Opioids

Addiction takes a tremendous toll on the body. Learn what you can do to start the healing, break free from addiction, and regain control over your life.

The amount of people who are addicted to prescription painkillers continues to grow, with an estimated 2.1 million people currently misusing opioids in the United States. And for many, the transition from prescription drug misuse to heroin addiction is an easy one.

Once believed to be helpful medications, opioids were frequently prescribed to patients for chronic pain management. Now, they have proved to be dangerous and highly addictive.

Grammy award-winning rapper Macklemore and President Barack Obama teamed up last weekend to talk about the national opioid addiction crisis by calling for Congress to increase funding for addiction treatment.

Learn about the complex history of drug and alcohol addiction and how 18th century substance abuse impacted even America’s founding fathers.

At a West Virginia conference, Obama addressed the opioid epidemic, the role of prescription drugs, and different initiatives the government would take to reduce the public health crisis.