Description
Response to your peers
Peer 1)
- Where is your community? (i.e., nation, state, city)
- What is a current trend/issue for substance abuse in your community?
My community is in Houston, Texas and an issue within my community is drug usage that has lethal amounts of fentanyl added to it or the drug being described something else and only being fentanyl. Unfortunately, many who are using opioids and other drugs thinking they are regular drugs such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, and Adderall are encountering fentanyl instead. Four out of ten pills in Houston streets are laced with fentanyl. Last year, there were 466 fentanyl related deaths in Harris County (Glover, 2022).
- What are the neurobiological effects, psychological effects, and addictive properties of the misused substance?
This drug binds to the bodys opioid receptors which is found in the part of the brain that controls pain and emotions. The brain adapts to the fentanyl which makes it difficult to feel pleasure in anyway besides taking the drug. Side effects of fentanyl are extreme happiness, drowsiness, nausea, confusion, constipation, sedation, breathing problems and unconsciousness (NIH, 2021). During an overdose, a persons breathing can slow or stop which causes a decrease of oxygen to the brain which is hypoxia. This can lead to a coma, brain damage, and death (NIH, 2021). Withdrawal symptoms include muscle and bone pain, sleep problems, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, uncontrollable leg movement and serve cravings (NIH, 2021).
- How are individuals, families, and communities affected by this trend?
Families are being ripped apart with the loss of a loved one either to the causes of the addiction or through death. Many people are unknowingly taking pills thinking they are something they are something else and experiencing overdoses, seizures, and unfortunately others are dying. Some are working with law officials to help track how their loved one encountered the drug. Others feel shame and dont provide information to the authorities. Recovering addicts have gone to social media to show others their story of addiction.
- What are the current efforts to address this trend? What treatments are available?
DEA Houston Division is working with local law enforcement to investigate fentanyl deaths, as well as local production. They also have the One Pill Can Kill Campaign. Billboards are being put up presenting the victims of this unfortunate crisis. Many advocates and experts who work to reduce overdose deaths in Texas support harm reduction measures, which can include testing illegal drugs for fentanyl contamination, syringe distribution programs and offering drug treatment to opioid users (Santucci, 2022). Treatment is usually through medication and therapy. Medications such as Buprenorphine and methadone are provided with cognitive behavioral therapy, contingency management, and motivational interviewing.
- How was addiction presented in media? How would you expand the perspective being offered?
The issue of fentanyl usage is mostly described through opioid usage and is presented in the media as the basis of the crisis. I would work to expand that the perspective being offered is that fentanyl is not only being added to opioids but is also added to other street drugs such as heroin and other pills such as Xanax. It has to be looked at as on overall drug crisis on all drugs because many are unknowingly affected by more than just opioids. The more awareness there is the more the community will work together to work towards such a serious issue.
Peer2)
Story: County Police Issue Advisory Over Marijuana Laced with Fentanyl
Where is your community? (i.e., nation, state, city)
I live in a town called Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia in America. It is located right along the coast and highway i-95 cuts right through it. Law enforcement has taught in trainings offer to community service providers that Brunswick is in a location that allows smugglers and traffickers to travel through the area and disperse out west and north fairly quickly to the rest of the state.
What is a current trend/issue for substance abuse in your community?
I used data from the Department of Public Health (Opioid Overdose Surveillance Preliminary Court Reports ranging from 2018 to 2020). Looking at the reports from 2018 to 2020, it seems like fentanyl was not become much of a concern until 2020. Much of the data collection suggests that opioids (not synthetic opioids) with the focus until 2020. Data collection of fentanyl rates reflect that the population reported the most in Glynn County were white adult males.
What are the neurobiological effects, psychological effects, and addictive properties of the misused substance?
Fentanyl acts as a depressant on our central nervous system and attaches to the opioid receptors in the brain when first ingested. When this occurs, it produces a sense of extreme happiness or euphoria. The brain has natural receptors that produce opioid chemicals that are released in response to activated pain receptors. Fentanyl affects the brains ability to make these natural opioid chemicals by reducing its function. This increases tolerance which could result in the individual consuming more of the substance over time to reduce pain or experience the first euphoric sensation. Increased usage increases the likelihood of fentanyl addiction. As the consumption increases, more of the substance is needed to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include muscle aches, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramping. Additional in more serious issues include cognitive decline, neglect, loss of muscle mass, memory loss, chronic lethargy, and death. Other severe neurological imbalances can occur due to changes of the brains physical structure that can cause genetic disorders, strokes, infections, seizures, dementia, and Parkinson disease.
How are individuals, families, and communities affected by this trend?
Individuals and families are being affected by the rise in fentanyl because people are dying, and others are getting addicted causes issues in daily functioning. Families who do not know how to help those who are addicted to the drug either unintentionally enable the user because they are worried for the persons well-being, or they disconnect themselves from the family member because the experience with the person is too much. The cost to treat individuals not only for the addiction but also illnesses related to the addiction can also become costly to the individual and family. The community is further affected by this issue because we already have a shortage of substance use counselors. Homelessness is also a major issue in the community. We have learned that individuals with addictions have the increased likelihood of experiencing homelessness. This becomes a challenge because now we are trying to figure out how to help people with multiple challenges such as these. Prevention and treatment of addiction to opioids and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl also costs the community.
What are the current efforts to address this trend? What treatments are available?
There are not efforts in my community to specifically address fentanyl addiction besides increased trainings for law enforcement and to mental health providers offered by law enforcement to recognize its physical form and potential symptoms. The community has three treatment centers that provide substance use treatment.
One offers addictive disease services which include individual group and family counseling, assessment screenings, psychiatric evaluations and care, inpatient crisis stabilization and intervention, intensive outpatient services, community-based treatment, housing assistance, residential treatment (if necessary), job coaching, and pharmacy assistance.
The second offers substance abuse counseling, group counseling, case management, urine and blood screenings, physical examinations, pregnancy tests, and transition planning.
The third offers residential treatment, on-site medical detox services included with on-going monitoring and screenings, and aftercare services which include support groups, counseling, and case management.
There are several Narcotics Anonymous support groups in the community. The local hospital and churches have also put forth effort to establish education and more support groups for those struggling with addiction. There are also several half-way houses in the downtown area of the community that support men in recovery by providing life skills, requiring community meeting attendance, and substance use counseling.
How was addiction presented in media? How would you expand the perspective being offered?
It is being described as a more potent drug that seems to be getting more difficult to control. Because marijuana usage is hard to control, being laced with fentanyl, which is becoming increasingly dangerous, they could only warn consumers to dispose of batches purchased within a timeframe. I was shocked within their recommendation not to dispose of laced marijuana in the toilet because it could contaminate the water supply. The article was almost like a plea from law enforcement for people to really understand the seriousness of the situation and to refrain from the risks of being exposed to fentanyl.
I would expand on the perspective by requesting that law enforcement team up with community agencies to offer a health fair based on substance use. The event could educate about different types of drugs, substance use addiction and the physical, mental health, and legal risks associated with it. They could also inform about different types of services that are offered and used to help individuals and families affected by addiction. I think this would be helpful for families that might need more information about how to deal with situations involving addiction. It also provides an opportunity for people to take the first step to getting connected with a resource to help.