When we act early, we can prevent the use and abuse of drugs, like opioids, which can lead to substance use disorders.
Substance use disorders, such as opioid use disorder (OUD), have had a significant impact on communities across America. Prevention activities help educate and support individuals, families and communities and are essential to maintaining individual and community health.
Opioid use disorders and overdoses are preventable
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), sometimes called “opioid abuse or dependence” or “opioid dependence,” is a problematic pattern of opioid use that results in significant impairment or distress. OUD is a condition that can affect anyone, regardless of race, gender, income level, or social class. As with many other conditions, evidence-based treatments are available for OUD, but seeking treatment remains stigmatized. Stigma can be a major barrier to effective prevention and treatment programs for the opioid crisis.
OUD contributes significantly to overdose deaths among people who use illegal opioids or abuse prescription opioids. Opioids, primarily synthetic opioids like illegally manufactured fentanyl, are currently the leading cause of overdose deaths.
A recent study among 29 states and the District of Columbia showed the percentage of overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills more than doubled from July 2019 to December 2021, and more than tripled in the western United States. These pills are dangerous because they usually appear as pharmaceutical pills, but often contain illegally manufactured fentanyl and illegal benzodiazepines or other drugs, whether people know it or not.
For every overdose that results in death, there are many other non-fatal overdoses, each with its own emotional and economic toll. OUD and overdose deaths continue to be a major public health problem in the United States, but they are preventable.
People can help reduce the risk of overdosing on counterfeit pills by:
- Take only the pills prescribed for them
- Knowing that pills purchased illegally may contain drugs
- Using fentanyl test strips (FTS)small strips of paper to detect the presence of fentanyl in all types of drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, etc.) and in all their forms (pills, powder and injectable products)
