-person care. The economics of practice put physicians under enormous time pressure for fast solutions, meaning pills are prioritized as solutions, instead of other options. It takes 30 seconds to say yes, 30 minutes to say no. There is also a mind-body connection between stress and physical symptoms of pain that many doctors are reluctant to discuss and that insurance does not pay for doctors to share. The evidence is that, in many cases, stress and trauma led to the disease state and pain, and just being aware of the linkage makes people better. Meanwhile, the DEA has been and continues to be a part of the problem by pressuring doctors not to prescribe controlled substances and by insisting on maintaining limits that prevent researchers from investigating cannabinoid therapies, as well as many other therapeutic uses of illegal controlled substances.
8. True or False? The risk of opioid dependency begins in high school, and the most effective thing parents can do is to warn their teenage kids about how dangerous these drugs are.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False:
The evidence is that middle school children as young as 10 years old are one of the fastest growing demographics using opioids. Parents should not wait until their kids are approaching high school to talk about opioids. The problem is not simply a lack of awareness about the danger of opioids. The most important thing parents can do is to talk to children about underlying feelings of anxiety and stress, making children feel that they will not be shamed or judged for these feelings, letting them know that these are things parents feel, too. Parents need to monitor for the risks that kids are socially isolated by technology overuse and turning to drugs to self-medicate or for other reasons. It’s critical to maintain open lines of communication and not delay seeking professional healthcare and school resources for early intervention.
9. True or False? Many employers address the opioid crisis in their workplace wellness programs.
*
True
False
Correct
Incorrect
False.
While some companies offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to refer people for addiction treatment, the primary focuses in workplace wellness for most employers has been smoking cessation and weight reduction. There is a massive opportunity to expand a full continuum of services to address chronic pain, substance use, and underlying stress and mental health in the workplace -- not just when people at the breaking point need an EAP referral for treatment program, but across a continuum of creating awareness among co-workers that many people are experiencing opioid-related problems, early identification of risk, and teaching people to engage and express concern without judgment, shame, or stigmatizing people for their feelings, pain, or substance use.
10. The best things I can do to promoting health and wellness related to opioids in my home, community, and workplace are:
*
A. Understanding the continuum of use disorders (SUDs/OUDs) and pain from mild to severe
B. Focusing on reducing stress and anxiety in supporting wellness
C. Ending a culture of shame around substance use
D. Educating myself about non-opioid forms of treatment for pain
E. Developing the skills of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT))
F. Assessment of safety risks
G. All of the above
Correct
Incorrect
Answer: G.
The real solution to the Opioid Crisis will be at a grassroots level, when all of us come to understand that we have the capacity and power to be agents of prevention and intervention in the lives of the people around us. This does not mean just warning people that opioids are dangerous, but deepening our awareness of the underlying issues that drive addiction, pain, and overdose deaths, and engaging with the people in our lives to reduce the stress, anxiety, and isolation, and to eradicate the culture of shame that keeps people suffering in silence and self-medicating. We all have work to do to change the risk trajectory for our families, our communities, our co-workers, and everyone we come into contact with.
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
